How to tell my landlady "No!"... Long read here...?

YOU!!! are allowing this to happen. I'm sure that there is more to the part that she has clients in your home.

If not, and you don't want it, just tell her.

YOU!! are responsible for the damage that the dog did to her equipment. You allowed it to be in the house and you have the responsibility to protect it.

If the lease has a clause about the dog, problem solved. If not, then you have a problem.

I'm sure that you had a walk-thru before you moved in. If there were dog stains at that time, it should have been noted and the carpets should have been cleaned (either by the old tenant or landlord). When you move out, you should either have the carpet cleaned or pay for any new damage.

You are allowing this woman to do all this. Stand up and take control.

I'm confused, you rented a three bedroom townhouse from this lady and she's coming over and using it as her place of business? Does she live there too and you're only renting a room or did you sign a lease for the use of the entire three bedroom townhome and she lives elsewhere?

If you only rented a room and she lives there too then yes she has the right to do what she's doing, however, if she lives elsewhere and you're actually renting a townhouse and you've moved in a roommate and your dog then she has no right to be over there every weekend to run her business. Did she tell you this up front? Did she tell you that each weekend she'd be having clients over to do accupuncture? If not then she legally actually does not have rights to her own house, believe it or not if you signed a lease then you have rights to the entire square footage and she cannot just come over and run her business. Legally the only way for her to enter without permission from you is if it's an emergency otherwise she'd got to provide 24 hours notice that she's entering the property to make repairs only, she cannot just come in and use the house.

Call code enforcement at your local building and housing code enforcement office, guarantee she doesn't have a business license, call them and ask them if she has the right to run a business out of the place you rent. That's not right at all and she's taking advantage, you're right though, if I knew about the business I wouldn't have signed the lease either. I'd move out in December, until then unless she files eviction don't get rid of your dog but call the housing department on her.

Item 1. Do you have a lease? You can use this to show that your dog was never forbidden, if there's no clause saying dogs must be under a certain size.

You can also use it to show that your townhouse is your rented home, unless there is a clause saying your landlady gets to use some of it as her acupuncture office.

2. Even without such a clause (or any lease at all), unless there is a clause specifically stating she gets to use your home as her office, I think you can just ban her from coming in for anything except a periodic inspection - not more than once a month, and not to complain about basic cleaning. I would never allow someone to use a room in a place I'm renting as my home for their own work!

3. Even if you agreed to allow her to use your place for her acupuncture, it is her responsibility to clean up after herself, to take her supplies with her or to store them in an agreed-on place in your townhouse. I really don't think you're liable for any replacements of her things.

4. As to the carpet stains, it is your responsbility as a tenant to make a list within a certain time after moving there of things that are wrong so that you're not blamed for them later. If the carpet already had stains, you should have put that on the list. If you didn't, or if you didn't present her with a list, the burden of proving that your dog didn't do them is on you.

5. You can keep any level of cleaning (or not cleaning) that you like, as long as you're not in violation of health and safety regulations. It's your home! You're expected to do a fnal cleaning when you move out, of course.

These aren't misunderstandings because she's Chinese and doesn't have perfect English. This is a landlady taking unfair advantage of you.

Even if you can't afford a lawyer, you can call and ask if you have a case and find out what your rights are. Most lawyers will give you some free advice on ways to deal with the situation. There may also be a tenants' union in your area that can help.

Unless your lease says she can use your place as her office, I'd give her written notice that she's no longer allowed to do so. Give it to her a few days before her next set of appointments, so she has a bit of time to find a new place. Don't let her talk you into changing your mind on this.

If there's a room she uses and it was agreed that she gets to use it, then it's HER responsbility to clean it for her clients. You'd need to move your personal items and trash, but the rest is her job, not yours.

You should find a tenant advocacy group in your area and take these concerns to them (with a copy of your lease). This is a very complex and convoluted story. If you lived in the Seattle area, I'd offer to meet up, read your lease and give you some specific advice just because I find it an interesting story. If you don't, you'll get the same thing by visiting a tenant advocacy group familiar with landlord tenant law.

It sounds like your landlord is an amateur who doesn't know or care about landlord tenant law and is leaving herself wide open for a lawsuit. Write her a letter stating that you do not authorize her to enter your home/apartment without proper legal notice. I wouldn't pay for her equipment. Tell her she can take you to small claims court.

You do need to assert yourself and your rights or she will continue to walk all over you. Find out your rights from the tenant group and take steps to protect and enforce them. Good luck!

Check the laws in your area. In most states, a landlord can ONLY enter the apartment unannounced in the event of an EMERGENCY - meaning, she's violating the law by using your living room as her office - unless it's in your lease. Same for your dog - if he's in your lease, you keep him.

Once you get your hands on a copy of those laws, send her a certified letter explaining that she's violating them - highlight specifics. (also document what she's said and done - like above - with specific dates and times) Keep a copy of the letter and the certified receipt. If she takes any action against you, that's your recourse to cover yourself.

She... uses your living room as an office? My god! Get out of there! This lady sounds like a real whack job, seriously. And don't pay her for the damages to the carpet, clearly it wasn't your dog - so screw it. You need to move if you ever want to live peacefully. She sounds like a hell of a landlady... all my landlords have never bothered me once. Thank god. Find a new townhouse with your roomie, I doubt they're enjoying it anymore than you are. You're an adult and you shouldn't be taking someone's crap, especially when it's ludicrous! Move out, save your sanity before it's too late ;(

She doesn't think of you as a tenant; she thinks of you as a family member. Grit your teeth and clean the carpet and pay for the headrest. Move when your lease is up. This is what turns people into homeowners instead of renters. Start shopping.

you need to move and get out of there and why would you rent a place she is having her own business in your place of residence