This documentation is for LEGAL PURPOSES for the PUBLIC RECORD.
March 31, 2025
SEE UPDATES BELOW
I live on a rental property owned by a slumlord, since January, 2014
At 8:30 AM one of the slumlord's workers showed up and knocked on my door. I had just woken up and was not dressed. I had been ill all night and still not recovered.
On my door I have a NOTICE posted:
NO TRESPASSING
NO SOLICITING
SERVICE VISITS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
I had notified the slumlord years ago that I require, and that I have the right, to a minimum 24 hours notice if a worker needs to come to my home. He is well aware of this policy, but has repeatedly disregarded it, with no respect whatsoever for my rights as a tenant.
I ignored the knocking. The workers were walking around outside my house and then came knocking again. I ignored them.
Don't they speak English? Well...no, unfortunately they don't, and I guess they can't read English either.
I once again had to call the Health Department last week, for yet another issue with the plumbing. The Health Department came, investigated and made a diagnosis regarding the situation.
They made it very clear that there is a major overhaul needed and also cited the slumlord (once again) for the health code violation, which involved a major problem with the sewage and water system.
The Health official told me that he had explained all this in detail to the slumlord. He also told me that there was no need for anyone to come inside my house: the issues were all outside. So, why send his workers to come knocking at my door? Aside from the total lack of respect for my privacy and my rights, there was no good reason to do so.
I am a tenant, not a plumber or contractor. It is not my responsibility to discuss the problems with his hired help (who do not speak English), especially since they do not need access to my house. The slumlord was told exactly what the problem is. If he failed to take action to rectify his violations, that's on him, not me.
But of course, I am the one (as always) who suffers the consequences of his negligence, total lack of respect and callous disregard for his tenants.
Then, there is the fact that I am not on speaking terms with the slumlord. Not since October, 2023, when he staged a horrible disruption and public scene outside my home, when he showed up unannounced, in disregard for my policy, and demanded to be let in, which I did not allow.
He was banging on my door, making threats to evict me-- for which he has no grounds. He was harassing me, making demands to be let in. He was publicly slandering me, so all the neighbors could hear, and making false accusations against me, based only on false complaints by another tenant, one Tracy Krawitt, a criminal offender who had made a false police report in December, 2019, lying to the police that I had “threatened to kill” her.
He also grossly insulted me and impugned my sanity, accusing that there were “mental health issues” because I refused to open my door for an unannounced service call. Absolutely outrageous!
I have lived with substandard conditions for the entire time I have had this rental. Including "health hazards", as cited by the Health Department.
Since that time, I have dealings only with the Health Department. When I have a problem, I call them and they respond promptly. Just as they did last week.
So, instead of following the directives issued by the Health Department to rectify his violations, he sends his non-English speaking workers to appear at my door unannounced, to dig up my yard, talk loudly on a phone outside, making a racket, pounding against the outside walls of the house, and totally disrupting my day. While I am ill, and cannot relax or go back to sleep. Instead, I have to write this report for my own protection. Unbelievable. Really, truly unbelievable.
So I called the Health Department again this morning. I explained the situation, which the officer totally understood, and of course he knows that the slumlord had no right to send his workers unannounced to come to my door. They don't need access to the inside of my house.
He knows that I have done the right thing by reporting the problem to proper authorities and that I am not required to speak to the landlord's workers, nor open the door to them.
I am documenting this for my own protection and will update when necessary.
The damages are mounting, all the extreme stress, emotional distress, pain and suffering, the cost to me is constantly escalating. This is really a never-ending nightmare.
I can't afford to hire a lawyer, but need to find a good lawyer who will take this case on contingency. I have had all I can take of this totally outrageous situation!
Barbara Hartwell
March 31, 2025
UPDATE: 3 PM
The workers were here for over 5 hours. It now appears that they have left. They dug up my backyard and now it is ruined. I had planned to have a hired worker clean up the yard, and set up my lawn furniture so it could be used. Now, it is a mess and the problem is still not rectified. Yet, I am paying an outrageous sum of $1200.00 a month, which is more than my disability check. And I won't be able to even use my own yard unless they first clean up the mess they have made.
The slumlord totally disregarded the directive from the Health Department. He has been cited for violations and directed that he must do the proper procedure to rectify the situation. He has also been reported to the DEC.
He has done nothing, except send his incompetent nonprofessional workers to harass me by knocking on my door.
