Susan Peelman landlord filed lawsuit breaking lease wealthy & greedy ripoff St.petersburg Florida
Miss Susan Peelman, a very wealthy & greedy landlord/owner of several properties filed a lawsuit agaist me for breaking my lease because me and my children (including a 6-mo-old premature infant) were being physically threatened and harassed on a daily basis by nearby drug dealers - she refused to let me out of my lease, stating "it's not m problem"! She also harassed me to no end for refusing to allow her to install a bedroom door, which called for sawing through drywall with my children and I present, in order to make a dining room into a bedroom since she lied and charged me for a 2-BR when in fact the 2nd BR was actually a dining room!
Miss Susan Peelman illegally barged into my apartment on numerous occasions to harass me, causing my baby to cry and upsetting my teen daughter. She also made numerous phonecalls harassing me because i refused to allow her to barge into my home any hur of the day or night to "renovate" the apartment into what the lease stated was already done.
Her maintenance man, Fernando, waited until I left one evening (he lived next door) and let himself in to my home to frighten and harass my teen daughter, shutting of our fridge and hot water, causing me to lose l my food I'd just bought.
Miss Peelman refused to repair ur bedroom air conditioner during 90 degree heat, causing my 10-pound infant to have to sleep between me and my 16-yr-old daughter for 2 weeks, causing me sleep deprivation and anxiety about the possibility of accidentally suffocating my baby to death in my sleep. I begged her to repair it but she refused until a member of Healthy Families contacted her. This slumlord evicted me because I gave her prior notice I had no choice but to leave - we moved out 11 days after served with the eviction notice yet she pursued the eviction up to 20 days later in court just to be spiteful.
Her maintenance man informed me she had it in for me because i was the first tenant who refused to let her walk all over me! I simply asserted myself by asking her to please stop the harassment and to please be fair by charging me the amount for a one BR rather than the 2-BR which never existed!
She is now pursueing a lawsuit against me for breaking my lease, stating that safety reasons are no excuse for breaking a lease!!
I am a single mother in college working, ironically, toward a degree in Crimial Justice, with barely enough income to survive, no car, and no support financially through child support for any of my children. She is aware I have nothing for her to take yet spitefully persists in this lawsuit case simply because she does not like me. Where is the justice in this state?
The state seems to support the rights of slumlords over the tenants and cares nothing about protecting children from obvious danger - even the police advised me to move ASAP!!!
Tammy
St. Petersburg, Florida
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Tammy
St. Petersburg,Florida,
U.S.A.
Apparently, you misunderstood......
#3Consumer Comment
Mon, June 09, 2003
First, I was strongly advised by several St. Petersburg Police Officers to move ASAP. Although Susan Peelmam assured me I was moving into a SAFE area, the Police told me there had been crack houses in that neighborhood for a long time!
Miss Peelman refused to let me out of my lease even with the FULL knowledge that me and my daughter and baby were being threatened by drug dealers. Unlike yourself, I am unable to respect a human being who values money more than the safety of children.
Fortunately, you were wrong - I did find a nice apartment in spite of Miss Peelman's lack of conscience. As for my credit record - it was already damaged long ago. If you are uninformed, let me explain - it is not easy to raise 3 children alone and with ZERO child support while trying to get through college alone. I made the choice to fly solo vs. depend on an abusive man to pay my way - yet I am criticized by "anonymous" people like you for trying to do the best thing for my children.
Perhaps you were reading another complaint when you said I "cried foul" - this is untrue. I never took Miss Peelman to court because I know Florida's history with numerous slumlords and knew I wouldn't stand a chance against a nonexistent 'justice system' which only protects the slumlords.
Believe me, I know for a fact Miss Peelman is not operating on "a thin margin" and I'm sorry you felt the need to lower yourself by calling me a "deadbeat tenant". This I am not. I only asked to be treated fairly which I was not. I made the mistake of trusting a landlord who lied in her lease - this in no way makes me a deadbeat "anything". It only makes me a litlle less naive when dealing with landlords again.
Anon
Miami,Florida,
U.S.A.
Read your lease and get a Nolo Press book on tenant rights
#3Consumer Comment
Wed, January 01, 2003
If you believe you were unfairly evicted, I would encourage you to appear in court for the eviction proceedings, if your landlord is pursuing the matter. It sounds like she is finalizing the legal judgement, which will appear on your credit report. You will have a very difficult time finding a new apartment or getting new credit in the future.
Courts will not usually consider any sort of "discrimination" "retaliation" etc. type defense if a tenant is owing on past due rent. You cannot refuse to pay your rent and then cry foul if you are evicted. Landlords have thousands invested in apartments, many operate on thin margins and cannot afford to carry a deadbeat tenant.
Tenants are entitled to have appliances fixed promptly, the landlord cannot "self-help" evict, such as turning off your water heater. Landlords do have the right to enter units with adequate notice for repairs.
You are out of the apartment now, the next step is to find out how to protect your credit to the best of your ability. If you have legitimate complaints with the unit, bring proof, witnesses, other tenants, etc. to the court hearings for the judge to see.