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New York Woman Locked Out of Deceased Mother’s Apartment by Landlord With Cats Still Inside: ‘Go to Court and Deal With It’

Not even a text?

Brady Klinger-MeyersBy 3 Mins Read
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Image Source: Lovey214, The Nerd Stash

A New York woman says her mother has been renting the same apartment for decades. When her mother passed, she’s now claiming her landlord immediately changed the locks without a single warning.

@username76673628216389

STORY TIME… because I still can’t believe this happened. 🥺 My mother passed away on September 21, 2026. She had lived in her apartment for approximately 45 years. Forty-five years of memories, belongings, documents, furniture, family history, and a lifetime of things inside that home. Just 10 days after her death, the landlord changed the locks on the apartment while I was out. No warning. No court papers. No eviction order. No opportunity for me to collect my belongings. And here’s the part that made this situation even more heartbreaking… My TWO CATS were still inside the apartment. 🐈🐈 I immediately asked to be allowed inside so I could feed and take care of them. Instead, I was refused access. I was literally being told I couldn’t get into the apartment where my own property was still located — while my animals were trapped inside. And then came another statement that honestly shocked me. I was told the apartment was “empty.” Empty? An apartment where my mother had lived for 45 YEARS was supposedly empty? There were still years and years of her belongings inside. Her furniture. Her personal possessions. Family memories. Things that cannot simply be replaced. My mother had just passed away, and instead of being given time to deal with her belongings and address the tenancy properly, the locks were changed and I was shut out. I have proof that I lived there and proof of my residency. According to New York Courts, a person who has legally occupied an apartment for at least 30 days generally cannot simply be locked out without a court order awarding possession and a warrant of eviction. PLEASE MAYOR MAMDANI HELP ME GET ACCESS TO MY LIFE LONG HOME @CBS Evening News @ABC News @Mamdani @mayormamdani @Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani #mayormamdani #helpme #illegallockout #bushwick #brooklyn

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According to Lovey213, her mom was a long-time renter who lived in the same apartment for 45 years! That kind of stable home has tons of memories, not to mention furniture, documents, heirlooms, and so on. But Lovey was shocked when, 10 days after her mother’s passing, the landlord “changed the locks.”

Now she says she’s having trouble accessing the home. She says the landlord gave her “no opportunity for me to collect my belongings.” On top of that, Lovey’s two cats were left inside the apartment. In fact, she claims the landlord told her it was “empty.”

As seen in her video, Lovey involved the police, defending her decision that it was legally her right. According to her and New York law, she’s allowed to have access because she lived there with her mother for a period of time.

“I have proof that I lived there and proof of my residency,” Lovey writes on TikTok. She recites a supposed New York law that tenants who have been living in their apartments for at least 30 days “generally cannot simply be locked out without a court order” unless they’ve been notified of an eviction and belongings retrieved. Among the tags, she even tagged Mayor Mamdani for help.

Viewers offer solutions online, including court

Taking Lovey’s TikTok video at face value, there were numerous commenters who gave her advice for her next move. In addition to a lawyer and going to court, some suggested speaking with a locksmith.

“Get a locksmith. Go to court and deal with it after,” TikTok user JizzaBella wrote, and wished her “babies” well. A locksmith even commented on Lovey’s video to contact her. Others suggested she “sue him.”

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Of course, anti-landlord comments slipped into the conversation to delight viewers, as well as share their own personal wins. One viewer wrote how she got her mother into her apartment by quoting the NYPD Handbook to the NYPD. “Know your rights guys & dont let them intimidate you,” they added.

In the comments Lovey commented back that she did the very same. She claims the officer “didn’t even want to call his sergeant out” and considered it a “tenant court” matter.

It’s unclear if Lovey will take it to court, but she has stated she has applied for “successor’s right” shortly after her mother passed.

Related Topics
human interest New York
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Brady has been writing about video games for the better part of four years. When he isn't obsessing over RPGs or games from his childhood, there's a good chance he's working on another short story.

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