After the housing bubble of 2008–09, few people can say you’re “just throwing money” away by renting anymore.
I talk a lot about everything home-buying on here, so it’s high time we say a bit about renting. Specifically, I want to cover renters’ rights—the rights you have as a tenant—and how to exercise them.
When you own a home, your legal rights are evident in a lot of ways (such as all the disclosures required to complete a transaction). As a renter, that’s not always the case. Some landlords provide detailed leases that (may) cover some of these rights but, more often than not, leases simply protect the landlord. Other landlords may not require leases at all.
But every renter has rights. In fact, your legal rights as a renter begin before you even give your completed application to the prospective landlord.
These tenants’ rights vary from state to state but, regardless of where you live, if you rent or plan to rent an apartment, you can protect your safety, health, and finances by understanding legal and illegal rental practices.
What’s Ahead:
Your rights as a tenant
Non-discrimination
The Fair Housing Act, first passed in 1968 and amended since, prohibits discrimination based on race, color, origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. The Fair Housing Act applies to both renting and selling real estate. Therefore, you cannot be turned down for tenancy based on any of the protected classes mentioned.
In some states, such as Massachusetts, this protection also applies to people who use federal or state subsidies to pay all or a portion of their rent. (To see these laws in action, just look at this case in which courts ruled against several landlords posting discriminatory advertising on Craigslist.)
Quiet enjoyment
All leaseholds are supposed to allow for the right of “quiet enjoyment.” This means you, as the tenant, have the right to reasonable freedom from being disturbed by the landlord.
Unless there is an emergency (i.e. fire or natural disaster) your landlord needs to give you prior notice before entering the premises.
Habitability and repairs
One of the big benefits of renting over owning your own home is that your landlord is responsible for maintaining the building. If the boiler breaks down in the dead of winter and requires a $1,500 repair, it doesn’t come out of your pocket.
Landlords have the responsibility of making sure that the rental is safe and habitable, as well as fixing any major problems that make the property less livable.
An uninhabitable rental (such as one without heating, proper plumbing, or electricity) is one that you can stop paying rent on, or make the repairs yourself and deduct the expenses from future rents.
There are, however, some things tenants have a responsibility to maintain, including:
- Keeping the apartment clean and sanitary
- Safely operating gas, electrical, and plumbing appliances
- Disposing of trash
- Not removing or damaging any part of the building
- Repairing any damage caused by tenants, guests, or pets
What about the issues in between a major safety repair (which the landlord is responsible for) and the minor items the tenant covers? When it comes to fixing leaky faucets, squeaky floorboards, or even burned-out light bulbs, some landlords can be notoriously stingy (or just slow).
One way to get in your landlord’s good graces (and save yourself a lot of grief) is to take care of minor fixes—like changing a light bulb—yourself.
Some things will be harder to get than others. If you’re asking for a new dishwasher, there’s not much you can do if the landlord doesn’t want to put one in. If, however, the needed repairs are serious and relate to the apartment’s basic fitness for living (such as heat or a broken lock) you should be firm in requesting repairs.
First notify your landlord, in writing, of the requested repair. Then give him or her a reasonable amount of time to make the fix. Under most laws, 30 days is reasonable, but it depends on the severity of the repair. Two days might be reasonable if the issue is broken heat in winter.
If your landlord doesn’t follow through, you have a couple of options:
The repair and deduct method
In certain states (check your state law to be sure), tenants may pay for any repairs that affect health and safety (such as a leaky roof, no hot water, a gas leak, or a sewage back up) and then deduct the cost of repairs from the rent (so long as it does not exceed one month’s rent).
Obviously, you must document everything (including communicating the defect to the landlord, giving him a reasonable amount of time to comply, and any repairs you pay for).
The abandonment method
If things are so bad that you cannot safely live in the apartment, you may have a legal right to abandon the apartment and stop paying rent. Obviously this is a last resort and you can expect some kind of legal struggle if you’re breaking a lease in doing so. But, if the apartment is clearly unsafe and the landlord has made no effort to remedy the situation, the law will usually favor you as the tenant.
Security deposit
Most states have a statutory deadline for how long a landlord has to give you back your security deposit after you move out.
In California, for example, a landlord has up to 21 days to refund your full security deposit, less deductions for specified damages.
In Virginia, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, a landlord has 30 days. Make sure that the landlord has your correct forwarding address so that you can get your money back on time.
Some things that aren’t “rights”
There tend to be many misconceptions about what is a legal right and what is a privilege unique to certain apartments or leases.
Rights pertain to nondiscrimination, the safety and habitability of an apartment, and a tenant’s privacy. Everything else is negotiable.
For example, tenants do not, by law, have the right to an off-street parking space, on-site laundry, or a working dishwasher. At certain rentals these perks may be promised as part of your lease, but your “right” to these amenities very much depends on the language of the lease you signed.
Unless the lease explicitly guarantees you a dedicated parking space available 24/7, 365 days a week, you might not have strong recourse if the landlord’s son starts parking in your spot.
Which brings us to the importance of getting things in writing…
Tips to protect your rights
Put everything in writing
Unfortunately, too many people think not having a lease is a perk for tenants or a sign of a landlord’s friendliness. While renting an apartment without a lease may work out sometimes, it can also backfire badly.
Yes, leases enforce certain responsibilities on tenants, but they also specify the terms of the landlord-tenant agreement. If there are disagreements, both parties have guidance for how to resolve them.
Aside from leases, it’s also vital to document all of your communication with your landlord. That includes rent payments and any requests for repairs. It’s fine to have a phone call first, but always follow it up with a letter or email, for example:
It was nice speaking with you yesterday about our apartment. We greatly appreciate you hearing our concerns regarding the leak in our bedroom roof and that you agreed to have someone look at it within the week. If anything changes, please let us know as soon as possible.
Where to find the laws
RentLaw.com is one of the best places to find your state laws related to renting and fair housing.
Each state also publishes a Tenant’s Rights Handbook, usually downloadable in PDF format from either the Department of Real Estate or the Department of Consumer Affairs. Your local library is a great place to check out books related to tenant’s rights—just make sure they were published recently.
Renters insurance
Renters insurance is similar to homeowners insurance, but it covers the loss or damage to the renter’s personal property such as clothes, jewelry, electronics, and furniture. Some renters insurance policies also cover liability due to an injury on the rental premises.
Many renters don’t bother to get renters insurance simply because they think it will be too expensive or because they think that something like a fire, earthquake, or burglary would never happen to them.
As a tenant, it’s always worth it to call a few different insurance companies and shop around for a good renters insurance rate. If anything were to happen during your tenancy, you’d be glad you chose to have that extra protection for your personal items. We’ve partnered with Policygenius, a website that scours the online marketplace for the best insurance rates available – give them a try to see if you can find yourself the perfect policy.
Lemonade is another great up-and-coming insurance company that offers renters insurance starting at just $5 a month (but that depends on the plan you choose). They’re a peer-to-peer insurance company, meaning a group of people pools their resources by paying insurance premiums into a collective pot. Whenever a member of the group makes a claim, they take money out of the pot.
One more to mention is Young Alfred. The process from start to finish is quick and painless and they work with dozens of companies to help find the policy that fits your needs. No phone call is required before purchasing your policy and Young Alfred keeps you informed every step of the way.
Note: Even if your roommate has rental insurance, it’s still a good idea to get your own policy. Attorney Aaron Larson writes on the legal website ExpertLaw, “Typically, even where people live as roommates, a renters policy held by one roommate will not cover the property of the other.”
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What to do if you believe your landlord is violating your rights
If you believe your landlord is violating your rights as a tenant, the best thing to do is pick up the phone and speak with somebody qualified to help.
If you’re unsure of what to do in your situation, contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD offers free counseling related to renting in all 50 states. (Here’s how to find a HUD-approved housing counselor in your area.)
If a housing counselor suspects you have a legal issue, you’ll need to speak with an attorney. Just getting an attorney on retainer can cost several thousand dollars, depending on your situation. If an attorney feels your rights have been violated, he or she may be willing to take your case pro bono, but it is unlikely unless you can prove your inability to pay. In most states, however, the Department of Justice will provide free legal services to those who are classified as being low-income. This Department of Justice legal service website can help you find local attorneys and self-help resources. Others can locate a qualified attorney using the ABA’s Lawyer Referral Service.
Summary
When we rent apartments, we often feel like the landlord has all the power, but that’s not really true at all. Renter’s have A LOT of rights—most just don’t realize it.
If you end up with a crummy landlord, it’s often worth a bit of research to determine if he or she is actually breaking the law and what you can do about it.
Read more
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in November 2011. It has been thoroughly updated for relevance and accuracy before republication.
Article comments
Hi all,
This post is a few years old now, and Sarah’s no longer writing for us, so we’re going to close comments. We really appreciate your time, and don’t want you to waste it by waiting around for an answer that may never come. As Sarah said in the post, please seek out an HUD housing counselor via this website: http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm . They are likely much more able to answer your questions. Thank you!
I have a situation: I currently live in Mass. My roommate, who was on the lease, moved out in August, which the landlord was aware of. The landlord and I verbally agreed that I would take over the apartment and my son could move in (I know it was stupid not to get a lease). For these past 6 months, I have paid the rent. Now my old roommate wants her security deposit and he told her that in order for it to get it back, I would need to give him the security deposit. Now he has changed his story and says that SHE needs to tell me to leave. She and I have requested for the past week for him to meet with us and he has no showed What are my rights? He has stated that I live here illegally, yet he has taken my rent all this time. He cannot “find” the original lease and quite frankly I am financially strapped to move again. What are your suggestions?
I am in a very complicated situation. My husband and I moved into our house 3 years ago. Our landlords are mother and son and my husband happens to be friends with the son. He has failed to complete any projects he’s worked on in the house, he lives in a shed in our backyard (which I thought was only temporary), he has 2 vehicles parked in our backyard (when our lease says we can only have one vehicle), he has left a massive mess in our yard and basement, he comes and goes as he pleases to use the bathroom, kitchen etc., he has friends come over and has had parties in our backyard when we have 2 children trying to sleep, he comes in and is rude to my children, he tries to tell my husband and I how to live our lives. It’s as if we have a room mate we’ve never asked for. We’ve put up with it this long because with where we live beggars can’t be choosers. I just don’t know how much more I can take. We have talked to his mother whom is also our landlord, but she hasn’t done anything about it. We’ve also tried to contact her on other situations but the only time she answers her phone is when she knows we have rent money. And in the past 3 years barely any of that rent money has gone towards the house. Some goes to the son and the rest towards her mortgage payments on her other house. I want to find another place to live but our landlords have talked to us about renting to own. But one problem with that is it’s been being talked about for three years and she’s still neglecting to follow through.
Can a landlord keep my security deposit if I don’t move in? Please help!
I’m being relocated to Chicago – Illinois. I looked for apartments through the internet and I was torn between 2 communities. I explained both communities my situation and that I wanted to apply for both, but decide for one of the apartments when I arrive there. They said that it was ok as long as I pay for what they ask. One of them asked for application fees (nonrefundable) and $500 as security deposit (refundable, written by email). Now I’m in Chicago and decided that I don’t want to move in to that community, but they responded: “If you’re deciding not to move-in here you’re forfeiting the $500 security deposit as well as the $140 in application fees.” I need to clarify that the landlord never called those $500 as “holding fee” or “administrative fee”; they were always called “security deposit”. Just so you know, I haven’t signed any lease with them. I emailed them explaining that the “security deposit” is an amount of money paid to cover any future damage a tenant may cause to the apartment, and since I’ve never lived there that amount of money must be refunded. If they don’t refund me, can I sue them? Thank you.
Hello, so i’m trying to figure out what to do…or at least get a little advise.
I live in the state of Alaska and have been renting from a ‘Scum Lord’ as people seem to be calling him.
I do not have proper heating, I was told the heating stove worked and the wall heater were enough to heat my 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment turns out that was a lie. The heating stove is broken and the wall heater doesn’t even dent it.
He threatened me constantly with eviction when he wouldn’t get his way, i.e. claiming electricity was covered in rent then winter comes along it’s either get the electricity in your name or you got seven days to get out of here. When I got it in my name I learned there were two meters for four units…I sadly wasn’t aware at the time. I was paying for other peoples electricity. When confronted he immediately raised rent and had it taken out of my name. Since then he’s been illegally turning my outlets off and playing with my power. I have lost a deep freezer to his illegal activity.
When my apartment was broken into, multiple times, he refused to change my locks and I was forced to pay out of pocket and never reimbursed.
Stuff like this continued and I will admit me and my husband were very patient with him.
When I was 6 months pregnant he refused to continue to provide water for us and I was hospitalized for dehydration.