Then, to add insult to injury, at 2 PM, I got a phone call from the slumlord's office. It was one of the secretaries. I told her that the workers had come with no notice, and that according to the Health Department, they needed NO ACCESS to the inside of my home. She actually tried to argue with me, but I stopped her. I repeated: The Health Department made it clear they needed NO ACCESS. All the work to be done is outside. The slumlord did NOT follow the directive, instead he sent these workers.
She then tried to argue that they needed access inside the house to find out if the problem was rectified. I once again told her NO. They had no right to come and harass me. I explained that I am not responsible for doing anything but reporting the problem, which I had done. She then tried to tell me they wanted to get access for tomorrow.
I said NO. I am not well and they do not need access to do the outside work. I told her that I was not going to engage her in any further discussion and that the landlord needs to follow the citation from the Health Department. Period. When she started to argue, I hung up the phone.
I then called the officer from HD back and told him the latest. He said he would try again to call the landlord and the office worker (who is clearly clueless and incompetent) and make it clear what they must do and that they have no business coming to my door when they DO NOT NEED to get inside.
The officer from HD already did the investigation and KNOWS the problem is NOT inside, which he documented and reported to the landlord.
Maybe part of the problem here is plain old stupidity. The workers are clueless. The office worker is clueless, and apparently no one has been told the truth about what the situation is, and what needs to be done.
But the slumlord DOES know the truth. He was cited by the Health Department. He received a letter. He was issued a directive about what was necessary and what was required to rectify the situation. So I must reasonably conclude that he is doing the same thing he has always done: trying to get away with continuing to violate the codes, any way he can, with cheap and easy non-solutions, and harassing and bullying the tenants, trying to drag them into his self-created problems, maybe hoping he can just drive them out when they can't take anymore substandard conditions, harassment from him and his workers.
That will not work here, not with me. I intend to pursue justice. I will not allow him to drive me out. I can't leave until such time that I am able to find another rental, a safe, peaceful environment where I will be treated with respect, and where my right to the quiet enjoyment to which I am entitled will be honored.
ADDENDUM
I find it necessary to add one more thing which is an important issue. I am a disabled senior citizen, who suffers chronic medical conditions which are exacerbated by any form of stress; in some cases caused by stress. Stress is dangerous for me, so I must do all in my power to avoid it. The landlord was informed of this in writing after he instigated a horrible public scene in 2023, shouting at me, harassing, slandering, falsely accusing and making threats, which caused me to become ill as a result of his abusive behavior.
ADDENDUM 2: SLUMLORD'S WORKERS DESTROYED MY ENTIRE BACKYARD
After about a week of being forced to deal with the workers tearing up my backyard, with their constant shouting in Spanish, and being subjected to the cacophony of their blaring radios (I HATE the trash they call “music”!), with no consideration whatsoever for my privacy, or concern for disturbing the tenant's peace, they finally left. And as usual, they did not bother to clean up their mess.
It is hard to believe what I am now forced to deal with. The Spring is here, but there is no chance to enjoy it. My entire backyard has been destroyed. All the ground has been ripped up, left with rubble strewn over the entire surface. They left the metal cover of the septic tank exposed, they did not even bother to cover it back up with soil, and all the plants were destroyed. Last time they did that, I had to buy bags of soil to cover it back up, and now, they've done it again.
I now have no lawn, no grass, no yard, and unless I spend my own money to hire workers to attempt to repair the damages (which will cost hundreds of dollars I don't have), and to plant some grass to restore it, I will not have the use of my own backyard, which is part of the rental property for which I am paying an absolutely exorbitant rent of $1200.00 a month. This, for a one room cottage (more like a shack) with bad plumbing, bad water, only the most primitive accommodations.
I cannot live in an apartment building. I must have a freestanding building with a private yard, no matter how small, for purposes of privacy and security. And now, I can't even use my own yard.
TRACY KRAWITT AKA “SPACEY TRACY”, THE NEIGHBOR FROM HELL
Add to this disaster, that I am living in a hostile environment, with a criminal offender, Tracy Krawitt, right across the road, an odious liar and aggressor who has made many false reports against me, not only to the police (a criminal offense) but also to the slumlord's office, who has in turn harassed me with these false complaints. The slumlord, who is in collusion with this criminal, hates me simply because I did what no one else would do (the right thing, according to the Health Department), and called the town since I could not live with the horrible conditions of this rental property, due to his negligence, as he refused to properly maintain the property and make necessary repairs.
The peace is disturbed every day by the loud howling and barking of Krawitt's dog, who she allows to roam free over the property, with no leash, violating not only the noise ordinance, but also the leash laws. I've called Dog Control several times to report her violations, but she has continued to disregard their citations, and there is apparently no way to stop her.
