Q: We rent a lot in maine and the landlord has been looking in our windows and entering our home without notice. Legal?
She has been driving by our house at a crawl, walking around our yard, and when she thinks nobody is home, she enters the home to put notes on our stove. I just want to know if this is legal since she owns the lot and not the trailer we live in or if we can get a protection order or something to that effect so we can have our privacy
A:
To provide you with a complete answer, I would need to see a copy of your lease, because a lease will typically have provisions concerning the landlord’s access to the property the tenant is renting. Do you have a written lease?
That said, and subject to the terms of your lease, I would say driving by our house at a crawl, while annoying, is probably ok unless it gets to the point of harassment. Walking around your yard without your permission sounds to me like it would typically violate the terms of your lease, and entering your home when she thinks nobody is home to put notes on your stove, again, without your permission, would almost certainly violate the terms of your lease. If the landlord has violated the terms of your lease, then you would have certain remedies, typically spelled out under the lease, and you may have additional remedies beyond what the lease states as well.
In terms of getting a protective order, you would need to meet the requirements of the protection from harassment laws. More information on that is available here: https://www.courts.maine.gov/maine_courts/district/protection_orders.html
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