'What Should I Do?' Tenant Forced Out After Landlord Packs Belongings Without Permission

A tenant's landlord nightmare has gone viral after they returned to find their apartment stripped of their belongings. In a now-viral Reddit post titled, "Landlord removed heat, stove, and packed all my belongings while I was gone," the user detailed how their Dorchester, Boston, landlord entered the $1,500-a-month basement unit without permission to remove essential appliances and pack up their personal life.

The landlord started packing the items after recently confiding in the tenant that the neighbours complained about someone living in the basement and that it might not be a legal unit.

"After that, things escalated really fast. While I was out, he went into my unit and started packing my belongings without telling me," the tenant wrote in a Reddit post, adding that the unit had become 'unliveable'.

"He removed the thermostat (so now there's no heat, and it's been around 32F), took out my stove, dismantled my bed, and moved my mattress. The basement basically became unlivable, so I was forced to stay in an empty room upstairs in his unit."

While the tenant was out of town again, the landlord went back and packed the rest of the stuff, including taking food out of the fridge and freezer.

"He also refunded my rent for this month and told me I should start looking for another place. He never gave me any formal notice or went through court."

The tenant said they still had the keys, and despite never agreeing to move out, they just could not stay there anymore, as the flat was unlivable.

"I have texts, photos, and videos documenting everything. Not sure what my rights are here or what I should do next, but this whole situation feels really wrong."

Check The Viral Post Here:

Landlord removed heat, stove, and packed all my belongings while I was gone (Boston)
by u/Professional_Loan761 in Renters

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'Consult A Legal Expert'

As the post went viral, social media users urged the tenant to quickly consult a lawyer and start with the legal process as the landlord could not evict them in such a hurried and unethical manner.

"Consult a legal expert and find out if you have a case (that they are willing to take). Hopefully, you get enough for a nice deposit on a better place," said one user, while another added: "The landlord is definitely afraid of getting caught renting out the basement illegally, but he has made it worse by entering the unit without notice and evicting OP illegally."

A third commented: "First of all, check and make sure nothing was stolen. Second, call a small claims lawyer and explain. Even if it's something like the fact that you didn't have heat in your home with no thermostat. Just evicting you out of the blue is insane because he was worried he might be inspected?"

A fourth said: "So if it's an illegal unit, you might be able to sue for the full rent you paid him. They also can't go into your unit without notice or make it uninhabitable."