Then, there is the fact that this reprobate, Krawitt, is running a commercial business off the property, which violates the zoning laws and is prohibited in a residential area. The slumlord allows it, so he is culpable as well. Large commercial delivery trucks invade the property on a regular basis, making noise and blocking the common driveway. A huge, ugly monstrosity, the pickle truck, emblazoned with the flames of Hell rising from the bottom, in garish colors, is parked on the property, where other tenants cannot escape this eyesore. It is an abomination!
All kinds of vehicles and an ever-changing parade of unknown persons are constantly driving in and out of the property, blocking the driveway and making a racket with loud talking and shouting, including in their futile attempts to control the dog.
The devil knows what fresh Hell will next be visited on this property, because no matter what I have done in attempts at damage control and repair, no matter how much money I spend on labor, some new, horrible damage continues to appear.
QUIET ENJOYMENT PREVENTED
I have been prevented from my right as a tenant, to the quiet enjoyment of the rental property for which I am paying. I have always paid the rent on time. I mind my own business and I am as quiet as anyone could possibly be. I have never, at any time, caused any disturbances on the property. But I have been falsely accused repeatedly of such offenses, by the slumlord, his minions, and some of his tenants, none of whom I know, nor have ever spoken to. Including Krawitt, with the exception of the one disturbance caused entirely by her, when she trespassed by walking into my yard, invaded my parking space with her commercial vehicles, and came within inches of hitting my car, and I issued a directive, "Do not hit my car" and that she “Get the hell out of my yard”. That is when she called the police and lied to them, making the outrageously false claim that I had “threatened to kill” her! Making a false police report is a criminal offense.
Aside from that, I have had no other direct interactions with her, ever, and never will.
Not that anyone has a reason to care, but some may wonder, why don't I just leave? Easier said than done. I don't even get enough money from disability (less than $12,000 a year) to pay the outrageous rent, much less any other bills. It would cost a fortune to move, assuming I could even find a place which met my standards. And I will not allow this slumlord, or any of his disreputable, criminal tenants, to drive me into the street, when there is no way I would survive homelessness.
So for now, I must stay, praying for a miracle and praying that peace and privacy will somehow be restored in my life.
As always, I publish this for the record, so that whatever things happen to me, at the hands of these reprehensible people, will be known, whether or not I am able to stop them.
UPDATE: April 14
Truly, there is no rest for the weary. Just when I thought I would be able to stop the drain on my time with the necessity of updating this horrible situation, more troubles are happening.
Once again, I have no water. This has been a regular occurrence for as long as I've been here. I went to the sink to wash some dishes...no water.
I then heard a racket outside, loud voices and slamming doors. I looked out the window, and a huge truck had pulled up in another neighbor's driveway. It was met by the criminal psycho woman, Krawitt, who was being pulled and dragged by the large dog she could not control. She let go of the leash and the dog went wild, running and jumping on the men who got out of the truck. The men are apparently the slumlord's hirelings, who were sent to deal with the water problem.
The men went behind the house of the criminal, where the well is located. Apparently, from what I have heard and observed, she is the slumlord's minion as well as his accomplice.
UPDATE: APRIL 15
Another day lost. At 8:30 AM the same white truck as yesterday rolled up and I heard slamming of doors and loud talking outside. The psycho woman, Tracy Krawitt, emerged from her house with the howling, barking beast, to meet the slumlord's hirelings.
I had just woken up, and when I turned on the faucet, found to my dismay that there was no water. Another day, and now I had to cancel all my plans. Cannot take a shower, cannot wash dishes. Another day with no water, with all my plans destroyed.
Then, I got a phone call from the slumlord's office, which I let go to voice mail, as always. I do not ever speak to these people unless it is absolutely necessary. In this case, it was not.
NO 24 HOUR NOTICE, AS REQUIRED.
It was one of the office workers, named "Tina" (no last name ever given), who informed me that the water lines were being worked on, and that "you will have no water for awhile". She said, "If you need anything from us, please let us know". She then, idiotically, said, "Hope you have a great day."
How stupid could she possibly be? I most certainly do need a lot of things from the slumlord's office. I am in desperate need of THE SERVICES I HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR. Like water.
And no, you low-grade moron, I will certainly not be having a "great day". There is no chance whatsoever of having a "great day", when I have had to cancel all my plans because of a morally bankrupt slumlord and his incompetent hirelings.
Then, to make things even worse, one of the imbecile hirelings came banging on my door.