Next thing I know there were power outages, theft increased, and even though we had four things plugged in the power was blowing.
He came to me at 10pm at night when my son was 15 weeks old and demanded for us to turn off electricity and heating. It’s a cold winter, I have no where to take my son for safety, and we had been home all day, plus he has my number. Not once did he try to get ahold of me. I had a small portable heater plugged in set on low, and when I awoke my son was cold to the touch and not responding. I had to perform emergency cpr and first aid. The moment he was normal I took him to my parents and then confronted my landlord. He didn’t care and demanded more money from us.
He admitted he was stealing electricity from the one tenet paying electricity to run four units.
We left for a trip, notifying him, for christmas break only to return and found out he turned off my outlets and we lost all of our food. We used game meat for our lively hood. When confronted he demanded more money and blamed us for it.
This was my snapping point. This man took my food and nearly killed my son all because he believed as a landlord he had a right to do this. I gave him my thirty day notice and instead he’s handing me a seven day notice, I did not argue this seeing as I just wanted to be rid of him.
After some arguing, getting a court order under false pretenses, and now going to court with him for an insane amount of money he claims I owe him and he owes me nothing. The state being alerted and a federal case being made on him, supporting all my complaints. He is now harassing one of our witness’s.
A tenet was willing to step up and voice that the man had indeed done all this as well as continuously demand more money when money was not owed. The damage he had done to me and my family and provide us help in moving our possessions to my parents house. We in turn still give him rides to work.
The land lord started the next day, demanding inspections and as a response the tenet told him he would be there at certain times and he was more then welcomed to inspect the apartment. The land lord went into the apartment after waiting two hours for the tenet to leave after the agreed time. He has since then continuously harassed said tenet and now claims he’s going to give him a seven day eviction, oh but he wants next months rent up front.
Does the land lord have a right to harass this man like this all because he is standing up to be a witness against him? Does this tenet have a right to be left alone if he is all caught up on rent and not causing any problems.
I have rented in an HOA from the same landlord agent for 4 years, then the homeowner changed rental agents. Thee HOA fees went up in Nov., I asked the agent if the rent was going up, she said yes $100 per month. My husband and I decided to stay with this $100 increase per month vs moving, and we told the new leasing agent this. Today I came home from work, there was a notice posted on my notice that the lease is not being renewed the owner is selling, and is giving me only 30 days to find another unit, or they will evict me, is this legal? Not only that why posted on the door, why was it not mailed?
I’m sorry what does this mean, Your comment is awaiting moderation?
The house I was renting in Idaho caught fire in June. We moved into a room at my sister’s home after the fire. We tried to find a place to rent with no luck. There was nothing available. My sister said that she wanted us to rent her house from her as she was buying a new one. We came to a oral argeement on what the terms would be when the time came. She bought a house and started moving out. As she moved out, we got our stuff out of storage and moved it in. She has most everything out of the house now as of last week. But there is stilla lot of stuff that she is planning on giving to charity that is in the house. They are now working on a month to month lease contract for the rental. In the contract she wants me to pay back rent for December when we didn’t have the house. There are no smoke detectors and she hasn’t provided any keys for the property. There are numerous repairs and painting that needs to be done. There is also mold in the basement due to a wall that leaks when it rains. She says I am responsible for this repair. She isn’t going to do any repairs either. Can she legally rent a house with no smoke detectors or keys that has mold and leaks?
My new apartment management is charges us money to pick up a package. If the package doesn’t fit in our box and is left at the office we are charged between $0.75-$3.00 depending on how large the package is. Is this legal? I’ve lived there for 3 years and never had a problem picking up my mail until 3 months ago when this place took over. We don’t have parcel lockers so either we pay the money or can’t get our packages. HELP!!!
My tenant was evicted Nov 1st and has since tried to get out of last month’s rent in the following ways:
1. Giving 10 days notice before intending to leave and refusing rent
2. Insisting that deposit be credited back to last month’s rent
3. Changing move-out day again to pay less rent, though still short of 30 day notice
4. Only paying half of the rent, insisting that because of a new vehicle parked on our property (RV) she is unable to move and needs to use the remaining rent to hire movers. She has plenty of room to move and we have offered to help her for free. The RV was hit by a confused driver on Thanksgiving and cannot be moved at this time.
Today I handed her a 3 day pay-or-quit notice since her rent is late. She called me a “b*tch” and says she is going to speak to a lawyer, but I know my rights! Is there anything I should do to cover my bases? She was on a month-to-month lease and none of her complaints above are covered by the lease.
Thank you!!!
I’ve rented my house from the owner who lives out of state for 3 years now. Nov. 1st the AC/Heater went out, It’s now Nov. 17th and I still have no heat. I called and had an AC company come out and give an estimate and he took pictures of the damage inside the housing. The unit was built in 1996 and is shot. Now the landlord wants 2 more companies to come out for estimates and in the mean time our temp. here in Las Vegas has been dropping down into the 30’s. I’m moving out next month into my new home. Do I have to pay this guy December rent? I’ve spent money on the AC company coming out for an estimate plus I’ve had to purchase portable heaters to try and keep at least the bedrooms warm?
Hi , I live in a set of apartments, that originally were flat rate rent. Then a year or more ago, they got a grant to become subsidized, and now it is based on your income, similar to Housing and Section 8. We never had a water bill, only electric. In my original lease it states the landlord is responsible for water and sewer. Since the change they added a water bill, that for some odd reason does not come from our local town, it is from a 3rd party billing company, out of Florida. I have never had a consistent bill. My recent issue is I was away at my Mother’s house for 2 and a half months, and came home and my water bill was $85.00!? They plan on taking my rent money order and applying it to my past due remaining (I only paid $30 towards it last month) water bill and the $15 late fee, and this month’s is $51.00 (and I have been here daily) I had matientence check for leaks etc… there are none. So they are trying to EVICT ME. CAN THEY DO THIS???
Hi
I have a very similar situation . I paid my resnt in cash last month 10 hours late so I guess that constitutes a late fee. Cold, but late is late right? I have a habbit of paying late 1 to 2 days late and over the past year Ive incurred some late fees. I have wholeheartedly admitted to my manager that I try to get away with not paying them. They have been piling up. So i actually was thinking this month when I paid rent 10 hours late he was not going to charge me a late fee. Boy was I wrong! 4 days ago I opened my door and a 3 day notice to pay or quit was there looking back at me, for wha?t I thought. Well it said back rent of 339 and a 50 late fee. Im quite sure if I owed 339 in back rent I would have heard about it long ago. I could only conclude that this 339 was for my late fees . So I looked online and legally late fees cannot be included in a 3 day notice . Only rent can be in a 3 day notice. Again I look at the notice and it says past due rent and 50 late fee on a seperate piece of paper. I texted the manager and asked if the 339 ws my late fees he was reluctant to admit it but eventually he did . He also told me that it was my past due rent because he took my rent and applied it to my late fees without telling me leaving me now behind on my rent. WTH?? I couldnt believe how shadey that was . I dont even know if it is legal its like what they did to you, appling the rent a they see fit. Further more I dont understand why it wasnt done before and why he did it behind my back. At least they told you thay were going to do it. Is what was done to us legal?
If u fight this case in court, you will win due to the fact that the amount asked for in back rent is incorrect. Do not point this out to your landlord ahead of time. You are correct that legally he cannot ask for late fees as part of what you are behind in rent unless their lease has “specific language” stating that they can do so. Most people do not have their leases written to be able to do this. Anything at all that you see that is incorrect on your notice to quit paper will be in your favor in court so do not point any of it out to your landlord. The judge will have no choice to rule in your favor when you point out discrepancies and then your landlord will have to start the entire process all over again. I recently worked with an attorney against a bad landlord trying to do something similar to me. I was served with probably 10 eviction notices in a 7 month period. I took 3 of them to court & I beat every single one. Hang in there.
Hi, I recently received an eviction notice from my land lord, the rent was due in the 5th and I mailed it out in a money order on the third. My land lord sent me an one day eviction notice the 16th and I explained to him I mailed it out in money order as he requested, by the way, I disagreed with that method of payment when he suggested it, anyhow, I showed him the money order receipt and when I called the money order hasn’t been cashed yet. also other tenants in the park said the same thing is happening with them. Can he evict me?
I rent a lot in a mobile home park in V.A. I recently received a warning notice stating “My son has been playing ball in the park and I’ve been told they cannot for fear it may damage another trailer located in the park.”This is my last warning the next time my son is seen with any ball or even a ball in our yard we will recieve a 30 day eviction.”If I cannot handle my kids she will” She also called me to inform me she would be bringing that warning letter by and told me if needs be she will ground my kids to the yard untill the eviction process is done.She has previously grounded my kids to our yard for 30 days stating if the step foot out of it we would be evicted. She’s already states no kids under 10 outside alone which is fine I’m usually out with the smaller one but I dont think it’s right my 13 yo cant toss a football with his friend or even his father. Mind you every kid here plays ball ,yet I’m the only one who received a notice and threat of eviction. It’s a small 2 street park with no playground and barely 3ft of yard how can she be allowed to impose such and threaten eviction. We’ve been here 8 years never a prob other than past year. Now can’t even play outside it’s ridiculous I feel like they are singling out my kids.If we could afford to me we’d been gone. We put all we had in to this 5 br doublewide only to be left with nothing if she makes good on her threat. Is this even legal??
Hi my name is Lois Webster, i have lived in my two bedroom unit for 17 years. My property manager is moving me to a smaller unit and charging me almost $100.00 more for a one bedroom smaller unit. She is also charging me $1144.00 for November rent, and 20 days later i have to pay $1229.00 for a deposit and 10 days later .
I am a poor person living in a market rate apartment and when i moved into the unit 17 years ago i was qualified at a lower rate.
My son has an apartment in Illinois and has one month left of lease. The hot water tank in the apartment above him leaked 50 gallons of water through the ceiling. Can he get out of his lease?
Hi we had a flood in our apartment in August 3day before our wedding!! the landlord told us it was because i threw tampons down the drain (which I DID NOT).She also stated that she has proof because she took a picture of my tampons (that should be illegal right?) Then to make matter worse the fan that were in our apartment to dry the carpet were stolen we were told to set them outside our apartment door which we did. 3 or 4 days later 3 out of 5 were stolen (the one the landlord own were not but the one that another company lent were, the odd thing about it is that we can find proof that she made a police report nor will she tell us that. we don’t know what to do.
Hi I asked to break my lease and my landlord agreed if she could find another renter that she would give me back my entire deposit. I had paid my rent for the month of September. She called and said she needed me out by September 18th to get the new renter in. I asked for the remainder of my rent for September back she then threatened me that she would keep my deposit if I was not out by the 18th. The new renters moved in for free until the first of October. There must be a law that says if a landlord asks you to leave before your rent is up that they have to reimburse you for the rent. Please tell me the law so that I can get back my money.
Thank you Jackie
Hi we rented a place in Feb, it has a double carport, which I confirmed with the landlord when viewing that it was ours (our space), as it has a side gate to the cottage behind, and she confirmed, the double car space was ours. Now seven months down the line, on the 31st, they have rented the mother cottage behind us and told us that the carport will be divided. When we wrote a note saying that this would not work for us as I use the carport during the day for the kids, it’s paved, so we skip, I have their 360 swing on my side of the garage and their monkey bars on on my husbands, they do hopscotch and chalk, I had their trampoline there and their pool. We were told this desicion has been made and if we don’t like it we can give notice. But in repeated conversations since they have said, the 3 bed gets a double carport, you get the double carport, thank you for compromising on the carport. We had no choice, we do not have the cash flow to come up with another deposit or moving costs. And this arrangement is really not working for us. The single space does not house the two cars so it’s a single space not a double.
Hi i have a question. My landlord does not reside in the same state as the property. Does she have to have a licensed property manager in the state of NC or can it just be a friend. And also she is always calling and texting us and my husbands chain of commands about things that are minor (we skip a week of mowing the lawn) and she always has friends drive by the house at all times and does not tell us. Can she do this? I stay home most the time alone with my child as my husband is military and i no longer feel safe in my home knowing that all these people are driving by at all times of the day and night and have access to the house. I need to know me rights because my lease isnt up for awhile and if i break it i still have to pay her rent on top of where ever i move to and i can not afford that. Someone please help because i am pregnant and stressed/freaked out right now.
On June 17th of 2015 I rented the apartment I am in. On June 18th, 2015 I had to throw out my couch and love seat because of bedbugs. I told the landlord. It took her another week to get this spray that does not work. This is a 7 unit building and the whole building is infested and she knew it when I move in. I have no lease agreement and now since I organized the whole building about the bedbugs she is telling me to move out. I am current on my rent and she has my $450 security deposit. I have missed 8 days of work over the past two months because of lack of sleep due to the bedbug bites. I believe I have a case on retaliation. My residence is in Indiana.
