This man, from day 1 has been an absolute scam artist. He has issues of control and feel all people have to think the way he thinks to make the US a better nation. He despises anyone of any race other then the white , American race. Although, he didn't make that apparent until after I had placed the deposit on our new home.
I am a white woman, fairly attractive with 2 beautiful children. He was like a spider to the fly when I came to look at his duplex for rent. He came across as a nice man. I commented that I had gone to church and prayed to find the perfect home for my boys. I have no family, and do not have but maybe a couple friends that I can really count on. I made the mistake of telling all this to him. He used any information I gave him to work on his mission to control. He said how ironic it was that he had gone to church and prayed to find the right tenant as well. He invited my boys and I in his place (next door) for pizza and had gone as far as to print out religious emails, etc to lay around so I would think he was a Christian man and place my trust in him.
This is a 3 bdrm, 2 bath home that suited us very well. There is a yard with a fence dividing his backyard from mine. His yard has an un-screened pool with a slide. My boys were very excited about that, except for the fact that the pool had been neglected for years. He made promises to fix the pool in time for summer, as this was the beginning of Spring at the time. The fence has a broken area that concerned me and he promised to repair that as well.He had promised to make repairs and upgrades, etc that I believed were sincere.
I work hard and have try very hard to keep my children in a safe environment.After many attempts of him finding reasons to come into my home and trying to make himself a part of our family, I finally had to get firm with him and basically became not so friendly. He would tell my children what to do and not to do while in our home messing with door knobs (seemed senseless to me). He kept coming thru the back and leaving his fence gate open which would upset me because of my child being able to drown in his pool of scum. He still had tools and saw machines, etc all around my living room until the end of the first month. We couldn't even stay there until I finally told him I needed to be able to stay here since I had already paid for the first month,which was almost over and my lease at old home was ending.
One day a couple days after we moved in, he had another excuse for coming over and messing with more door knobs and light fixtures.
I had made sure my sliding glass doors were locked with the bar on lock, when I went to my car to bring omething in. When I came back he started a conversation with me about white women and how self sufficient they were and all other races are a disgrace, etc. I asked him to not speak like that around my children and then I noticed that my 3 yr old was awfully quiet, so I immediately checked the back door and saw it open. My 10 yr old had been instructed to keep an eye on him and not to open the back door, so my immediate response was to yell at him for it. He told me he didn't do it, that Steve did it.
Fortunately, my child was playing outside and did not go near the pool, but I was mortified at the thought of what this man had done. What was he thinking?!
I made it clear from that point on that he is not to come in my home anymore for anything unless he makes an appointment and that I would arrange time during school/daycare hours to meet him at my home for whatever he needed to do. I also asked how long would it be for him to fix the fence. "Soon as possible" was the answer I got.
The next couple weeks, I endured several unpleasant conversations of his political beliefs and suggestions of how I should spend more time with him and believe the way he believes, to listen to Rush Limbaugh, how Barack Obama's middle name is Hussain and Hilary being a woman has no right to run for presidency that she belonged in the kitchen, etc. I was repulsed by him, but my children and I loved this home so much and it was the first home we've had that we all have our own rooms. We had come from a 2nd story, 2 bdrm condo.It is not easy for me to move with not much help or money.
Over time, he spent more and more time with his girlfriend and slept at her house alot. Which made things better, but he still had not fixed the pool or fence. Summer time was here, the boys were very disappointed, the mosquitos and raccoons loved his swamp of a backyard, making our back yard non- useable.
I had to place phone calls to get the lawn mowed, even though he owns his own Lawn Service!We had a big argument when my 3 yr old was stung repeatedly by bees in the face and body from over growth of weeds with little flowers that attract bees. My kids couldn't even play outside due to his neglect. Which was one of the main reasons we moved there, so they had a yard and would have a pool.He called me names and laughed about my anger, waited a few days and then would finally mow the lawn.
By this time, I had a boyfriend whom recently died of a brain tumor. The summer was rough due to lots of time at the hospital, the economy was plummiting, my corporate job had dropped my hours just enough to where I lost benefits, insurance, etc. My car broke down, my sewage backed up and I went almost broke. Plus, I also was making alot less money.