Hello, anybody home? More knocking. I ignored him. More loud knocking. Hello? Hello? Of course, I ignored him, as is my policy. He had no business knocking on my door, disturbing my peace and invading my privacy.
He, apparently, like all the slumlord's hirelings, is also among the functionally illiterate. He can't read English...and apparently, like the rest of them, has no respect whatsoever for the privacy of others.
To repeat, for the terminally stupid, here is the sign on my door:
NO TRESPASSING
NO SOLICITING
SERVICE VISITS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
What, in the actual bloody hell, about these simple words, could it be so very difficult to understand?
The stress caused by these idiots is causing extreme damages to me, and the damages are mounting.
CONSTANT INTRUSIONS. INVASIONS OF PRIVACY. LOUD YELLING. DOORS SLAMMING. HOWLING AND BARKING OF UNRESTRAINED DOG. DISTURBING THE PEACE. DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY WHICH CANNOT BE USED. DEPRIVATION OF BASIC NECESSITIES.
What's next, on the devil's timeline of this stress-inducing nightmare?
And unless I am able to find a way to sue this arrogant slumlord, I will never be compensated for the many losses and damages he continues to inflict, including the repeated disruption and deprivation of services for which I am paying, and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. He has been duly warned, more than once. I will pursue justice against him and all his accomplices, including the evil Tracy Krawitt, who, as I write this, is strutting across the property, with her unleashed, howling, barking dog making a racket, disturbing the peace, to add to the miserable circumstances.
Truly unbelievable.
To be continued...
UPDATE: APRIL 25
Today again no water. From 10:30 AM to 1 PM. Another day when plans had to be cancelled, loss of time and money due to the slumlord's workers. Large trucks again on the property making noise and blocking the driveway.
This is the second day this week when this has happened. Add to this the criminal psycho tenant Tracy Krawitt causing constant stress with loud, huge food delivery trucks, again blocking driveway, and howling dog running loose, barking and howling. Krawitt is a public menace and no one stops her from her repeat and ongoing offenses.
RELATED REPORTS
SLUMLORD OF RHINEBECK PROPERTY LEAVES TENANTS WITHOUT WATER IN BRUTALLY COLD TEMPERATURES
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2025/01/slumlord-of-rhinebeck-property-leaves.html
QUIET ENJOYMENT OF RENTAL PROPERTY DENIED & TENANT BARBARA HARTWELL TARGETED FOR HARASSMENT BY GREEDY SLUMLORD
http://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2024/03/quiet-enjoyment-of-rental-property.html
INVASIONS OF PRIVACY, HARASSMENT & THREATS AGAINST TENANT BARBARA HARTWELL ON RHINEBECK PROPERTY OWNED BY SLUMLORD
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/10/invasions-of-privacy-harassment-threats.html
Tracy Krawitt (aka SPACEY TRACY), the Neighbor from Hell: FORMAL COMPLAINT TO POLICE & COMMENTARY
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2020/01/tracy-krawitt-aka-spacey-tracy-neighbor.html
PUBLIC NOTICE &
UPDATES- Latest Offenses of Criminal Perp Tracy Krawitt, the Neighbor
from Hell: Endangering Animals, Pedestrians & Drivers, Violating
Leash Laws
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/11/latest-offenses-of-tracy-krawitt.html
CONTINUED HARASSMENT,
SLANDER, FALSE COMPLAINTS & INVASIONS OF PRIVACY ON RHINEBECK
PROPERTY BY UNSCRUPULOUS TENANT TRACY KRAWITT
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/08/additional-harassment-slander-false.html
MULTIPLE OFFENDER,
HABITUAL LIAR TRACY KRAWITT MAKES ADDITIONAL FALSE ACCUSATIONS,
SLANDERS BARBARA HARTWELL IN REPORT TO LANDLORD ON RENTAL PROPERTY
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/02/multiple-offender-habitual-liar-tracy.html
FORMAL COMPLAINT
AGAINST TENANT TRACY KRAWITT TO LANDLORD OF RHINEBECK PROPERTY
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/02/formal-complaint-against-tenant-tracy.html
HELLISH HOWLING & HARASSMENT: Brought to My Neighborhood by Scofflaw, Liar Tracy Krawitt & Associates
http://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2023/02/hellish-howling-harassment-brought-to.html
Tracy Krawitt, Irresponsible Owner of Howling Dog, Causes Constant Noise Disturbance on Rhinebeck Property
http://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2022/04/tracy-krawitt-irresponsible-owner-of.html