Gumyth
Disciple of Prayer
I am ### years old and have lived at my address for ### years and have always paid my rent on time. I live in a ### sq. foot 1 bdrm condo. I live alone, don’t smoke and don’t have any pets. The landlord evicted the previous tenant and she threw all the keys into the river that flows by our complex. Including the key for the mailbox here on the property. I tried to go to the post office and get another key, but they wouldn't give it to me because I am not the owner of the property, even though this address shows up on my license. They said that the landlord has to go there and get a key, and give it to me to use. I asked him to get me a key and he never did. So for ### years I have had to rent a P.O. Box in order to get my mail. Now, he says he sent me copies of court documents and I have not responded. Well, I never received them, because I have not given him my P.O. Box. If he is going to send papers to the home address, then he needs to get me a key so I can open the mailbox, and get them. My only income is Social Security. I always pay my rent on the 1st. When the gov’t shut down in January 2016, my check was late. I contacted my landlord. And I didn’t get the check until the ### of the month. So, my rent was ### days late, but he still received it. That’s when he charged a $### late fee. I did not pay it, because it wasn’t my fault and he still got the rent, just a little later. You have to pay on his website, (he owned over ### properties, before the pandemic) When condos go into foreclosure, he buys them and then rents them out for very expensive rent. I thought that the website automatically charged the fee. But since it wasn’t my fault the rent was late, I ignored it. Since then, he has charged a $### late fee every month on the ### of the month, even though he has been paid rent on the 1st. He says that I owe him over $### in late fees now and he is evicting me. I fell on a paver that is on the walkway to my door. It is sticking up about ### inches on one side. Now, I hurt my hip and have to walk with a cane. I used to be a substitute teacher to supplement my Social Security income. I used to enjoy it. But I can’t do that now. I can’t stand in front of a classroom all day and take the kids to the library, lunch recess and the bus loop. So, I had to give it up. Now, I can't even pick up something that drops on the floor. It's hard to get into bed, or the car, or get dressed. I contacted a personal injury attorney regarding my injury. It turns out that the landlord is the head of the HOA where I live and charges all the fees. He was angry about that, because he might have some responsibility for the injury caused by the paver on his property. Basically this is a Retaliatory Eviction. He hurried to get a court date for the Eviction, and it is next week, June ###. He wants me to put over $###.###.00 in late fees in the court registry for him. If I can't do that, then I am evicted. He has already signed a lease with someone else for close to $### more a month than I was paying. This is making me very upset. I went to the doctor and my blood pressure was stroke level. I was put on ### different types of blood pressure medication. One of them Metoprolol is used to lower your risk of death or needing to be hospitalized for heart failure. I have been waking up with heart palpitations in the middle of the night. My cardiologist wants me to wear a Holter Monitor, (for your heart.). I have an appointment to get it put on this Tuesday. I have looked for another place to live in case I am evicted, and I am on waiting lists for senior housing, but nothing has opened up. There is an Elderly Eviction Epidemic here in Central Florida and many seniors are becoming homeless. My landlord, owns over ### properties and keeps eviction attorneys on his staff. Please pray that the lawyers will argue my case and get the Eviction dismissed by the judge. I am ### years old and this is making me sick. The late fees are for something that I couldn't control. Once the government was back, and I received my Social Security check, he got paid. As I said, this is a Retaliatory Eviction because I spoke to a personal injury attorney, and he is angry about that. Thank you for your help.