Hello my name is Rosa …
Well I rent a two bed room one bath with garage I pay 1000 a month now when we moved in the home It was dirty and dusty nothing was clean my boyfriend and I had to fix the house clean our self because the landlord did make repairs to the house before we moved in. To top it off we would let her know things were broken or not working she wanted us to fix them or so we would say ok the water pipes broke my boyfriend is a plumber he said I’ll fix it but take it off the rent but he gave a price and she was upset saying it was to much so we told her just to have some one come fix the stuff in the house she didnt want to so we ended up saying fine he will fix it she paid so little for a big job other thing broken in the house have not been fix we took pictures of every thing before we moved in . we have been paying rent on time on the month of August we paid the rent she came and gave us our recipt and gave us a 30 day notice said she needs the apt to due her family member s coming from Mexico I find it in unfair specially because I have two small children and I’m pregnant we have been looking for other places but can’t find any thing yet theirs waiting list etc. what can I do? Do I really have to move even though we don’t have any were to move to?
Yes. You have to move because your landlord gave you proper notice. This happened to my wife, soon and I six years ago. We quickly realized we could afford to buy a home for less than rent. We visited a mortgage loan officer that helped us fix you credit by giving us a list of things to pay off. In no time at all we had a house.
You did not handle the busted water pipe correctly. You should have stood firm on your price you quoted her. With something like that she would have 2 days or so to get a repair person into the apartment. She was obviously strapped for cash and couldn’t do that. She would have eventually taken your offer to fix the issue because it would mean there would be no immediate cash out of her pocket.
Hi im in wa state i got a pay or leave notice apparently which was never delivered i wish to leave any way cuz i cannot afford to pay anymore. But if i dont get my stuff out before that which the period is over and they have changed the locks on me can they hold my stuff from me im also am concidered disabled by the state.
Than get your stuff out and put it in storage.
Don’t forget to pay your storage locker rent or you will end up in the same situation.
I lived with my parents in a home they rented i paid my dad miney every week for years to stay there well they decided to up and move out owing money so my boyfriend and i decided to keep the place because my parents said that if the landlord said ok to us staying he would pay what he owes we decided to pay weekly due to our jobs it works better for us well then our ac broke and had to have a new unit it was then that I found out i was on the lease with my parents i never signed a lease never saw a lease in 4 years. Mind u my larents spoke to him and got the ok for us to stay and told him he would make arrangements to pay well me and my kids sat in a house that felt like it was 200 degrees for over a week he said oh ur on the lease that makes u reliable for what what ur dad owes My question is HOW!!!! I NEVER SIGNED MY NAME TO ANYTHING AND I PAID MY DAD EVERY WEEK!!!! He then stated he would have to throw us out if we didnt pay in 14 days CAN HE DO THIS AND HOW IM NOT A RELIABLE PARTY I DIDN’T AGREE NOR SIGN ANYTHING EVER HELP ME LOL
have huge problem have lived in apt for 39 3/4 years have gone through many owners along way prof of security deposit was lost also when moved in there was wall paper in kitchen in early eighty’s landlord carpeted apt and for some reason wallpapered one wall in living room plumbing in bathroom because of old pipes in ceiling had to be repaired because of leaks tile on floor in bathroom have over time aged and cracked have not been allowed to pain in apt since rug put in in eighty’s can anyone tell me can i be made to pay for the replacement of the rugs,repainting apt,retileing, the stove has been in apt since before moved in in 76 am disabled please can someone help live in ohio
I’m sure your security deposit 40 years ago was like $75 dollars or less do why do you care if you lose it?
You are a long time tenet do you won’t have to replace carpets, wall paper, appliances and such things. Those will be up to the landlord to replace if they are worn out.
I had an ex-landlord pulled up our new home address to send me a certified letter requesting payment. Payment that wasn’t even past due. Can he pull up our new home address without our permission? He has our phone number and email address which I always answer when he contacts me. It just seemed like complete invasion of privacy.
So I live in Hawaii and we get power outages often once or twice a week, our landlord send a notice and he is banding air conditioning because according to him is the cause of the power outages, but the temperature here is pretty high on the 80’s to 100’s and is humid. Does he has the right ask us to don’t use ac at all? What should I do?
I am renting a house with my bf. He is not on the lease but the landlord is a family friend and he knew my.bf.would be living here. recently the car caught on fire in the garage. The fire department said it started in front of the car. Now the landlord wants my bf to be responsible for the deductible which is $2,500 Is this legal? We didn’t set the car on fire, it happened on its own. But because hes not on the lease can he still come after him? if not, can he after me instead? I am in Massachusetts
I live in michigan and i live in a mobile home community and i am disabiled. Was wanting to know about getting a handicapped space put in and rules or laws about it
I live in Oceanside, California. My family rents an apartment and our landlord has a manager that has a bad attitude with us. We try to keep the peace with her, but truth I’m tired of her banging on our door and complaining about every little thing. We had a dog and had to give him away because she said neighbors were complaining, which to me was big bull, everyone loved our dog. Then she keeps complaining about my dad parking under the building because “our car is too big, people can hide behind it”. At first, I thought she could act that way with us because we pay the rent a little late, but now its just getting annoying. Shouldn’t we have the right to park in our parking spot?Or at least she can be nicer and stop threatening us with a 3-day eviction notice all the time? We would move out, but right now it’s just not possible….help!
My situation is this.I live in Maine and my boyfriend is renting a house that his ex mother in law owns. When I moved in she raised the rent to 500$ plus all utilities and maintenance, which we said was no problem. She wanted a 500$ security deposit from me, which I also said was no problem but she would have to wait until that Friday when I got paid. (This was on a Sunday) She said she cant accept that and doesn’t even want me on the road and property. She then changed her mind again and said that due to me living at this rental property she has came across some unexpected expenses and wants 150$ a week from me and plus the 500 a month still for rent. My boyfriend takes care of all the utilities and maintenance that happens to occur here, so there is no way shes had any unexpected expenses from me being here. I told her that if she provided me a dated receipt of her expenses that I would be more than happy to reimburse her. The next day we got an eviction letter and we have to be out in 30 days from that letter. Is this legal?
NO that is not legal. That falls under retalitory Actions.. She cant do that. She cant tell you a set rent amount and then turn around and tack on more for no reason. take her ass to court for housing discrimination etc. She can not evict you for her power tripping greediness. Sue her.
My question is this. Does anyone know whether it is legal in the state of Virginia for a landlord who lives in the duplex below you to demand that you pay half the gas bill (he lives below and the other party lives above) on property that he owns? Someone told me it was illegal for a landlord to ask a tenant to split the gas bill with him in that if you are renting the upstairs as in duplex, that the landlord should have a separate unit for the heat to come into the upstairs in which the upstairs tenants pay for their own heating bill and that the landlord who lives below pays for his own heating bill – which means there should be two meters, not just one?
he cant make you do that, you should have a separate bill in your name for your apt. check with the utility company.
We recently found out that the foundation of the home we are renting is falling apart so the landlord has come in to make the necessary fixes. The process to fix the foundation has required the landlord to completely tear apart the yard leaving our house a construction site. We are now stuck indoors while he attempts to fix the problem should we get reduced rent or some sort of compensation while this is going on?
My husband myself and our 3 kids moved into the home we are currently renting 9 months ago. We recently found out that our water well which has an electric pump which is on our personal light bill is not only supplying water to our rental home. It is also supplying water to our landlords home and barns, as well as to the other rental property next door to us that was just rented out 2 months ago. I finally figured out after not seeing a well on the other property and speaking with my landlord why my light bill has increased by $150.00 a month. The landlord said they were sorry that they had forgotten to tell us about it and IT IS not in our lease either. When I tried to peacefully come to a solution my landlord brushed me off and told me that the amount of water usage that would make my bill increase is “in negligible”. I’m running out of solutions fast. But I refuse to rent a property and have to pay for 2 other homes water usages and their amenities on my light bill. I still have 3 months in my lease left. Any advice would be appreciative.
yeah take him to court. sue him for his part of the bill for the usage to his place and sue the other person too. they all should be paying for their part of the usage. I swear i cant stand selfish people who just take advantage of others.
My bf and I have been renting this place for about ten months. The landlord never shows up when she says to collect rent, then complains that we don’t pay on time. She said she would providr an account # to deposit the money into, but never has. She also has the bills in her name and insists that we pay the majority of them, when were never there and the people upstairs have 6 or 7 people up there. Our gas keeps getting shut off and we’ve bern giving her money every month for the gas and lights.
sounds to me like you should take her to court.
I just recently moved from Ventura, CA. to Boise, ID. , and am now a renter again….I have not rented a place in my name since I graduated from high school back in ’95. I do not know the any tenant/renter rights/laws. I do believe that I am renting from a slumlord! Just to move into this place I had to pay a deposit of $500 and $675 for the first months rent, then I was asked to pay an additional $675…I know that I have not rented a place in a very long time, but I thought that I heard it was illegal to ask for first, last, and a deposit? I thought that you could only ask for the first months rent and a deposit (I have know idea what the legal amount of the deposit can be?) I need to know legally how often an apartment is to be painted and legally how often the carpet is to be replaced? I I was told in April of 2013 over the phone from California that the apartment would be move-in ready the beginning of May. I let the landlord know that I would not be arriving until the middle of May. Based on the fact that this landlord explained the apartment was vacant and move-in ready my rent was to begin on May 1st. I mailed $1,850.00 (that was the deposit of $500, 1st months rent for May of $675, and an additional $675). I did not get to Boise, ID until May 14th, and did not receive the keys to the apartment until May 17th. So in my opinion the landlord/owner had plenty of time for any and all repairs to be made, and it should have been cleaned properly…I should not have had to do anything. When I finally saw the place for the first time it was not move-in ready, there were several repairs that needed to be made, and it was not professionally cleaned (there was dust around all the base boards and over the doors, and 1/4″ of dust on the ceiling fan). There are still repairs that need to be made to the apartment that I was told would be fixed and haven’t. The walls and doors are filthy due to it not being painted, and nail holes in the walls from the previous tenant. The carpet looks like it has not been replaced in at least 5 years? What can I do about this situation??? Please help me!
send the landlord a notice requesting that what he promised be done in a certain amount of time and if he doesnt then find someone else to do it and subtract it from your rent or you could find another place break the lease and demand your deposit and last months rent back. make sure you take pictures of the place before work gets done and an estimate of the price to fix things before you take him to court if it gets that far. You could possibly sue him for a verbal breach of promise.
I have been smelling gas for some time now. It got really bad recently and called the landlord. She came in the apartment, I was away from the apartment but gave ok to go and check it out. They said they didn’t smell anything. An hour before when I walked in it about knocked me out it was so strong. They brought over a neighbor to see if he could smell it. That bothered me because this neighbor is a very weird stalker..i didn’t give permission for him to enter my apt. The following Monday, they had someone come look at the stove…thought was going to be a professional but was their brother. He walked in looked at the stove and said the stove isn’t working properly becasue it was “filthly”. The stove is very very old, and white enamel and had stains when I moved in over 4 yrs ago. I asked the landlord was my apt filthly ever and she said no. He kept on saying I was dirty and his job wasn’t to clean anyone stove because they were too lazy to do it themselves. I finally ordered him out of my apartment. My daughter called the gas company because the idiot brother said it was due to being dirty. I’ve never heard of a gas leak due to a dirty stove. Before the gas company came, the female landlord came up and apologized and said they would be getting me a new stove in 2 days. The gas company came and found I had a gas leak and a carbon monoxide leak and red flagged the stove with 2 violations and turned my gas off. The landlord called very upset that the gas company had been called. Now she says I can’t get a stove until July 11th, 11 days with no gas or stove to cook. I am a 56 yr old widowed who just lost my job. I didn’t have the money to eat out or go buy microwavable food. I paid July’s rent and deducted 11 days off for inhabitable living conditions. They beat on my door very early and left a couple of voicemails. I don’t answer my phone if I don’t recognize the number. I was in the bathtub when my door was unlocked but they couldn’t get in because I had the chain on it. They left and left the door open, when I had on the air conditioner. I called them and they, the 2 sisters, wanted to come up and disucss the rent I had paid. The grumpy one immediately said my rent paid was unacceptable. I said being without gas and a working stove to cook was unacceptable for 11 days. She threatened eviction, and being sued. There are so many violations in this apt complex it’s ridiculous but they never do anything about it. Drugs being sold and used, wild parties by the doors and you can’t get in or out if you need to…and always guys and I feel very uncomfortable walking thru them, a dog and dogs aren’t allowed, I’ve had my car vandelized 4 times by a person living in the complex and I get yelled at for calling the police and told maybe I need to move. I would love to move, but right not I can’t financially afford to do so. I would like to know what is the reasonable time to fix a gas leak problem…the landlord said there was no time, because it wasn’t winter and I didn’t need the heat…that’s beside the problem. I think they are being jerks because they got violations by the gas company…that’s not my problem…that’s theirs as landlord. Any advise???
yeah call the city and file a violation complaint against your landlord for the building not being up to code and if she threatens to evict you again tell her that is a “retalitory Action” and that according to law she can not evict you for that. PERIOD. And if you know who broke into your car call the police and press charges on them and have them taken to jail. what a bunch of low life losers!
