So upset!

Hmmm pondering for you. Do you have your rental agreement for your apartment?

This is the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Has some helpful legal links on it too.

http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/Homeles...t_Handbook.pdf

http://real-estate-law.freeadvice.co...it_privacy.htm

I dunno how much this will help but if you get ahold maybe of some legal advice (free I hope, you might find someone sympathetic to your cause) they could advise you about the picture situation. That seems like an invasion of privacy to me. I would flip if someone came to fix my appt and took pics of my home, anything in it. Could look like oh IDK, someone scoping your place for thievery, one could say. NOT OK.

Please keep us updated.

If I didn't think your neighbours might dislike snakes, I'd say tell them and get them all involved in trying to get the maintence guy fired. Any chance any would side with you?

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Originally Posted by anicatgirl

Hmmm pondering for you. Do you have your rental agreement for your apartment?

This is the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Has some helpful legal links on it too.

http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/Homeles...t_Handbook.pdf

http://real-estate-law.freeadvice.co...it_privacy.htm

I dunno how much this will help but if you get ahold maybe of some legal advice (free I hope, you might find someone sympathetic to your cause) they could advise you about the picture situation. That seems like an invasion of privacy to me. I would flip my **** if someone came to fix my appt and took pics of my home, anything in it. Could look like oh IDK, someone scoping your place for thievery, one could say. NOT OK.

Please keep us updated.

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Calling a lawyer was one of the first things I did. She said I had grounds to terminate the lease for the front door fiasco, but as for the pictures, despite being wrong, it's legal. Or at least legally grey with an almost guarantee for the judge to side with the landlord. Landlords are allowed to take photographs of property damage assessment, which is how they presented this whole thing and how they'd go about it with no legal repercussion. So even if that's not the motive, they said it was and therefore it's legally okay apparently.

My lease is highly personalized. It's very specific yet very vague. It allows me to have my pets undisputedly, but is vague as in it lists no species or numbers. Simply that no one can come in and make me get rid of them or terminate my lease. It's vague in my favor.

Just remember the same thing I remind people of every time I see a post like this.
Ultimately its not your property, yes you have rights but in the end is it worth all the trouble?
I know you said there is a lot covered in your lease and it is good that you know this, many people here have no clue whats in theirs.

That being said, if you want to be able to do what you want when you want in your own home, own one.

You might also want to check you maintenance regulations too. There are a couple apartments here that require their team to walk the unit any time they are called out to check for other damage. They view it as preventative maintenance.

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Originally Posted by carolineleven

If I didn't think your neighbours might dislike snakes, I'd say tell them and get them all involved in trying to get the maintence guy fired. Any chance any would side with you?

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I have one set of neighbors I really like. They may not want to get involved though. I do plan on asking them how they feel about this company and if anything bizarre has happened to them.

I live in a poor neighborhood because it's cheap, but also isolated and doesn't have a lot of really sketchy traffic: it's a strangely safe neighborhood tucked away behind a college. However, there are issues with tenants (some of my neighbors) who don't/cannot pay rent, people that move in and just leave because they can't afford it, and people who do fairly benign illegal activities on their homes. These things don't harm anyone non-consenting and don't harm me, so I don't personally care. But it baffles me that I, one of their older and most reliable tenants, is being theoretically put under fire. The more I read about illegal animal seizures done by AR people the more I feel ill.

As if it's not bad enough, my state is home to the PETA headquarters.

On the flip side, it's looking like (from what I've found researching) most animal seizures that DO happen in my state are for truly worthy cases; actual undisputed neglect and abuse. They say VA is pretty lax/reasonable about animal laws.

I'm really hoping this just goes away. I fixed the concern they had for damaged property, I really hope that was the main concern. I feel like her stating that she the animals looked "extremely well cared for" is a less than bad sign. My house is not the tidiest, but it's by no means super messy either. My animals have a tidier space than I do; I keep them, especially the snakes, pristine. I clearly have the financial capabilities to take care of my pets, and my pets all get vet care and the best food I can buy (I'm a nut about animal nutrition, my dog eats the best food readily available). So I'm really hoping there won't be some kind of issue.

My fear of course is, AR people are dishonest and not fueled by logic, but rather an agenda that would like to see my (or anyone's) snakes and rabbits euthanized over being in a loving home.

