Is this considered "proper notice" to enter my rental?

So, I’ve been having issues with my landlord and apt manager entering my apartment without notifying me ahead of time. When I brought the issue up with my landlord and explained that my fiance and I are essential employees and are gone for varying amounts of time, and that our dog is there and she will bolt if that door is opened or she’s in the back yard and someone leaves the gate open, he accused me of having something to hide and said that he doesn’t have to “ask me permission” to enter his property. Anyways, after a heated conversation about my rights, and the security and privacy I pay for he agreed to have his “representative” give me notice before entering the rental (back yard included), this was her “notice”!

[Mod Note]: Re-encoded video to properly display in Chrome browser.

For those who can’t view the video (I had to download it and watch it locally to see it), it appears that the lady knocks on the door and immediately continues on to do whatever she wanted a second after knocking (that is my interpretation from the video).

Let me preface this by stating I AM NOT A LAWYER, you should seek actual legal advice.

Having gotten that out of the way, I have been a landlord, having owned multiple properties, and my wife still is a landlord, owning/managing 8 units as rentals.

Landlord laws/rules vary by each state, and then there are a lot of precedent setting court cases to take into account in interpreting what they mean. Even if someone here knew all of the above for your individual state, the court system would determine if what they did actually falls under definition of “proper notice.”

Legal or illegal, it was not a very respectful, professional way to handle it.

Usually my wife will call and talk to people personally and politely in advance. In our state, my wife is required to give at least 24 hours notice, and then permission is not needed. If it is less than 24 hours notice, then my wife needs the tenant’s permission first.

Again, laws, rules and precedents vary a lot by state, and I am not a Lawyer, and even then it is the court which decides what is correct in an individual case. But in my personal, subjective and non-legal-advice-opinion…I personally doubt that counts as sufficient “notice” anywhere…check with someone authorized to practice law to be sure.

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She would get shot if she tried that approach here in NC. Knock and Rush is a frequently used home invasion technique here.

At the very least I would consult an attorney and see if you have the right to break your lease and move. Landlords with that kind of attitude are about to land in foreclosure when no one will rent from them.

In case she does not know you might politely remind her that due to the pandemic there is about to be a huge wave of evictions and a dearth of qualified renters.

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OP’s profile indicates California. The landlord is a criminal. 24 hours written advance notice is expected except for true emergencies.

Move. This will not get better and they deserve to lose you as a tenant.

/definitely not a lawyer

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Like my Dad always said, what do you call it when an A380 full of attorneys crashes? Hard luck for the crew but otherwise a good start.

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the above comment from @carverofchoice is more than likely the most practical, the best worded and most sound advice ( considering experience) you will get regarding this. I would go with that answer 1000%

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Thank you for the advice.

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