My rent is all inclusive (Utilities, Taxes and Insurance) by discussion and by default since the bills all go to my landlord, they are in his name and I don’t have access them. Two days ago I was notified by his wife that my electric will be turned off in 5 days if it is not paid immediately. I got the account number from her and then paid it. She is now insisting that I still owe my rent. I feel that since my rent INCLUDES utilities that I can subtract this payment from my rent. It is not on me that they are not using my rent money for what it was intended, right?
they are screwing you around and i would take them to court for it. do you have anything in writing that says uttilties are included with the rent? also a verbal agreement is legally binding and they just cant go demanding you pay the electric bill when the electric is supposed to be included with your rent. all you are legally required to pay is the amount of your rent and if they try to make you do otherwise then take them to court and sue them. I would seriously be thinking about finding a different place to live and the next place you rent make sure you get the terms in writing.
my ex-landlord is charging a 20 a day fee till i pay him the rest of the rent even after we moved out can he do this i dont even live there anymore i have paid his electric and cable for six years without complaint if anything he owes me money i fell can someone help me with this i live in new york
I am a tenant in Ohio and rent an apartment from a large property management company. I moved into my apartment in mid May. My question relates to undisclosed charges and fees. I just received my first full month’s billing statement, due for July. To my surprise, there were charges for fees and services that I was not aware I would need to pay. My billing statement includes an Allocated Sewer Service, an Account Set Up Fee, and a Service Fee, none of which were disclosed to me or listed in my lease. I was aware of a monthly water bill, but property management never shared that I was also responsible for a sewer bill, an account set up fee or a service fee. I have reviewed a copy of my lease and these were not mentioned anywhere in the lease. I also reviewed their approval email, which itemized all fees/charges/deposits (etc) requirements, to determine prorated move-in plus first month’s rent totals. The above mentioned fees were not referenced anywhere. Is there a limit on arbitrary fees a management company may charge a tenant without first disclosing to said tenant that they will be responsible?
I’m behind on this months rent gave the landlord half and told him I would make the rest up before the month is out which will be this Friday. Came home to no air. While I was gone he took the fuse out of my central and said I can’t have it back til he gets the rest of his rent. I have issues breathing and can’t breath/sleep with out the air on and I just told his maintenance guy this the other day when I told them I believe my breathing issues have to do with the black mold in my bedroom windows. That I have been complaining about since I got here. Isn’t it against the law to mess with the utilities because someone is behind on rent I could see if I was months behind. Who could I call and report him to. I have been sick since I moved in here I will be making a trip to the hospital tomorrow to be checked foe mold toxins.
my question is in the state of NC is a Realtor allowed to contact anyone who is not on the lease? or having the neighbors spy on you despite you getting in contact with said individual but has not even been in their office.
Now it is June 21and i was told 2 days ago i had less than a week before the new owner takes over .This has been almost a year of living hell.
My friend the mother who passed away really didn’t realize just what her daughter was capable of.
For weeks now she has verbally told me i have days to get out, that is when shes Here.she has withheld mail in her house for over 3weeks causing me to miss appointments, benifiets, depositions and other important dates. Put things in front of my door causing me to fall. Changed her number so i have no way to reach her. Not to mention all the mental chaos she had caused by repeatly stealing from my house when i was out, checks books s.s. literally my whole indentity.
I am so repulsed and disgusted with this person;
She didnt even have the decency th show her mother the respect she desrvef, she wad very neglectful and selfish the ladt month of her life, literslly robbing her mother blind while her partner preoccupied her with converstion, so dhe could crawl under her bed to steal money from her purse.
My wife and I moved into a double wide three months ago, but up a 1100.00 deposit, needed work and unerpending, my wife got so upset with the cleaning of all cabinets thru out whole house, it was full of rat pellets, the land lord said that they knew it had been infested with mice and sweated out a lot, now we still have the smell in house, land lord also said he meant to put down a chemical for the smell, also no under pending or nothing else done to house, we are thinking about moving will we be able to get deposit back.
I was acquaintances with the home owner who told me about the rental Im in now. He has a property manager that he assured me I would deal with. Shortly after moving in I found out the owner was checking up on me by talking to my neighbors, driving by, sending strange texts. I’ve gotten to where I don’t respond and went to the property manager and expressed my concerns. It seemed ok until I started getting a few text this weekend, and while my boyfriend was out side he described a truck that looked like the home owners parked down the street within minutes I received another text, and last night I caught him driving by again. I’m concerned, I did call him out and said he was just checking out the lawn and his investment. But it is uncomfortable and seems inappropriate. What do you think? :/
I have asked my landlord the past 2 months that i need a copy of the lease and he has failed to give it to me now my electric has been turned off because the electric company wants a copy of my lease . What can I do ? Can I withhold rent until I get a copy of the lease and my power back on ?
This may be off topic, but does anyone know how much you should be charged for doing your laundry in the average apartment building in Toronto? I can’t find anything on it. I always thought that it would be thrown into your over all rental costs, or it would cost perhaps the same as a laundromat buisness you’d have to travel to ( you know like $1.50 for washing and drying) but instead my landlord has a communal laundromat down stairs and charges $2.25 just to wash and another $1.50 for drying, (prices aside, you almost always have to dry the clothes for extra time due to the machines inefficiency and their small size means even four days worth of cloth are a multi-machine endevour). Over all its costing me ALONE $37.50 a month on average to do my laundry if I ignore extra drying and just hang up any remaining damp clothes. Is this normal? Or even legal? I mean laundromats that you’d drive to that do it as their only buisness, i’ve worked out, would only cost me $23-27 a month, and have a much larger capacity and success rate, but I cannot take advantage of them because I don’t own a car. If this is too much to charge please help, so I can bring this to my landlords attention. I can’t imagine what the other people in this building are paying who have three kids and a spouse… I feel very ripped off, but I’ve never lived in Toronto before so maybe its normal.
I have 10 days to get out of my apt for mowing my lond and watering the grownd me and my son have no one or anyone to go to I am in low income housing and in Idaho can anyone help me please I don’t know what to do
I live in the state of NC and I am renting a trailer. My lease was just recently renewed for 1 year. My lease ends on 3/1/2014. On May 9, 2013 my landlord sent me a text message and stated he had sold the property and I had to be out by June 5, 2013. He then later changed the date to June 10, 2013 to “help me out”. I am in between a rock and a hard place. I told him I was going to contact a lawyer to check on my rights as a tenant and this really made him mad! My landlord calls me and asks me what he gotta do to get me out! I found a place but can’t afford the first months rent, security deposits on the essential things because I will have to change power companies. I asked my landlord with help and he tells me to keep my rent for this month like that is going to make a difference. I had no plans on moving and now it is going to cost me $1300. I don’t know what to do? Does anyone have a solution?
Unfortunately i don’t think that there is much that you can do. I was renting a place in California and it got sold out from underneath us. We had a lease agreement too and there was nothing that we could do. Our privacy was invaded by people viewing the condo at any time and the lease was null and void at that point…you are lucky that he is willing to let you live there rent free for a month. I know it sucks any way you look at it though! I’m sorry you are having to go through that.
I am having an issue with my current landlord. I have less than 2 months and I have been searching for a new apartment to move to in July. I went to court back in February 2013 for being late on my rent payments and my rent was paid in full along with the next’s month’s rent before the court date even arrived. My potential apartment complex requested a signed statement on a professional piece of paper stating that I wasn’t evicted and that I am current on my rent. I asked my apartment manager for the documentation/referral and she said she did not have the authority. So I drove to the corporate office and she said it was on her desk (I spoke with her today 5/14/2014) . This is has been going on for about 11 days now and all I want to do is move and I’m pretty sure the great apartment deal I found is gone all because my referral paper was not faxed within a reasonable amount of time. Is there something legally I can do to force their hands? All I want to do is move to a better apartment complex where I get what I pay for, is there anything I can do?
My boyfriend and I rent a house in Dallas, Tx. He moved in three years ago, I moved in with him and the owner of the house, a little over a year ago. The owner died, she has three daughters and one was left as the beneficary. This daughter, has not changed the name on the deed, however we have continued to pay her rent for over a year, since the death of her Mother. She recently went up on the rent, after deciding we could stay longer than we thought. We have never had a contract with them, or even the lady that died. She collected part of our rent the first of this month, (we pay every two weeks). She then called my boyfriend at work, two days later, claiming she needed the house, because her and her family were getting evicted. I had to call the police days ago, because she showed up and starting moving things in. The police told her she had to go through legal eviction, but first has to change the deed. What are our rights, if any? She is claiming she is moving in here next weeked?
A big thanks to DR.ZAIKI, who brought back my ex girlfriend. My name is Harry Jams, from UK. Last year, August 26th 2012, I proposed to my ex girlfriend and she agreed to marry me then we both planned for the wedding. Our wedding was to hold September 30th. We had a little misunderstanding and she left me for another guy. I almost committed suicide; I never knew there was hope for me, a friend of mine would always advise me to be hopeful and that one day she will come back to me, Some times I will go to her house to beg her to come back to me because she really means a lot to me and I love her so much and she will ask me to leave her alone and I should never come to her house again. I found it really hard to fall in love with another girl, months passes by and I was waiting patiently for her to come back to me but in my heart I was still going through hell, there was a big hole in my heart.
One morning I received a call from my friend and he told me to come to his house immediately, I quickly put on my clothes and ran to his house because I felt he was in trouble, when I got to he’s house, I met him on his computer system and I ask him what the problem was, he said when he was browsing through the internet, he came across some testimonies on how a spell caster brought someone’s ex husband back. I was angry with him because he frightened me and now he’s telling about spell caster. I told him to forget about the matter because I never believed in spell casters, he asked me if I really want my ex girlfriend to come back to me and I said yes so he said I should give it a try because if you really need something that is very important to your life, then you go for it. I agreed to what he said and I took the spell casters email address and I emailed him, few minutes later he replied me and asked what can he do for me so I told him what I wanted and he asked me to do what ever he asked of me which I did. He told me not to worry that my ex girlfriend will come back crawling on her kneels asking for forgiveness as soon as he cast the spell so he cast the spell and the following day my ex girlfriend came back to me, right now I and my girlfriend are happy. This is the reason I decided to put it in writing so that anybody that is hopeless will find the reason to be hopeful. If you are in the same situation, DR.ZAIKI is the right spell caster that will solve your problem . You can email him on: DRZAIKISPLLHOME2@GMAI L.COM try and see what he can do!
I am currently renting a room from an older woman. I pay her $350 a month cash as she requests. A few day ago she gives me half of my rent money back, tells me I have to leave and changes the locks. I haven’t found another place yet. I’m afraid I’ll come home one day and find all my stuff on the street. What can I do? Is this legal?
may 10 2013-
1. started renting a house from friends of 12 yrs
2 rented on the honer system. no deposet , no lease
3 been in house almost two year–this july 2013-never late on rent,sometimes payed early
4 after we moved in, 3-4 months later put their 5th wheel on property and retired…sense we were friends , we let go-
5 off and on problems with wife drunk and bothering us, we would just send her back to fifth wheel and husband would help- and always very sorry! great man.
now husband passed away dec.27 2013. now this week may 5 -out of the blue wants us out of the rental. he left nn will and no family the property.when i pay rent i give her a ck, and she fights and yells at me for cash, and i say , i am sorry no…..i gave husband cash,( which was not a good idea, but we trusted him to the max—- so we pay her rent with a ck.and a receipt feeling she is now owner..(washington state. 98356-)- we feel she is not paying the morgage .and just gambling and drinking rent money – i have asked her are you paying the morgage and she gets very mad and says i can not talk about it, i am in morning….wait a few wks and asked again and same anwere –and always at out door . tells us bill collectores or all after her.. she was drunk and i asked he to please go home… and she screamed i want you out of this house…and brought us a note to move bye june 5 2013. we have already been looking just because we felt we should be.did not know what would happen to house, and don’t want to be in the middle of the turmoil. we can not afford to move… but have too. CAN WE STAY IN HOUSE LONGER-AND NOT PAY RENT AND SAVE THE RENT MONEY IN JUNE ,JULY AND AUGS. TO HAVE MONEY TO MOVE…”” HELP PATTY- ouch! we really want to move… and 5 wheel not allowed as a resident on prop. and she is dumping sueage on ground for a year… was reported , and warrend. but no one followed up……
I rented this house under an agent. Every month end we do meter reading and the agents calculate the amount due. Well there was a misunderstanding with the owner and agent, that cause the owner to run himself his property. In the time I rented house I asked how I receive water and electricity account as the owner lived in Uk and I was to deposit money into his account every month end, the reply was that since they bought the house, municipality hasn’t given them statement. With the agent I used to pay R800 to R1200 a month for water n electricity. Then when I started working with the owner he started not calculating using meter reading. He said I should pay R1300 every month to cover electricity and that if electricity is more than that when the statement finally comes out, he will cover the cost. Well it was fine with me because I didn’t want to owe him anything. I sent an email confirming that.
