Mom Called Landlord to Complain About Adult Child’s Decor

I moved into my first solo place eight months ago and it took me forever to make it feel like mine. I painted one wall in my bedroom a deep olive green, hung shelves, put up photos, got curtains I actually liked. Nothing was done without checking my lease first. No damage, no violations, just a space that finally felt like it belonged to me. My mom had visited once back in the spring and spent most of the tour telling me the green wall was “depressing” and that my shelves were crooked and that the curtains made the room look smaller. I listened, said I liked it, and moved on. I thought she had too.

Last Tuesday my landlord called me and opened with “so I got a bit of an unusual call.” My mom had phoned him directly, introduced herself as my mother, and told him she was “concerned” about modifications I had made to the apartment and wanted to know if he had approved them and whether there were plans to address them before my lease renewal. My landlord said he told her he had no concerns about my tenancy and that the apartment was in good condition, and she apparently pushed back and asked him to “take another look” because she felt things had been done that could affect the property value. He called me purely because he found the whole thing strange and wanted me to know. I was so embarassed I didn’t know what to say to him. When I called my mom she said she was just “looking out for me” and that if I had a problem with it maybe I should think about whether my decorating choices were actually as fine as I thought they were. She genuinley did not seem to understand why I was upset and kept reframing it as concern for my future and my rental history. I told her clearly that she is not to contact anyone in my life about my living situation again, not my landlord, not my employer, not anyone. She said I was being dramatic and hung up. I’m still angry and I honestly don’t know what the next step looks like with her.