A woman was enjoying some alone time in her apartment until a group of men suddenly entered without knowing they were even coming. According to her testimony, she had not consented to the men–who were seemingly maintenance– entering despite being given prior notice.
@joliebeky posted a clip from the incident to TikTok, and the video skyrocketed, getting 19.1 million views since Nov. 5. It left many commenters wondering things like, “Where were her tenant rights?”
The incident on Nov. 5
@joliebeky was having a normal morning sleeping in when multiple men suddenly burst into her home. At the time, she was completely naked. Three different men wandered into her apartment. Upon seeing her approach, the men tried to avert their eyes.
“What the [expletive] are you guys doing?” @joliebeky asked.
The men tried to explain that “[they] didn’t think anyone was [there].”
“That’s even worse!” @joliebeky said. “I’m naked in my house… and you open the door?” @joliebeky then said she would call the police.
“The fact that they didn’t immediately leave,” said one commenter who responded to @joliebeky’s video. The men continued to work while visibly frustrated, leaving @joliebeky clearly disoriented.
After the incident
In a video update, @joliebeky let viewers know that she made the decision to email her concerns regarding the inspectors to her property manager, Shayna. But, according to her, Shayna did not care or respond to her inquiries.
“ Shayna did not respond to me, [and] did not say anything… Shayna doesn’t care,” she said.
Another neighbor spoke to @joliebeky and let her know that Shayna was discussing her email with other tenants in the unit. The neighbor thought “she might’ve lied” about what she was saying, expressing concern for @joliebeky after Shayna unprofessionally discussed her experience.
@joliebeky confronted Shayna, saying, “ Why are you talking to another resident about what happened to me and my place? And you’re supposed to be the manager. Wow. What happened to privacy?”
That’s when Shayna got increasingly aggressive with @joliebeky, yelling at screaming at her across the hall.
@joliebeky took the opportunity to identify her apartment complex, “ The Royal Bloomfield,” while lambasting Shayna for her behavior. “ Um, wow,” she said. “She’s yelling and I’m in disbelief… I’m walking away from you.”
She added that she didn’t expect anything but an apology from the company. “ All I was expecting from them was a regular apology because their people unlocked my door. [They] Remove[d] my security bar to be able to get inside my place.”
@joliebeky I had an insane experience today. Maintenance or whoever is doing inspections came into my apartment and broke the metal security bar on my door to get in. I was asleep in my bed when I suddenly heard someone say “maintenance.” I asked my sister if we had ordered any maintenance, and she said no. As I started getting up, I heard multiple voices and realized there were several men inside my apartment. I was butt-ass naked in my own bed, in my own home. There are only women and a child living in this apartment, and to walk out and see a group of men standing in my living room without any permission is shocking and completely unacceptable. If they knocked and didn’t hear anything, they should have called or scheduled a proper time when I was available. Instead, they forced their way in. I’m completely in disbelief that something like this could happen, and I’ve already filed a police report and plan to press charges.
♬ original sound – joliebeky
Was it legal to enter her apartment?
Many people said that @joliebeky should sue the property management company, but really, legal cases regarding unauthorized entry depend on the state they take place.
In New Jersey, where @joliebeky lives, landlords can enter with prior notice for routine inspections, maintenance, and general repairs.
Some claimed thatan email notice is not sufficient notice. One wrote, “Email notice is not sufficient. They are suppose[d] to post notice to enter on your door and put it through regular mail.”
This isn’t necessarily true, however. An email notice of entry counts as a written notice in most states; many landlords have moved to sending emails instead of posting their written notice on doors. As Azibo says, “email is considered written notice. While states have varying laws regarding when property owners should provide written notices and what forms of communication count as such, emails are generally accepted as written notices.”
In New Jersey, “property owners entering a residential building with three or more units must provide a reasonable notice which is usually one day in non-emergency situations.” That means that The Royal Bloomfield followed standard protocol, considering it has more than three units.
The Mary Sue has reached out to @joliebeky and The Royal Bloomfield’s property management for more information.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
