Woman shares story of new neighbor trying to set 9pm curfew for entire building. UPDATED

"Our new neighbour thinks she owns the building..."

many_books_91 writes:

Anyway, I (31f) live in a block of 6 units (apartments for non Australians). A month ago the unit above mine went up for sale and sold fairly quickly and the new owner moved in less than a week ago.

This morning I got up and went to take rubbish out and found a note stuck to my door. I honestly thought it was a 'I'm new to the building' kind of note ya know? Oh I could not of been more wrong!

The letter:

'Dear tenant,

I recently bought your building and wished to introduce myself. My name blah blah (not going to put her actual name) and I think you will find me a fair landlord. However I do have rules.

1. Everyone is to be in their units by 9pm. If your going to be out past this I suggest you find accommodation elsewhere.

2. No pets allowed. If you have any they must be relocated before I do an inspection or I will call the ranger to remove them. This is the only warning

3. I will conduct an inspection once a month and you will be present to answer any questions or face eviction.

4. Failure to pay rent on time will result in your eviction.

If we all follow these rules I'm sure we will get along,
Sincerely blah blah.'

OP continued:

What. The. F did I just read? Fun fact about my building, we all own our own units, nobody actually owns the WHOLE building!

I won't lie I got to the number 2 and had a slight panic attack because I have cats and there's no way I was giving them away before I remembered we bought our unit just before Christmas (we rented it from a friend prior and when she told me she was thinking about selling it, we bought it. Didn't even have to move!) So in some ways it still feels like renting but we actually own our unit.

Now I'm not great at confronting someone, I tend to shake a lot but at that moment I was quite angry so I went upstairs and knocked on her door. You know that gut feeling you have? It was spot on. That door opened and there stood a Karen, her hair blonder than my own, her nails long and bright coloured. She didn't look happy to see me there.

I introduced myself and explained that I lived downstairs and that I wanted to talk to her about her note. She started to talk over top of me, explaining that her letter was basic rules and even a child could understand it and if I didn't like her rules I could hand in a letter to vacate. Wow.

I would ask if people are really this up themselves but I work in retail and could answer my own question.

I told her that I actually own my unit, she hadn't bought it or the rest of the building but only her own unit and that she couldn't enforce anything in her note. She didn't like that at all. She started yelling at me saying that yes she had indeed bought the whole building and that failure to comply with her rules would mean I would be evicted.

I was just starting to think maybe I was wrong when another neighbour opened his door. He came out and asked what the issues was about and could she stop screaming as he worked nights and was trying to sleep. I told him I was trying to explain that she hadn't bought the building and she started yelling again.

My neighbour told her to stop and then said the best thing I had heard that day: 'Are you stupid?' Her jaw dropped as he explained to her how wrong she was and that he was in fact part of the strata committee (kind of like a HOA that oversees the building) and that she had no right to make rules for everyone. She gave us dirty looks before slamming the door.

I thanked him and he said in the entire time he lived there he hadn't seen someone so entitled!

Whoa. You probably have some burning questions, right?

CorrosiveAlkonost asks:

I wonder what exactly made her think she owned the whole building in the first place. Is she so f**%ing illiterate that she misunderstood the terms of sale as presented to her by the previous owner of her apartment unit?

your_Lightness says:

I don't buy the stupid and/or tricked for one bit. It's the type that rolls over people gaslighting them in all of her entitlement. She rolled a notch too far getting away with it once one or two times...People are not born like that, they become like this by sad sad example.

donesomestuff says:

Maybe she thought she owned it after paying the astronomical real estate prices in Australia right now lol

H3ARTL3SSANG3L has a different idea:

Part of me wonders if she tried this thinking she could make things to her liking and figured people would be too scared to question it.

OP responds:

That's what I was thinking as well but she can't controls 5 other home owners.

McGyv303 suggests:

Please get either a doorbell camera or a peep hole camera as well as a camera on your patio if you have one. You long-time residents need to shut this down right now. If you give this type of person any leeway, they'll make your life miserable. What a kook.

But joahs_ark warns:

Hanlon's razor - never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

OP added:

I asked my SO if we should get a doorbell camera but he thinks she is all talk no action.

Recent update from OP:

We got back from our Easter trip yesterday and back at work today (do not recommend I am so tired). SO was home before me and had this weird smile on his face. Then he tells me why:

When he got home, our friendly neighbour was out checking her mail and complained to him that our dog barked non stop while we were away and she nearly called the ranger on us, that we are lucky she is only warning us next time she will actually call them blah blah blah.

Cool story but we took doggo with us. Have photos of his first trip to the beach and all.

Nice try Karen. ETA: sorry I forgot to add it but yes he told her that doggo was with us! He said he whipped out his phone and showed her the pup at the beach having a grand old time!