this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2026
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my previous post from yesterday https://lemmy.ml/post/49529603

The good news I guess is that the timer starts on monday because the 3rd is the jurisdictional court's (might as well say Riverside County, CA) holiday for the 4th. And after my last post I went and bought a security camera, so worst case I can document my window being closed if I want to be a stupid coward that lets bullies play Calvinball with signed contracts against me. With my fucking life.

And it's just really important to me that the window stay open in my room. It's a whole list of deal breakers.

  • I don't want to get fucking covid from the 8 other units filled with people here because I'm the last weirdo that goes to work and the store with a mask on. When I keep the window closed because of paranoia over this conflict, I feel like I need to mask in my own bedroom. And that's fucked.

  • This luxurious closet sized bedroom is too small for a full sized person and two large cats to live on top of each other. They need to be able to lay out on the patio and enjoy life. And they need to be able to run back inside if something scares them, like the many coyote that have wilderness right fucking next door and I have seen in our back yard with my cats running from them. Can't do 'open it when they want back in' no how, no way. (There's also a giant drama about gates that enclose a section of the yard that apparently me closing them at night drives them into a steaming rage but keeps my guys safe)

  • There's 80 pounds of goddamned cat litter right next to the window and 8 feet from where I sit at the computer and sleep. I need the ventilation.

  • I LIKE THE FRESH AIR.

  • The A/C is too fucking cold anyway

In addition to buying the security camera (fuck I need an sd card of course it's separate) I also started looking for a new place to be miserable with a live-in landlord for too goddamned much money. But this shit is on a timeline WAY faster than that. Fuck.

So I don't want to be cowed by this. But I also don't want to get my life all fucked up by it. I don't want this demon to steal a whole month's rent (waited until the day after I paid this month's rent the fucking parasite) AND a 600 dollar penalty if I lose. Not to mention paying 4x what I can afford for an extended stay room...

I'm completely in the right but on the other hand do you think the judge rents, or do you think it's more likely they have some rental properties of their own and all their sentiments are with the law breaker psycho landlord?

Anyway this is my panic attack post

edit: I am purposefully not engaging with any comments on the subject of whether or not my landlord has a genuine gripe about me having my window open and my door closed in a room that does not have a temperature sensor for the A/C system. I offered to close the vent. I offered to have my rent raised to compensate. All was ignored. It's about power tripping. So this post is about my rights in the face of that.

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[โ€“] GatesMcBalmer@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is not legal advice but in California, the landlord of a rooming house (which it sounds like you are in) has the right to make reasonable house rules and "keep the windows closed when the AC is on" is generally recognized as reasonable rule. Its unlikely a court would side with you on this.

Keeping the window open in a room (even with the door shut) impacts the temperature and humidity of the rest of the house. Rooms within a house are not air tight when the door is closed. In fact, the airflow in a house is designed to circulate and mix all the air from all the rooms so that the AC runs efficiently, even when the doors are closed.

[โ€“] AntiOutsideAktion@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The landlord doesn't live on the premises.

[โ€“] GatesMcBalmer@lemmy.world 1 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

It doesn't matter. Unless they are keeping the apartment at an unreasonably high or low temp, then California typically recognizes a landlord's right to require you to keep the windows closed when the AC is running.

[โ€“] AntiOutsideAktion@lemmy.ml 1 points 8 hours ago

So you believe that California law states you're not allowed to ever open a window in a room you are renting if the landlord remotely sets the A/C to be at a constant temperature 24/7.

Sounds like you're reading off the wall in your mind palace. Is that accurate?