I really am probably jumping the gun hugely on all of this. God, I just feel so violated, I can't shake the discomfort of it. I think that's what's driving all of these irrational fears and conclusions; I just feel so violated and therefore unsafe. I have a SERIOUS anxiety disorder, and this situation has caused me immeasurable stress and distress. Privacy equals a sense of safety and security to me; having it violated is seriously troubling to my psyche. Feeling safe, secure, and stable are vital to my mental health, and that's one reason I've stayed here and not moved in the past; it's traditionally been relaxed and worked with me and my pets very readily and kindly. I don't feel safe, secure, or stable right now; I'm worried I'm going to be "punished" in some way (even if it's just not having my lease renewed and given only 30 days to figure it out, and my lease lapses my finals week, so that's an entirely new level of stress and worrying), I feel like if I seek maintenance I have to be afraid that they'll send some creep who will either antagonize my pets or make lewd remarks, and I don't feel secure because I'm living in stress having to deal with all of this. It's all very disturbing to me. Because of my lease this shouldn't be a discussion I have to have with them.

Former landlady in VA chiming in here. First things first:

- Don't worry about anyone from AC showing up, most don't know jack-all about reptiles and won't respond even if they're being kept in deplorable conditions. While AC is fine with cute, fuzzy, and livestock, anything with scales or feathers is often outside of their knowledge (and budget).

- You are not in breach of your lease so there's nothing the management company can do other than not renew it or have you sign a new one with more restrictions on animals when it terminates. Is there an end date on your lease, or are you month-to-month? And if they do come up with a new lease and you don't want to sign it, you will still have 30 days to move out after you are given written notice that they are terminating the old one, they can't just start eviction proceedings with no notice.

- The pictures are legal, you called for maintenance and your roommate let the guy in. He had a legal right to be in the apartment and you can take pics of whatever you please as long as you're not doing something else like trespassing. So, you can stand on a public street or sidewalk and take pics of your naked neighbor in the window, but you can't sneak up to the window on the neighbor's property and do it.

- Virginia is a "one party" state with respect to recording phone calls. I regularly recorded mine (and still do now that I run a business, for my reference, as it's legal in WV also). That little recorder has saved me thousands over the years when dealing with slimey contractors, vendors, and customers. I would record any future interactions with the property management company as I've yet to deal with one that wasn't slimey if not downright crooked.

Another note - if the property management's concern is with damage, if/when you do move out make sure you take a lot of pictures or even video the final walk-through so that "damage" doesn't suddenly show up after you move out.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Former landlady in VA chiming in here. First things first:

- Don't worry about anyone from AC showing up, most don't know jack-all about reptiles and won't respond even if they're being kept in deplorable conditions. While AC is fine with cute, fuzzy, and livestock, anything with scales or feathers is often outside of their knowledge (and budget).

- You are not in breach of your lease so there's nothing the management company can do other than not renew it or have you sign a new one with more restrictions on animals when it terminates. Is there an end date on your lease, or are you month-to-month? And if they do come up with a new lease and you don't want to sign it, you will still have 30 days to move out after you are given written notice that they are terminating the old one, they can't just start eviction proceedings with no notice.

- The pictures are legal, you called for maintenance and your roommate let the guy in. He had a legal right to be in the apartment and you can take pics of whatever you please as long as you're not doing something else like trespassing. So, you can stand on a public street or sidewalk and take pics of your naked neighbor in the window, but you can't sneak up to the window on the neighbor's property and do it.

- Virginia is a "one party" state with respect to recording phone calls. I regularly recorded mine (and still do now that I run a business, for my reference, as it's legal in WV also). That little recorder has saved me thousands over the years when dealing with slimey contractors, vendors, and customers. I would record any future interactions with the property management company as I've yet to deal with one that wasn't slimey if not downright crooked.

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Thank you for your input. Honestly it was a great thing to wake up to and see before class. I feel a little better.

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Originally Posted by Running Elk

They aren't in deplorable conditions, though. Not even close. Even the lady I talked to said they looked "extremely well cared for".

But yeah, I never openly advertise my pets. That's the problem, he just sort of took the pictures without consent.

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Oh im not saying they are in any way deplorable or you are taking care of them bad. I'm just saying that could be a tactic underhanded people could use just to draw attention to the circumstance.

I would get the guy fired. I wouldn't complain or anything, but I would say he keeps trying to sell me drugs and always stops me when he sees me. Though that may give him motives to steal your snakes. Best to avoid him or if he has to come back then follow him and when he starts snapping photos start snapping phones/tell him to leave.


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