It was almost 3 years since they bought the house and they say they haven’t got a statement for water and electricity. It worried me and I asked them to put a prepaid meter but they refused saying City Power hasn’t given them the statement and in that way they cannot install prepaid meter.
Now it has been 2 years I have been staying in the house. A month ago City Power came and cut off electricity supply to the house and I spent the whole month with no electricity but I paid the full rent. Well I contacted the owner several times and he promised to sort it out. Beginning of the following month I asked him how much I should pay for rent, as there was no electricity, he said I should pay complete rental money. Am I suppose to pay rent without electricity? Am I suppose to pay half rent or not pay at all? Am I suppose to withhold the rental money. Please advise.
You can call sheriffs dept and they will call or visit your landlord. They cannot touch your utilities at all. Even if you owe them a million dollars.they can only evict you illegally which will take up to 3 months or longer. Call sheriffs your air will be on again. If he gets mad and serves eviction, make sure theyre legal and stamped by court . Th n dont pay another cent. Live there for a few months free and save for another place. But make call and get air so you feel better.
You move out of an apartment and you do the walkthrough with the maintenance supervisor and there’s no damage the apartment complex sent me a letter thank you the damage they had to get an estimate just so they had longer than 2 weeks give me my deposit back can they legally do this
Please help my daughters is renting a house that flooded ,Now the landlord want her to stay living with me because he doesn’t want to fix the house in a reasonable time, He want her family to move out so he can sell it, The only problem is they have 3 children 13yr ,their son has special needs and a 3day old new baby, they have had to drive there children back and forth to school . Also they have 3months left of their lease and do not want to move until there son is done in school. can there landlord do this
In April of last year I was diagnose with a life long medical condition. I also injured my back at work and was terminated.
Afterwards my land found out that I lost my job and immediately started the eviction process.
I am a singe mom and did not want this on my record, so I moved as fast as I could.
A dear friend rented me a! 1 bedroom garage, before moving in I had to repair some leaking pipes in the ceiling and roof. Which I did paying for all the supplies and labor myself , which al in a the total cost over $190.00.
After moving in when it became cold we had no heat I complained over and over and nothing was done. I finally was given a heater for the living room again I paid for a the parts and tools and labor to have it put in/ the total cost nearly #319.27.
The whole time we have lied I have always smelled gas , I bought a carbon monoxide detector . The person who put in the heater said the shut off valve was inside the house and illegal.
my water was turned off for over 6 days because the kitchen sink has clogged since day1, they had placed a garbage disposal under the sink that was not hooked up. The mother passed away 6 days ago and now the daughter wants me to leave immediately, Some friends from church is helping by allowing my daughter to finish out her school year after which she will be 18. My health is still in very bad condition and some days I cant even walk, all my furniture and practically everything I own except what the daughter has not stolen from including my identity and check books is here.
What rights do I have if any or must I leave my belongings and just go.
I just moved in to house, im renting, the landlord has not provided a “habitable” home.
He also did not disclosed of a child’s death last Summer. Is this enough reason for us to break the lease and can we get our money back?
Can the owner lock out and demand pro rate in order for tennent to retrieve belongings? The rental was red tagged by the city and tennents had to vacate immediately. No delinquent rent was owed and no vacate notices were issued. Tried to retrieve belongings the following day and was denied unless we pay money.
Can an apartment complex require you to have renter’s insurance in order for you to live there? I know it’s a good idea and do have insurance, however, a friend of mine did not have the extra cash on hand to comply with this “requirement” and was not allowed to rent. Is this legal? Or is it strictly up to the renter, since the renter’s insurance does not cover landlords, just as the insurance landlords have do not cover renter’s personal property, unless known negligence has taken place?
i signed an agreement that states i am aloud to live at my address from june 2012 to june 2013. i have an 8 yr old and a 9mnth old baby. now the landlord is unexpectly coming over and saw there was 2 little burns in the carpet. mind u its all carpet in here, Along with that he is stating that we nasty pple when clearly the house is very clean except the cple lil burns.. now he is stating i have to move in january or he will evict me.Can he just come in and see the burns and say instead of the aggreement that i signed that stated tricia is aloud to rent until june with her 2 children i all of sudden have to move . Is he aloud to have me sign an agreement and say one thing but now kick me and my kids out and make me switch my sons school in the middle of the year because he is upset about the burns????? what rights do i have. can i stay until june like the agreement was or does he hav that right???
Kay I have rented this property. For two years and the landlord I did have passed away and his. Son took it over and I am a little, behind on rent do to mu husband getting layed off work will he Had been very peatient with us until bout two months ago basically abandoned us we have tried his cell and work phone no where to be found will in the meantime may water gets shut off do to my curb box need repaired and another’s billed needs to be taking care that he owes so I cannot get my water on until that’s taking care of and I Cannot afford to move or get it fixed what do I do pls help me
We live in the not so great state of WI. We started with a 2 year agreement for both sides of a duplex now are on a month to month. One side was AFH Busness. Our contracted managers convinced the landlord to let them sign a 5 month lease with out our notice. Then when we came home the police were called the locks changed and we were told to leave. All our stuff in the homes.
Got an atturney to help and agreement with the landlord to have access to the home. They agree and then we go home and the police are acaaled and the same thing we had to leave. Saturday today. Now we are paied up and have never been late.
2 years ago my parents and I moved out in the country with the owner of the property..my dad and him made a deal that if we fixed up the trailer in the back of the property that we could live here,well my dad didn’t want to put a lot of money into a place that wasn’t his so he bought the trailer as is and remodeled it..since then the owner of the property started back doing cattle business and my dad was just helping him..now I took over that aspect because i needed extra money since my dad got a full time job elsewhere..within the last 6 months the owner of the property has made it very clear that it is now mandatory that I work for him in order to live on the land and every time i refuse to do something or my dad refuses we get threatened to be kicked off the property..please keep in mind since then my sister and her 3 mth old has moved in and i have a 2 yr old as well..im being sexually harassed every day by the owner as well and theres nothing i can do because we have no where else to go..there is no written agreement or anything, everything is just verbal..we have offered to pay lot rent and he refuses to accept any payment..i have to work for him 7 days a week as well as my father when needed or we have to move..I NEED SOME SERIOUS ADVICE..by the way, I live in florida..
I am a tenant in a trailer park in louisa virginia. we were told from day one that all 12 homes here run off of same well therefore we are not allowed to have washers in our homes. However the new property manager managed to hook one up in his home. what recourse do I have. after all it is the same well most all of us in here feel if he can we should also be allowed since he obviously disregards the one well no washer statement.
My landlord comes in without permission. ( for example my apt was a little bit messy due to me cleaning things) My husband had been rushed to the hospital and I stopped cleaning to run to his side. When I called the landlords to ask why my deadbolt on my door was unlocked I heard her husband in the background saying that my place was a mess. Now In my lease It states that they have to give a 24 hour notice which to enter. Is there something I can do about this but this isnt my only issue I have with them. They are constinly pointing at my husband and I when we go to get in our vehicles. to go somewhere. They talk about us with the neighbors and stuff telling them that we are bad tenates and that we dont pay our bills and were pigs and a whole bunch of other lies too. Im sick of them talking about us. Also his wife comes pounding on my door even though my rent wasnt due for a couple of days and told me that we need to pay it cause they like their money and that . They constinley (sp?) call us and harrass us about the rent. Also they havent fixed anything and when they do its the cheap way and it never works PLEASE HELP US ANY ADVICE WOULD DO ….
IMPORTANT: We have a balcony to our apt and we like to layout out and tan on it. The other day I got an email from our landlord saying we weren’t allowed on it anymore due to liability issues. However, nothing about the balcony is on our lease and when we were being showed this apt there was a grill out there and she said that we could be up there, but only a few people. I talked about how I wanted a table out there and she just said it would be difficult to get up, NOT that we couldn’t. We bought this apt for this reason and she knows that. Is she allowed to tell us we cant go on it now and if so what can we as the tenants do?
My roommates and I just moved into an apartment complex. I went to do a load of laundry and when i pulled my clothes out of the dryer they were ruined with stains and burn holes. I went to the front office and complained and all they said is that they were sorry and the would put in a work order to fix the dryer. Is there any way I can be reimbursed for the hundreds of dollars i lost in clothes or like a receive a deduction of my rent? Oh yea and I don’t have renter’s insurance.
I have a landlord who harasses me a lot. I’ve done everything she has asked. I own my own trailer and I’m only renting the space in idaho. I’ve had no problems until this new landlord taken over the park from another owner. All the sudden, I get told I have to paint my entire trailer. I got it done, but I couldn’t do a particular spot because of a tree in the way. But the thing is, she keeps telling me that I have 3 days or she will give me a 20 days to vacate. It’s written, so I get it. But….I own the trailer, does she even have that right to say “you must paint or your out?” I have a roof I need fixed and yeah, it was kind of top of my list. But she’s now saying that I have 3 days to fix that or I’m out. Do I have any legs to stand on? I’m never behind on rent for her land, and I’m never a nuisance, but she’s been an awful nuisance to me. She’s been trying to even get rid of one of my co-tenants for virtually no reason either. He’s a carpenter and he helped her fix up the place and fixed his own place up. He had a porch he built and at first, she approved and then all the sudden turns around and no longer appproves or some crap. He’s a good guy and never causes trouble, yet she is constantly down our throats. I’m trying to figure out if we can do anything or just follow her rules? We are doing the best we can.
my landlord just told me that i have 45 days to move out because he sold the house to a different owner is this legal?
We live in a 200 apartment + complex and our landlord is requiring all tenants to make people who stay 3 nights a week to sign onto the lease. Is this even legal???? I am under the assumption the individual who signed the lease is obligated and responsible for any guests. Am I wrong for assuming this?
Brian,
I have worked in property management, and learned that it is best to have all names on lease of tenants that can be considered residing at the property. If the lease is broken, and one party doesn’t pay, there are still other parties that can be held responsible; making collection more likely. I am not certain about the legality in your particular situation because it depends on what state you live in; however, I have a hard time believing that someone that spends the night 3 nights out of a 7 night week should be held accountable for the responsibility of the lease. I would believe that guests staying with you less than 50% of the time you reside there would be YOUR responsibility. I don’t think that under 50% of the time occupying a dwelling should be considered “residing” there. 3 nights a week is only 12 nights a month. That is 40% of the month based on a 30 day month. That amount of stay does not mathematically justify being responsible for 100% of the stay. I would research your state tenant laws to be certain, but it doesn’t seem right.
Before deciding wether or not to move intot he apartment I am currently in right now, me and my two other roommates had asked about parking and storage. Our landlord had told us that one half of the driveway was for the house next to us, but if we could fit our cars on our side, than that would be fine. She is not trying to charge us for parking in retaliation. But, no where in the lease does it say or mention anything about parking. And for storage, we live in a multi dewlling house, 3 floor house apartment. There is a storage unit on the third floor of which we live on. Prior to moving in there, we had asked if we could use that room for storage, she said that is fine as long as you don’t mind some of my stuff in there. We said fine and left it at that. Now out of retaliation again, she is telling us to move our stuff out of there. If both of these issues were addressed before moving in, we would have said thanks but no thanks on the apartment. But now that we are living there, our landlord is harassing us and changing the lease verbally which it states in our lease, that that is ILLEGAL. If any of this seems like funny business, please let me know if there is anything we can do about it.
can i landlord enter when ever she wants and show my apartment to other people violating my right of privacy just because i am moving by the end of the month? can any one show me if there is a law against that? i will appreciate it.
upon being told we need repair we were told to move to a more expensive property.
