New York tenants generally cannot be removed from a home they have lived in for at least 30 days without a court order. A Brooklyn woman who posts on TikTok as Lovey214 says her landlord changed the locks on her late mother’s apartment anyway, according to The Nerd Stash. Her two cats were still inside when it happened.
The TikToker says her mother died last month after living in the Bushwick apartment for about 45 years. Roughly 10 days later, the woman says she came back to find the locks had been changed while she was out. She claims she received no warning, no court papers and no eviction order, and was given no chance to collect her belongings or her pets.
Her video has drawn hundreds of comments, many from other New Yorkers offering advice. The landlord has not been publicly identified and has not responded to her claims, and her account has not been independently verified. It is also not known whether the unit is rent regulated or whether she qualifies to take over her mother’s tenancy.
Lovey214 says police told her to go to court instead of helping her get back in
According to the TikToker, she asked to be let in just long enough to feed her cats and was refused. She says she was told the apartment was empty, a claim she disputes, as her mother’s furniture and belongings were still inside. In a caption, she pleaded with Mayor Zohran Mamdani to help her get back into what she called her lifelong home.
The Brooklyn woman says she told police she had proof of residency. However, she claims officers were not helpful and told her to go to court or contact the city marshals instead. Replying to one commenter, she wrote that the NYPD was “no help at all.” She has also said she applied for succession rights to the apartment after her mother died.
She later filed an emergency motion and said she would be in front of a judge first thing the next morning. A follow-up video was posted from inside a courtroom. However, she has not publicly shared how the hearing went or whether she has been able to reach her cats, and several viewers have asked her for an update in the comments.
Many commenters urged her to act fast. One person said that when their own mother was illegally locked out, they read the law to NYPD officers and asked for a supervisor. The building’s super opened the door within moments of that supervisor arriving. Others told her to call an emergency locksmith right away, show proof of residency, and deal with the court case afterward.
Some viewers shared their own experiences of losing a parent. One commenter said that when their mother died, her apartment gave the family a month to clear it out and even asked if they wanted to take over the lease. Another wondered what the rent was, suggesting the landlord may have wanted the unit back to charge a market rate, though nothing in her video addresses that.
Others focused on the legal options available to her. One viewer suggested that while housing court could take a while, she could also file in small claims court for any losses tied to her mother’s belongings. She is not the only New York tenant to take a landlord dispute online, as a foster mother recently shared her landlord’s response to a carbon monoxide alarm.
New York City Housing Court guidance says a person who has legally occupied an apartment for at least 30 days generally cannot be locked out without a court order and a warrant of eviction. Landlords who skip that process can face an illegal lockout case, which tenants can bring to housing court as an emergency matter, as the TikToker appears to have done.
The outcome of her emergency motion could decide whether the Brooklyn woman gets back inside, as the court may order the landlord to restore her access while the succession question is sorted out.
Published: Oct 14, 2026 05:00 am