For August rent, I had written him a letter explaining that I only had half the rent as my car absolutely had to be fixed and because he made me pay the plumbing expenses. I needed a couple weeks to recover 2nd half of rent. I apologized and promised that it wouldn't happen again, that he please have empathy as my fiance' was hospitalized and could not help me out financially at this time. I had always paid my rent on the first and had always been a good tenant. I had never been given the lease I asked for, and never had been told how much of a grace period for paying the rent, none of the things you get on paper with a lease.My comment of a fiance sent him into a rage,he pretty much went balistic telling me I don't know the "laws"....
I came home from visiting at the hospital on August 3rd, just after finding out my fiance had only a few weeks to live that I was being so-called evicted, although I have recently learned that he can not self-evict, that he has steps has to take, but apparently he thinks all women are incompetant and didn't realize that I would eventually do my homework. That duck taped notice on my door was just not necessary, nor legal.
We fought verbally and thru text msg's until he realized my fiance' was never going to return, then he changed his tune. He wanted to help now. Offered me free cable so I wouldn't have to pay that bill and said he would allow me to be a little late on September rent to catch up on things I was struggling with.
I disconnected my cable and plugged in his cable wire he had previously wired the house with. As soon as I told him I had done that, he pulled the connection he has wired thru his attic. (He later told me what he was doing is illegal). I called to inquire why he had done this. He told me, "nothing's free baby", you owe me money. I believe he was getting upset that I was not using him as a shoulder to cry on as he kept attempting to have me over, go out and to "talk about my pain".
I then said ok, well you said "free" or I never would of disconnected my own cable. He said not to worry, it wouldn't be much. I said ok, hook the cable back up and let me know how much I owe you. I was extremely angry, but was at my wits end as my fiance' was declining and I was exhausted emotionally. This was about the 3rd week in August.
After a few attempts to take me out for dinner were turned down, he sent me a letter of new terms for a rental agreement. A lease that I had been asking for, for 7 months with the original verbal agreement and never got. The repairs were never made to the pool or fence and now he was raising my rent $100.00 and demanding $300.00 more deposit money.
I told him I could not do that, I would have to move. We fought again thru text because I refused to speak to him in the manner he was speaking. Finally, after I agreed to sit with him at his home to have a beer and discuss the issues, he promised to void the new lease and make the repairs.
A couple weeks later, it was September 1st. I still had not received the voided new terms for October, nothing had been repaired and the lawn was about 8 inches tall. I did not pay rent.
The next day, on September 2nd he called me and left a msg on my voicemail. I did not the answer the phone because I had just found out my fiance' had passed away and I did not feel like talking. I figured it was about rent, even though we had previously discussed me having a week, to get caught up on bills I was behind on and would pay full rent. But at this point I had not received the voided new terms raising the rent with another $300.00 deposit. I had told him I would not pay September rent, use my last rent payment that I gave him upon deposit and would move out if he did not void that.
But his msg was telling me that I owe him $24.00. Now this is basic cable, divided amongst 4 people, 2 being room mates of his. That price seemed fishy to me and I was in no mood to argue so I did not return his call just yet. I wanted to pick my children up from aftercare and get home, then I would knock on his door and ask for an explanation.
Within maybe 2 hours after he left that msg and about 10 mins after I walked in my front door, he was banging on my door while I was getting out of my work clothes. I did not answer as I was undressed and pissed off that he was in one of his control freak moods, wanting what he wants and right this minute. I do not deserve to be treated in any manner of disrespect.
2 mins later, he pulled the cable again. I stopped speaking to him and had made up my mind it is time to move out. By the 4th, another illegal eviction notice.
It is now Sept 16th, he has harrassed me by banging on my door repeatedly, leaving only the part of the yard my children would normally play in long and mowing all the rest of the grass, he removed the patio furniture from my back porch and threw it over the fence to his side (it's junky furniture anyway), he had entered my home and took back the A/C filter he had given me for a replacement of the one I had bought the month before and wrote a note saying he would see me in court.
There is a mental issue with someone who thinks they are above the law and actually thinks he can treat me and my children in any manner he choses just because he is my landlord.
I would love to warn anyone who ends up looking into this place next month or soon after that when the next victim moves out, as there has probably been several before me. I imagine the way he does business is shady as well.
I still have 14 days left in this hell hole and actually do fear for my safety and especially my children's, considering he seems to target them, knowing they were the ones being affected by no cable and they are the ones affected by the lawn being unsafe, and the pool and the fence.
If anything happens, at least I have told my story and I also tried warned others of this unlawful creature.
BEWARE OF STEVEN NELSON
6102 SW 48TH CT.
DAVIE, FL 33314
Lory
Davie, Florida
U.S.A.