I am renting a house in Ohio with a little apartment in the basement. I am having troubles with the landlord. She keeps showing up at our door step with things like, did you know your porch light is on. Also we blew a fuse and it took her 10 hours to turn our electric back on because our fuse box is in the persons apartment in the basement. When the person downstairs got home from work my husband tried to tell the person downstairs about our fuse but he slammed the door in my husbands face. She sent us a letter stating that we need to address the fuse problem in business hours because it is not an emerency. When she sent us this notice she also sent a copy of the notice to the person living downstairs displaying our personal information. She sent us a notice that she can come over and do yard work at her convince yet in the lease it states that we are responsible for the yard and weeding. Now she wants to put a lock on our door going into the basement for the guy downstairs privacy. Our laundry room is in the basement and putting a lock on this door will pervent us from getting to the laundry room.
On our lease it states that she is deducing money off of rent due to utility sharing. Is phone and cable a utility because she is stating that we have to pay for the person downstairs cable.
my landlord just showed up at 9am in the morning while my wife was asleep and i had just woken up about almost an hour before. does he have the right to bring a camera, take pictures of my yard, and make me wake my wife up? cause i saw what was put on here about QUIET ENJOYMENT and im pretty sure that violates the quiet enjoyment law. is there anything i can do about this? cause im not to fond of the idea that he came over and made me wake my wife up just to take pictures of some cigarette butts in my yard.
btw i live in heber springs arkansas.
I would like to know if the landlord can tell me the floors need to be replaced and i need to find somewhere to live for a couple of weeks….Recently the water heater was leaking and a repairman was called to come in and fix it by the landlord….in the process of replacing the water heater they found mold…and discovered the mold was under the mobile home i rent as well…I havebeen suffering from Copd for the last year and while looking it up I found that COPD can be brought on by mold! Shouldnt the landlord be responcible for giving me a place to stay while they are making the repairs???? I live in that place with my daughter and the rent is paid on time always
What time can my landlord start mowing the grass in Annandale, VA? I just moved here from New Orleans and I am sure the laws are different. I moved my car at 9:48 am because he was mowing the rocks near my car. I have come to the conclusion we will never get along and have decided to move out. I had the police called out because he went into my apartment with out my permission or notice. It was not an emergency unless you call the cable technician fixing the cable an emergency.
My husband and I rent a 2 bdrm in a house with a 40ish married couple and one 19 year old son (other son in college and in trouble). From the get go we have been burdened in an ugly way with them laying all their personal, financial and even marital problems on us.Always one at a time; wife..then husband dissing his wife. I look the other way and try to get away. The husband is constantly unemployed due to a bad temper and drinking issues. Needless to say we come in contact coming and going but always pretend to be in a hurry. We so want to avoid the husband we paid $10 for a toilet tank part, installed the item ourselves and fixed it because we so don’t want the husband around in our place. He is erratic and emotionally violent. We had a new small issue this week we dared not repair and asked his son to ask him to have a look.The husband came storming down and began shouting at me for repairing the toilet in the same manner he shouts and degrades his wife..(who has a good job and has been the breadwinner for 20 years) It was scary because my husband had just left for work and I was dealing with a raving and emotionally violent man. He shoved me aside when he came in the door -assault. He went off on a very loud, aggressive tirade for 5 full minutes.
He forgot that he looked at this plumbing issue a month ago and said it needed a permanent fix at that time ‘that will be expensive’. I said ‘Big deal so you forgot “.
The faucet apparatus has been falling off since we moved in 8 months ago and leaking.
When he began shouting our pets ran for cover and hid until I got him out of the apartment. He came back 5 minutes later and knocked. I just said ‘please come back when we are both present. Thank you. I have also been creeped out when he has randomly mentioned items in our apartment he had to have entered when we were not home to know about. Nothing weird just normal but he had never seen them.
We thought renting renting in a 2 flat , owner occupied, would be nice but now I ponder returning to the anonymity of a high rise-corporate owned. We had discussed privacy issues in living in this situation but this has far exceeded anything we discussed.
Has anyone else had this issue of a childish and troubled married couple owner dragging you into their ugly personal problems.?
The landlords are threatening to tow my dads car because he dosent drive it regularly and its dirty. We pay a monthly fee for the parking stall(as part of the rent), and the car is fullly driveable. is this even legal (I live in canada)
i smelled gas called the property manager they came in and said it was fine i called the gas company they redtag my stove leaking gas brass connecters poor condition and pilot tubbing was also leaking gas i been without a stove for a month i wrote a letter called no one called me so i order a basic stove its gonna be delivered today they decide to call me that there bringing me a used stove i tried to cancel but cant cant i still send them the receit to deduction from my rent the health department gave them three weeks
I had my scooter in for repairs that a guy did in a storage unit. The repair guy didn’t pay his rent so the renter is now confiscating all items in the storage unit to auction off. I will lose my scooter. I showed him the title and he didn’t care. Isn’t that theft?
my utilities were always included in my rent… now the bank takes over the apartment, and utilities arent included anymore, is this okay?????
Can my landlord really tell me how to keep my yard??
My landlord (or housing agency owner) is coming tomorrow to do a “6 month inspection”. I have 4 dirt bikes at my house. They are all out of the way and 2 of them are out of service at the moment. My family and I ride all the time, so its not like they’re just sitting there. Can my landlord kick me out for having them at my house?
so ill try to make this as short as possible my husband and I rented an apartment in norfolk va and had to terminate or lease early which required us to pay two months rent for breaking the lease. my husband and I paid this and then received a few days later the Final Account Statement from the apartment complex which stated we owed an additional 300 dollars which we paid promptly. its now been 6 months and we received a bill in the mail from a debt collectpr stating we owed the apartment complex 111 dollars. Confused by this i went to the apartment building and asked about the letter. The lady there stated they had messed up and added somebody elses bill to our account then removed it and by doing that it left us owing 111. I asked her to explain that as we were up to date on all rent and utility bills upon move out the lady couldnt explain it and said she was confused as well and would call me the next monday… regardless to say i never received a call to explain the extra 111 we SUPPOSEDLY owe, I did however receive another debt collections letter for the same issue. My question is can they demand more money AFTER the Final Account Statement and 6 months later? O I had also asked the apartment why it went straight to collections and not us, and the Lady said well we left a voicemail… I know in the lease in the security deposits section it says land lord must give an itemized list of all charges within 45 days after move out.. so can they legally demand this 111 dollars???
My wife and I have been renting a apartment for over a year now, and now recent repairs are needed to be done ( leaky falling ceiling ) and instead of fixing it right he just tacks it! then all of a sudden he starts to make changes around the property and removing items that belongs to me and tossing them without our permision!! I’m so firiouse! CAN HE REALLY DO THAT?!?!
i HAVE A QUESTION AND SEEKING ANSWERS. mY OTHER HALF IS RENTING A HOME, AND I DO NOT LIVE WITH HIM, BUT HIS LANDLORD WANTS TO MOVE ANOTHER PERSON IN WITH HIM, ITS A FEMALE, CAN SHE DO THIS EVEN IF HE SAYS NO? HE DOES NOT WANT THIS PERSON MOVING IN WITH HIM. i HAVE DONE MULTIPULY SEARCHES ON THIS AND FOUND NOTHING. ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT
Well, so me and my family have HUD and our electricity money for our bill is being sent to our landlord so that he can make the payments, well our electricity is connected with another persons house next to us that our with the same landlord but our landlord doesn’t like them that much anymore and wants them to move for some reasons. Well they aren’t moving, so a couple more days later we get a bill in the mail saying that we need to play our electricity bill or there turning it off, so we talked to our landlord and he says that he isn’t paying it until they move… so in my mind our landlord is taking our electricity bill and spending it somewhere for himself and then making us pay our own to keep ours working when we should get it all covered in HUD, in my mind this is illegal. but i don’t know if that is or not do any of you know anything i can do legally or something about this because he has already taken about 3 months worth of electricity bills and we haven’t seen a dime of any of it.
My boyfriend called his landlord to give him a nice verbal month and a half warning that he would be moving out at the end of jan 2012. Landlord cut him of told him he would call him back, but has yet to call. Boyfriend has tried calling him again no answer and even a message saying that the phone number he is trying to reach has been disconnected. There is huge lump sum for security deposit back that my boyfriend hopes to use to make repairs on the house he just bought. Help!
I have been renting a home from someone for nearly 5 years now. We have an agreement where I pay my rent each month in two payments. If I am ever a day late I include a late fee voluntarily. Three weeks ago the furnace went. I was using electric heaters to keep warm. My electric bill increased 266.19 since the previous month from using the heaters. Also I had a full tank of oil that I paid almost 900.00 for and she switched to natural as. I was able to sell the oil but lost 600.00 in that sale. I couldnt get what I paid for it. I have not paid my rent this month as I am out alot of money for this situation. She text me today demanding monthy rent in full within 3 days and it is not her problem that I have had no heat, or that my electric bill was so high. She said she will deduct $100 if paid in three days if not then full amount due. Her exact words “i think thats fair” While I have had no heat my chilren had to sleep several nights at my moms because it was too cold in the house. What can I do.
can my landlord really up my rent due to things not on my part of the property??
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My mom rents house from a woman who makes her take care of her dogs and horses when she is away (it was added to lease at a later date). She has been delayed in paying rent before but not by much and she kept in touch with the landlord regarding it and paid it religiously. Since the house is in the country, any and all trash needs to be taken to the dump. Since moving in to the house in August of 2010, she has used the truck (that has the dump permit) to take her trash as well as her landlord’s trash. The truck’s check engine light came on recently and the mechanic has been checking it out for the past 2 weeks (all the while there is 2 weeks worth of trash building up in the basement). My mom got a voicemail today from the landlord requesting that she pay rent so she can get the truck fixed. The landlord has had extensive work done on her house and backyard just recently. She refuses to take care of the trees that pull on the electrical lines (when we lose power, we don’t get it back for days and the basement floods, ruining the washer and dryer). There’s also a pile of horse feces mixed with hay right behind where we park. And the last thing is that she does not provide snow removal. The driveway is at least a quarter mile long and both of my parents are disabled. Most of this is wrong, I think. Any input is greatly appreciated.
I am allowing someone to rent my spare bedroom. I had to pay her screening fee and wrote that in our agreement. She kept smoking weed and breaking all of the lease agreements. I gave her a 30day notice and she doesnt want to leave. She sent me a text stating I can only speak to her in writing. Does her text count? As for rent, bills, etc, am I stuck letting this girl who isnt on my lease stay as well as pay for her every little meal, shower, etc? Thanks.
If I were going through this, I would do the same as you and give her a written 30 day notice, if after the 30 days were up and she didn’t want to leave, I would then give her a 24 hour written notice stateing that if she does not remove her personal belongins with in 24 hours that the locks will be changed and the only way she would be able to get her personals after the 24 hours would be with the assistance of a police officer. Good luck!
You cannot legally take this approach. It’s called “self-help eviction” and its illegal. After the 30 day notice expires, start eviction (Unlawful Detainer) proceedings against them. They have to be served and your papers filed with the appropriate court. Its only when a judge issues an order for their eviction (Writ of restitution) can they be forcably removed. If you try to lock them out, the landlord may be liable for damages. You just can’t invent your own personal method for removing tennants. There are laws that must be followed…
A relative had to sell his home more than a decade ago for financial reasons. The person he sold the house to was his brother in law. At that point they had a verbal agreement that the relative could live in the house until his death rent free with the relative only paying the utilities..
I guess the relative has lived longer than the brother in law thought, because now he requests $300 a month and has turned the second floor of the home into another
rental. He require’s the relative to pay the entire houses untility bills of gas, water and electric. Since the tenant on the second floor uses these utilities quite a bit, the bills have caused an undue burden on the relative. What are the rights of the relative here?
My landlord filled eviction on me and I had 30 days to get out as of October 1, 2011. Because I was current on my rent all fees had been taken care of, I callled and asked if this was still in process. She said no, unfortunately I didn’t get anything in writing. I paid her my October rent before the 10th as I always do and she accepted it. on November 1st I recieved a 24hr notice to vacate the premisis. Was she supposed to take my October rent, knowing they were following thru with the eviction. And if she wasn’t, How do I get my money back?
