A TikTok account named Lovey214 has described being shut out of an apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn, days after a death in the family. In a caption on a TikTok video that had drawn 181,100 views, Lovey214 said her mother died on September 21, 2026, after living in the apartment for about 45 years.
She wrote that the landlord changed the locks 10 days later while she was out. “No warning. No court papers,” she wrote. She added that there was no eviction order and no chance to collect belongings.
The same caption said two cats were still inside. Lovey214 said she asked to go in so she could feed and care for them and was refused. She also said she was told the apartment was “empty,” a claim she disputed because she said furniture, documents, and personal items were still there.
A court filing and housing rules on lockouts without an order
Lovey214 wrote that she had proof she lived there and proof of residency. She asked Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani to help her get back into what she called her lifelong home, and she tagged CBS Evening News and ABC News.
New York City Housing Court guidance says a person who has legally occupied an apartment for at least 30 days, with or without a lease, may not be evicted without a court order awarding a judgment of possession and a warrant of eviction. The court site describes that as a violation of the illegal eviction law and a misdemeanor.
Lovey214 pointed to that rule in the caption. The housing court site also says someone who claims they were locked out without a court order should contact local police first. If police do not help, the person may start an illegal lockout case to regain possession.
The first video shows a man in a dark short-sleeved button-down shirt, dark trousers, and sneakers standing behind a black metal gate with his arms crossed. The camera then shows a police officer in a dark uniform beside him, and the two appear to talk through the gate as the man gestures. Landlord disputes can take many forms, as a Washington woman says her landlord moved a stranger into her son’s bedroom while she’s still on the lease.
In a later TikTok, Lovey214 wrote, “Update : I went to file a emergency motion we will be in front of a judge first thing tomorrow morning !!” That clip is filmed from a wooden pew inside a courtroom. A woman with dark hair tied back, in a white short-sleeved shirt, sits at a desk working at a computer near the judge’s bench and an American flag, while a motivational male voiceover plays and no one on camera speaks.
The posts do not name the landlord and do not include a response from the landlord. They also do not say whether the cats were removed or whether a judge signed the emergency papers. It is not an illegal lock-out, the housing court site says, if a marshal has already carried out an eviction based on a court order, though a person may still ask to be put back.
In a reply to a viewer who asked whether she had gotten the cats, Lovey214 wrote, “No nypd was no help at all. They kept telling go to court or call the marshals even after I showed proof of residency.” Disputes over an apartment can surface in many ways, such as when a New York woman hires a moving service then finds out how they left her apartment and she was charged extra.
Viewers offered different next steps. One commenter asked about the monthly rent and wrote, “My thinking was landlord is afraid you would claim residency and he couldn’t charge a market rate.” Another told her to call a locksmith and wrote, “nyc have strict laws that protect tenants he can’t just do that and recall 911 and request a supervisor.”
A third commenter wrote, “Go to housing court. It’s called an illegal lock out! The judge will grant you 30 days to get stuff out & even fight for the apartment.” Another said, “Call your local representatives- this is an urgent situation. I’m so sorry.” One viewer asked, “Can we get an update please. were you able to get your cats? This is a nightmare, I’m so sorry.”
Published: Oct 6, 2026 09:45 am