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