Please replay!!!!!! Im living as a backyarder with my mom, sister and brother and my 2 babies we always up to d with our rent money never skip a month. But my landlord is very rude we cant do anything not even have friieds or familie coming over to us she would go on with us for no reason and she swears at us to then theres the nabour that she is friends with telling her to throw us in the streets talking bad about us, we dont bother any1 in the our street. please help on wat to do and where to go to stop this urgently
I have always paid my rent on time. I got a message from my landlord saying that he didnt receive it via mail on the 7th(rent is due by the 5th). i had to cancel the check $29 and I also scanned a copy of my checkbook documenting that I did write the check in med October. I fedexed him a new check. He is asking for a late fee. Is this legal?
I rented a house 2 months ago. The conditions of the house were supposed to be fixed and they still aren’t. I called the city of Akron in the state of Ohio, they came and inspected the property, and sent them a notice to fix the house. Now my landlord is threatening to evict us because we have a pet. She keeps saying that it’s in the lease, (pet policy) there is NOTHING in my lease about pets whatsoever. I asked her to show it to me when I went to pay rent, when she went to get the lease she got an emergency call, and her phone never rang. She then stormed out of the office saying “I’m not playing games with you people, I’m going to evict you, you’re in violation of your lease.” She is trying to use the application as grounds to evict, because it asked if we had pets and at the time we didn’t so I checked NO. Can she evict me for having a pet when there is no pet policy in my lease. My application isn’t my contract with her or my landlord. My lease is. She never one time said anything to us about a pet policy until we called the city.
I have a question:
I live in Utah, in a duplex (a single house, one apartment upstairs and one downstairs). I have tons of problems with my landlord, but the one that bothers me the most is regarding utilities.
Essentially, the entire house (2 units, remember) is on one set of meters, and the landlord requires that we pay 60% and the downstairs pay 40%. Is this legal?
My wife and I are very conservative with water/heat/electricity (environmentally conscious) however the downstairs tenants are always leaving their lights/heat going and our portion of the utility bill is still 60% of their wastefulness.
I remember reading that in multi-unit dwellings, if the tenants pay for utilities, then they must be on separate meters, though I am not sure if this is true.
Is there anything I can do?
IF A TENANT HAS LIVED IN BLDG. THE LONGEST, DOES THAT GIVE HER MORE RIGHTS? WHERE DOES IT SAY THAT SHE DOES HAVE MORE RIGHTS? THANK YOU. RHEEA
Our exlanlords, (also one is my husbands boss) our sueing us for the remainder of lease and damages. We left because we could not afford to stay their with out a working furnase and we live with family now to help other expenses. Landlords told us we could move and then changed their minds after we moved. The furnace had not been in working order for months and I sent a request for repair letter and after 30 days it still had not been fixed (no central AC for the entire summer) so we asked if we could move and we were given oral permission. Now we know that we should have got it in writing and now we can not find a lawyer to help us. We thought that since on of our landlords was a lawyer she was acting on good failth but we see how wrong we were. Husband hates going to work and we are so stressed about going to court with no lawyer. We have nothing but our word.
I own my older 1962 or1964 mobile home and rent the lot that it is currently sitting on. My landlord has not provided working hookups for water, septic or electrical. We paid out of our own pocket to have a power pole and electrical meter placed along with the overhang wire and state inspection fees all done around this time last year and now this month after i took him my rent money and got a reciept he said we needed to talk about the water and fixing the septic. He wants us to pay to rent the equipment to trench where he has an outside water hydrant that supposedly has a leak and he wants us to fix that and run water lines from his hydrant to my trailer and mentioned fixing his septic tank which we were never told was broken, he told us he has already spoken to a lawyer and if we do not do all of this that he has paperwork being drawn to have us evicted April 1st-15th. Unfortunately we never had a lease everything was all verbal. He had also mentioned that he has a double wide trailer that he wants to place on the lot where my home is located and i am beginning to get the idea that he want me to do all of this out of my own pocket so he can still evict us after we set up his lot. Before we placed our home on his lot everyrhing was supposed to be up to date and when i called about water i was informed the only way we could have rural water is if the almost 1000$ past due water fees that occured after they illegally pulled the water meter and never finished paying it off were paid in full and they had a written statement from the landowner whom of which is the landlords father who conveniently stated he would not in any way do that. We are trying to stick it out until we can afford all of the costs to move our home and all required permits needed to set up our own lot that we are purchasing through contract from a friends sister. I just dont know what else to think i always thought it was the landlords responsibility to provide us with working hookups for all of that but with nothing in writting i dont feel we have a leg to stand on. My fiancee lost his job in august and we have been trying to make it on 200$ a week from unemployment. I have made sure my rent gets paid monthly and only two or three times have i needed to pay it in 2 payments due to my electric bills and purchasing jugs of water. How is this alloweable. If i had known what i do now about how things would end up going i would never have placed my home there in the first place.
oh yeah one more thing the day she try forcing us out and says we have 2 days well that point we stopped paying any more money for fear of her just keeping it i have everything well documented all the threats every call, and the detriment of reliance established
we gave up our home based on the word of property owner saying we can rent and within year pay down payment towards purchase,she said she let it fall off mrkt.cause no one ever looked at,,, we moved in on the 9th oct. on the 18th oct. she says i have a buyer who wants to do same as you but i wont talk to them since you are already there so dont worry, well on the 20th oct, she calls and hostilely yells get out now you have two days to pack and move they wont sign untill you are gone! well preveously she said for me to draft lease option to buy and send so she can agree with or come to compromise well the rental agreement was written the buying was verbal and talked about extensively the intention was very clear .now it has gotten very bad, she harrass us daily, block mail, show up with out notice,threaten, and try to force us out in 2 days well we paid $1100 on the 15th oct. and she say get out on the 20th. we be calm the whole time she hostile,what can we do?
Sue,
I am a landlord myself and would NEVER advocate this, but your landlord is a thief and stealing from you. So STAY PUT and don’t pay rent. She is selfish and lied to you completely. Also she can’t just take your rent and then kick you out. She has to at least give you 30 days to leave. Even at that, she is horrible and I say, stay put and squat. I would never condone this behavior but she can’t just expect you to leave without notice because she has a buyer. Also you have rights, and don’t PAY HER RENT. SAVE YOUR MONEY until you have a deposit, first and last months rent and moving expenses and then leave. SHe was not fair to you, you need to recoup your losses. TOO BAD because it all could have worked out perfectly for everyone involved had she been a decent person. Im sorry or your ordeal.
my landlord died and so it was left to his son to contine to be rented out…..i have not payed rent since he has died and i have not signed a lease with the new landlord so can he evict me??? or can i get sqwatter rights after stayin here for so long with out paying rent???
To Melissa B and anyone else who is seeking the same info as her,
I was stunned reading what some landlords can be such scums… but reading your posts and request made me think its tenants like you that makes good people want to treat you like scum. So you are saying because you don’t have a contract with the son, who now owns the property that you will not pay him for living in HIS HOUSE??? You want to live for free and squat off someone which is basically stealing.. Is this what you want your kids to learn and see of you??? I don’t care what your situation is, if you cannot afford to live alone, then move in with family or friends, but to STEAL from Someone who has never done anything harm to you is sickening of how entitled and disgusting this society has fallen to. People like you WILL NEVER MAKE IT. I grew up dirt poor, I had one pair of tennis shoes that had holes in for 5 years, I had two outfits that my mom washed everyday. I hardly ate because we had no money. But you know what, my mom raised me well, she never begged, she never prostituted, she always taught us to be self sufficient. TODAY I OWN apartments and many properties that I lease out to my loving tenants whom I screen very carefully and take care of very diligently. BUt my success was not because I STOLE or took advantage of others. My success was based on hard work, drive and being KIND AND GOOD TO OTHERS. My kindness and helpfulness towards others had them referring me to better people who opened doors and gave me opportunities. I would never be here without the kindness I gave put which in turn was reciprocated with love, kindness and respect. LIVE YOUR LIFE to SERVE OTHERS because that opens doors for OTHERS TO WANT TO SERVE YOU… TEACH YOUR KIDS to make their own way, not steal from others to get by, thats a horrible way to live because you will never make it that way and neither will they.
I just have one question. Is it legal to be a landlord owning a building and only renting to people that you know over anyone else? I know it sounds like a dumb question but i just wanted to make sure.
Hey, I am 19 years old and am going to be renting an apartment in boston, The apartment I found was really nice and said “Proffesinals only” “No students”. I am going to be taking classes and also have a job, but I told my realitor and landlord I wasnt a student. Could this get me into trouble? It is a one year lease. What could happen by this doing? Please help, im pretty nervous ….
Please help!!!! Im a backyarder living in my own wendy house. but my landlord is very rude i dont worry with her i just pay rent always. Sometimes the she got a problem then when she see me then she shout at me telling me to move out and i cant wash my babies clothes i like to live peacefully. Can she throw me out if i did nothing to her? Where can i go for help?
I am inquiring as to what I can do to get my money back up front from my landlord to move? The situation is that 2 months after I moved in I found that the apartment complex is infested with mold. Every tenant I have spoken to has advised me that they have extreme mold issues as well. When I spoke to manamgement they said that they will remediate the mold asap. Well all I know that they have done is put up new blinds in that vacant, moldy, dirty apartment. The entire complex is in shambles. I regret that I was in a hurry to move and due to my dog and another situation I did not do the research I should have. There is water leaking EVERYwhere, including in tenants apartments, animal waste covers the complex, the maintenance is so lazy when they do a make-ready they throw the trash o in either another vacant units storage or enclosed patio, there are roaches, etc….What can I do? Not just to GET OUT, but GET MY MONEY back? please help…moldy in the medical center/San Antonio TX
Hi– I have a question
our landlords want to swap out our stove for a different one. The one we have is GREAT and that is one of the things we really like about the place. They want it for thier house. Can they just do that? They are going to give us a new “similar’ stove- but doubt that it will be anything close in quality. They did this with the refrigerator when we first moved in- said they were going to put it in their new home and then replaced it with a far less quality fridge… We have lived here for almost a year.
We want to continue living here. We are GREAT renters.
What are our rights?
Yes, they can take the stove. It belongs to them.
I rented a duplex from a previous employer and never signed a lease or anything. I NEVER signed any types of papers, after living there for about 2 years i moved out and i went to get my stuff out of the duplex about 2 weeks or a month after i moved out and he wont give me any of my stuff back he claims i need to pay him for for 1 months of rent and some storage fees he never told me about any of this until i asked to come get my stuff back… i know he cant do that and i know he cant keep my belongings from me which consist of basically everything i own, my car, my dirt bike and all of my furniture he has a estimated 15,000$ worth of my belongings.. i dont really know how to go about getting my stuff back? and advice would help.
so i am a college student living in off campus housing. i have been living in a small 2 bedroom house for 5 months. Every month the water gets shut off because she has refused to pay the water bill, she illegally comes and turns it back on with out paying the water. I took it upon my self a for a few months to actually pay the water bill. Also since the day i moved in my washer dryer has not worked since day one. I have emailed her countless times about this called and texted and still have every message i sent to her. I curently gave her a notice about me moving out and she has came and repaired everything. But after 5 months it does not feel like a home any more it feels like a prison because since day one there has been so many problems and no matter what i try to do it doesnt feel like a home. It created sever stress and anxity in my own life because i wasnt able to sleep like a normal person because i had a mice problem but she just came currently to fix it. Also she has never came to do the walk threw of the place to inspect it. So since the day i moved in she has not been there for five months and i want to leave. I am just afraid that since she has currently came to fix the problems would i lose in court for violating the contract or would i win because she has neglected me for five months and still hasnt paid the water bill?? please let me know if there is any thing i should do or what i can do to move out?
I am giving my landlord 30 days notice that I will be leaving my apt at the end of the month.
A mutual friend actually knew the landlord & got me the apartment.
She is a like a “second daughter” to my landlord & sees him quite often..
The landlord is 87 years old, partially deaf, but a really nice guy.
He was very fair w/me the entire time I was renting here..
I have recently had a terrible falling out w/this friend & we are not on speaking terms..
My question is this:
If my ex-friend wants to accompany my landlord on the walk-thru (my last day here) to check things out, is my landlord legally allowed to do so (to have her walk thru w/him & give him feedback, etc),
or can I tell my landlord: I under no circumstances want to allow this person (my ex- friend to enter my apartment..ONLY he can..??
Can I legally ask the “ex-friend” to NOT come inside my apartment??
My family and I just moved in a nice home 3 months ago. A week in ahalf age we got a letter from the landlord saying the bank is taking the house, its going into a short sale. well yesterday they put a for sale sign in the front yard.” very upsetting”. Then we got a phone call saying they want to put a lock box on the front door so they can show the house. “I cryed”. come to find out the landlord rented us the house but was pocketing the money and had stopped paying there morgage before we moved in. And now we have no money to move and we can’t get our cleaning deposit back. And my kids have to give up their farm animals that they have raised since birth and we have to sell our vehicles so we can move. But they say if we want to try buying our house we will have to come up with $15,000. All I have to say to all the rotten landlord out there “your mean” to do this to us around the holidays, merry christmas to us. Becky from oregon
my mom just moved into a new place in wash state…she was having my brother stay with her…well the landlord doesnt like my bro for some reason. so i was wondering if the landlord has a say in who stays at the house or not…..as long as they pay rent n utilities on time what is the problem with my brother staying there….
