A New York TikToker says she was locked out of her late mother’s apartment with her cats inside, and now ‘we will be in front of a judge’
She just wanted the cats to be safe
Kelsey Knowles
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Published: Oct 13, 2026 03:18 pm
A New York resident allegedly is taking her landlord to court after being locked out of her late mother’s Brooklyn apartment, with her personal belongings and two cats still inside. The locks were reportedly changed just 10 days after the death of her mother, who had lived in the residence for approximately 45 years, according to The Nerd Stash.
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This forced the daughter, known online as Lovey214, to seek legal intervention after she claimed that local police would not help her regain access to the home. Lovey214 returned to the apartment to find she was barred from entry, despite claiming she had proof of residency. She said she was also told the apartment was “empty.”
She claims she tried to work with the police to gain access to the apartment, specifically to feed and care for the two cats trapped inside. Her efforts were unsuccessful, as she reported that the officers told her to contact the marshals or pursue the matter in court.
Police told her to go to court, so that’s exactly what she did
Rather than waiting for the dispute to resolve, Lovey214 took the authorities’ advice and headed to court. When followers asked whether she had been able to retrieve the pets, she wrote in the caption that she had not yet managed to get them out of the apartment. She also vented about the law enforcement response in that reply. “No nypd was no help at all,” Lovey214 wrote.
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
She has mentioned that she applied for succession rights following her mother’s death. However, it has not been established whether the apartment is rent-regulated or whether she meets the specific requirements to succeed her mother as the tenant.
In her first lockout video, Lovey214 asked Mayor Zohran Mamdani to help her get back into what she called her lifelong home. Her case joins other landlord disputes aired on TikTok, including one in which a Washington woman said her landlord moved a stranger into her son’s bedroom while she was still on the lease.
Lovey214 has reportedly moved her fight from the building to the courtroom. However, she has not yet publicly shared the outcome of her appearance before the judge, as her latest update was filmed inside the courthouse before the hearing. Her posts also do not name the landlord.
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Published: Oct 13, 2026 03:18 pm