Is my landlord allowed to just walk into my apartment unannounced?
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Is my landlord allowed to just walk into my apartment unannounced?
My landlord came into my apartment last night while I was gone picking my husband up from work. My daughters’ were in the kitchen with a couple of friends listening to music and talking. He came upstairs, walked into my kitchen, and told my children that they needed to be quiet or move to the other side of the house.
Asked on February 12, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
No, you landlord most certainly CANNOT do this. As a renter, you pay for possession of the apartment; that possession includes the exclusion of the landlord's right to enter the premises at will.
There are some times when a landlord may enter, of course. A landlord may enter at reasonable times, on reasonable notice (generally held to be 24 hours) for routine maintenance or inspection, or to show the premises to re-rent it or sell the building. A landlord may enter without notice for a true emergency: for example, a fire, a significant water leak, a gas leak, major electrial problems, or a tenant's health emergency (e.g. to let the paramedics in)--but those were not the situation you describe. A landlord may not enter at will to ask people to be quiet; he can certainly knock on the door and speak to them if they answer or let him in, or else call, email, text, etc. asking them to be quiet, but he may not simply enter.
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