update? please
It's been a hell of a week.
My landlord came by Sunday with about five other people. He took back all of his furniture (a couple couches, mattresses, washer, dryer, dresser). He also took the light switches, electrical sockets, doors, locks, etc. Even tried to steal some of my shit. As a goodbye gift he shut off the water valve and padlocked it.
He threatened to break the windows and smash the walls if we didn't pay him or leave. He also threatened to "close my account" if I put new deadbolts on the security screens he couldn't get loose.
I got new locks at Home Depot first thing in the morning. My roommate cut the padlock and reestablished the water too. My other roommate found a socket under the stove that he missed and so we did have some heat and power.
We also found out that he hadn't paid the water bill in months. Fortunately we got the money in just in time to avoid having it shut off. That's the advantage of not paying rent.
Yesterday, my other roommate, a retired electrician, and I bought new sockets and light switches and began installing them. We're finishing the rest tonight.
On the legal side of things, we found out that our landlord has filed unlawful detainers (eviction notices) against all of us, including the one guy who DID pay his rent. My lawyer says those notices are bogus because 1) We were never actually served 2) Only the property owner can file evictions and 3) I can easily prove that he didn't file the three day pay or quit first.
On top of that, a trip to the county recorder revealed that the woman he signed his lease with never had any claim to the house whatsoever. This means we can sue him for all of our back rent. His threats, removal of doors, etc. are also actionable. I'm personally looking at a lawsuit worth at least $10,000. Still looking for a litigator who will take the case.
I haven't seen the landlord or heard from him. I doubt he wants to do anything blatantly criminal and risk fucking up his other sources of income, but I'm not out of the woods yet. I suspect that he's had my mail forwarded to a different address. I'm checking with the post office tomorrow and having my paychecks forwarded to my private box.