I rent a room, and my landlord is 1) saying i cant use laundry chemicals in the house because” they are more powerful then guns” 2) coming into my room when I am not home and refuses to give me a key and 3) telling me my fiance can not stay over on weekends.. He also tells me I have to” Particiapte in the household, and not be anti social:S
is any of this okay? please help
My landlord just called to say she filed for bankruptcy and she lost the house as of a week ago. She said she will be giving me back last month’s rent and cannot accept anymore rent. Will the bank notify us that we have to leave since they own it now or does the landlord? Will the bank try to collect the rent that was not collected? My girlfriend wants to just stay until they give us a notice rent free…If we get a notice to evict from the bank/landlord will it be for at least 30 days?
I am living in Ohio in a four bedroom there are three other roommates two of which pay rent same as me and one who owns the house is the other roommate. This causes several problems with all of them ending in the owner saying this is my house my rules. I ignored them up until now when he told me that i had to limit the time that my girlfriend is over. She is over six days a week however she never stays the night. She is only here for a couple of hours which we spend quietly talking or watching a movie. Upon which she leaves almost always before midnight. Can he as an owner tell me as a paying renter what i can and cant do?
my landlord just wrote me a note when i paid my rent saying my lawn is too long and isnt tollerable. when i first moved in i told her that i worked 7 days a week during the summer and wouldnt be able to do that often which she said was fine at the time. i looked at my lease and it does say that i am responsible to keep my lawn mowed but its written in pen and it wasnt there when i signed the lease. is that legal to write on the lease after i signed it and copy it and then give it to me? also i live out in the country with only 3 other people living on my road and there is no ordinance so could she actually tell me i have to mow the lawn?
Hi Jeremy,it is the tenants job to keep the lawn cut in new York,not the landlords.
Hi, I am looking for advice. I am renting house in West London. It is semi-detached and I share a wall with the landlord. When we moved in we had a front yard, last week the landlord knocked down the wall on our front yard and has informed us that he is going to build a driveway that we will not be able to use, it will be there so he has a place to park his car. (In the area that was formally our front yard!) can he do this? I am worried that if we try and stop him, he will find some reason to get us kicked out of the house, the other housemates are worried about losing their bond.
i got a ? i just moved into a new place about a month ago i work nights so i sleep during the day my landlord decided he wants to move the barn on the property to his house so i got woke up at 8 am right after i fell asleep today by workers outside hammering and workin with power tools i called my landlord and he basically told me tough shit deal with it! is this legal? can he do this without notifying me and am i entitled to any rent reduction for this huge inconvience also i live in ohio please help gonna end up losin my job if i don’t get some sleep
My friends landlord will not let me sign lease.My friend already signed a 12 month leaase and my friend parents didnt have to sign for her.But because of an argument between the landlord and my friend.The landlord is giving me alot of trouble .The landlord insists i have my parents cosign for me which that isnt on my friends lease .Its a new rule,All the rent is paid for.Now she is saying its to late and i have no where else to go.Even though she knew, that i comming to stay.Can i take her to court? because she is threatening to evict us both .
anika, if your friend has a lease and her rent is current the landlord cannot evict her you on the other hand are considered a guest if your not on the lease read her lease see if it says anything about guests stayin there most say your only aloud a guest for a certain number of days an easy way to get around that is stay for that many days leave for a night or 2 and then go back in order for the landlord to evict her he would have to prove that your living there and not just a guest visiting which is not an easy thing to prove i would start lookin for a new place in the meantime as this will only buy you a few months
I live in Missouri and want to know if anyone has experienced this. Do the landlord have the right to have your car towed if your tags are expired? My car runs and I also drive it. I really think the security just don’t have nothing else to do also. So if anyone can help me with this please let me know.
After 4 years of renting a single family home., we were given a 30 day notice to leave the property. For us that was not a problem, however we have recently be notified of several thousands of dollars in damages that the owner is claiming were or are our resposnibilty. In the 4 years he promised to paint and never did. 18 months ago the entire ACunit failed and was needed to be replaced which took him 6 weeks to complete during this time my disabled husband was hospitalized because the home was too hot for him to survive. More importantly, I had to replace the stove and dryer because his appliances died, what are my rights here it seems that although he wanted me out after 4 years he now cant afford to fix it up and is trying to mail it all on me.
hello my name is jacqueline i collect rent and send it to the owner in cali but a week ago the water was shut off there are 7 people up there or tenants actually. and we r trying to figure out what to do i have all the bank reciepts showing i have deposited the money to his accounts and all the renters reciepts showing on time payments of tenants.i also recieved on the 11th of last month a shut off notice for the electricity luckily that is still on as of now it was a 10 day shut off so what can me and my tenants do to make the owner pay for screwing us over like this
My land lord is always here…He has a 4 units crammed in 1 area..He is always outside of my windows looking around at the trees bushes etc ALL THE TIME…all of the tenants feel like we are trapped in our own house…We can never do anything BBQ ,Family functions,Company over , Cause every single day during the week around noon he drives over to check on stuff.Every weekend he is here in his cave fiddling around.He parks in my parking spot ,when I’m not there.Now my girlfriend and friends who I gave permission to park there while im at work.Cant park there cause he is there..And My family and friends park on the street…He tells me I cant have my tools for work on the porch .That it has to be put in storage..I feel he cant tell me how to organize my porch.I almost want to tell him,are you going to come inside and tell me how to arrange my living room. And from the 28th to the first .He constantly comes over with out calling to collect the rent check.I feel he should call me to let me know he is coming over.If it is not paid on the first he charges a late fee of 35.00 i thought there was a2 day grace period.Or if it falls on a Sunday or a holiday it rolls over to the next business day. I’m frustrated and need answers for my rights ..please help!
I moved into a guest house the main house being my landlords, he is always down in my yard walking the area, everyday, he also is charging me water when its on a well and says he charges me thirteen cents a gallon….didn’t think its fair I’m paying for water that is free, I also pay the electricity to him which I can’t find a meter on my house anywhere, he also runs a walkin cooler and a couple refrigerators in the attached garage, am I paying electricity for him to run these? He also charges me late fees after five days on the utilities …please help
A single broke mom of three who doesn’t want to be tKen advantage of
My former landlords discontinued their service with one third party utility company and began asking tenants to pay utilities at the leasing office. They combined the utility bill of the entire complex and split it among the tenants. Where as 4 people living in a 2BR apartment would be paying the same utilities as 1 person living in a 2BR apartment. The residents came together and the landlords decided to take a percentage off the bill. I decided to move out as I didn’t like the way we as the community was being treated. I paid for my last few days and moved. The landlord took my rent check and applied it towards my utility bill. Then billed me for the few days of rent. Threatening to send me to collections. Is this legal?
Our foundation has cracked along a single line through out half of our home. 2 tiles have cracked along this line, one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom. The landlord admits that the cracked tile in the bathroom is because of foundation, but is trying to put the tile in the kitchen on us saying we threw a rock on it (why would we do that??). Can they hold us responsible for damaging the kitchen tile that is cracked the same way as the bathroom tile if they are on the same cracked foundation line?
I live in Illinois and had to move in with a friend. It was strictly platonic. He was very violent and drank excessively and was very moody. I was locked out and decided that I could not take it anymore. I moved but had to leave my belongings. I have been trying to get my stuff but everytime I set up a day he calls at the last minute and says that he needs to reschedule. It’s been over a month. What are my rights? I need my belongings. Please help.
I had a faucet in the bathtub leaking, the landlord came over to loook at it. He said the pipe was broken and that my kids broke it and I have to pay to have it fixed. The original plubling is done in PVC pipes which I’ve been told should not have been there in the first place. I went ahead and paid to have this fixed, and had copper pipes but in. Am I really responsible for this problem? My lease states that the landlord will be responsiable for any major problems such as wiring, leaking and so on?
I am in New york,and as a landlord myself it is the lands job to pay for normal repair’s not you.Hey if you want to move else where i can rent you a house.
I’m not sure if this feed is still active… but I have a question. I am responsible for cracking 4 tiles in the home that I am renting. Or, at least, my landlord (who is also my roommate) says I am, but I can’t prove otherwise and it’s my word against his. I am moving out in a month and we had a discussion yesterday regarding my security deposit. He says that I will have to pay to replace the entire kitchen floor because of those tiles. I’m not exactly in the construction business, but a simple google search makes it look like replacing individual tiles is not difficult… what can I do?
I’m moving out on the first, but there’s substantial damage to the apartment thanks to my roommates. Is the landlord able to charge me more than the given security deposit? Or will I just forfeit the entire deposit?
If anyone knows I appreciate any help here. Trying to find some answers.
The question may be state specific, but at least for Illinois, yes. They will have to itemize the damages and can only charge for damages that exceed “ordinary wear and tear”, but they can charge you and seek collection of the full amount (not just your proportionate share) from any or all of you. Whoever pays is then tasked with seeking reimbursement from the other roommates.
It’s a nice post over here.
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James
We’re in California. We moved out of our landlord’s house leaving it in better condition than when we moved in. With the Recession, she has to move from her big, beautiful home back into the rent house we were renting. She had the yard redone and the interior repainted a different color. Then she billed me for these improvements saying it was “Corrective”! She has not cashed my last rent check. I wrote VOID after 30 days on it. Should I put a stop-payment on the check on day 31, or let the bank stale-date it in 6 months? I’m wondering what deceitful thing she has up her sleeve. Why can’t people just act right? Thanks for any advice.
I am a renter in Chicago, IL. I have a parking lot in the back of my building. Since we rent here we receive free parking. Our landlord is changing our parking stickers that go in the windshield. I received a letter in regards to this change. The letter stated that in order to receive a new parking sticker you have to bring down your drivers license, license plate number and proof of insurance. I wanted to know if my landlord has a right to ask me for proof in auto insurance in order to park on the property?
It sounds like you’re asking three questions. Is what he said about ramp codes true? What are the ramp requirements for an individual on rented property? What can I do with limited means to comply if he does tear it down?
As far as confirming what he said about legality. Sorry your note came through on a Saturday. You might try calling a local hospital with occupational therapists in it. They would be familiar with legal ramp requirements. I suspect any county/local agency familiar with building codes would be closed over the weekend.
My mom needed a ramp at one point and in her case private use ramps didn’t have the same legal requirements public ones did. I’m not a lawyer though, and there may be regional code differences, especially in a rental situation.
Perhaps a “non permanent” ramp, like the ones used to get lawn mowers out of pickup trucks would work as it would avoid building codes altogether.
I’ve not tried these options but they were suggested to me with Mom’s situation. Contact a local Vo-tech and see if they do community building projects, or check with the local Habitat for Hummanity. They might know someone who does these kinds of projects for people.
My mom’s local department of aging had a program where handy older guys did fix up work for people. He couldn’t do her ramp as it was a permanant structure but did do other odd jobs for her.
Perhaps your congressman could address a need for a waiver to allow for the ramp you have currently. That would be a Monday thing too.
Hope something of these help you.
I am disabled and require a wheelchair for mobility. I have lived in the same apartment for 10 years. My landlord collected my rent today, March 4 as he usually does for our complex between the first and the fifth. Upon doing so he notified me that his insurance ‘may have already been canceled do to the fact that (my ramp) was not up to code. It’s the same ramp I’ve had through many years here, even when my apartment was ‘red tagged’ due to in-habitability, (his fault and semi-non repair). Still the city signed off, I stayed. Now he tells me that he needs to tear down my ramp immediately. He said for a “couple of weeks anyways.” I also have the option of replacing or bringing it up to code before he tears it down. He said that his insurance may have already been canceled. I have a couple of concerns. I’m on SSI/SDI, considered below poverty level and not on Section 8. Money is a real concern. Is this truly proper notice? Why not an issue before, city officials have been out on several occasions for various reasons to this complex. He wants me to use the back door (no ramp there no steps either), except that these were motel rooms converted. The back door leads to my kitchen which has two steps that are 6 inches apart. I can’t fit a ramp from the hallway to the kitchen floor because the slope requirements would make it end outside of my residence, (studio). I asked what specific code was violated so that I may have the opportunity to comply. He said he didn’t know. He told me to find out. Really?
I would appreciate any information or redirection you may be able to supply. Time is of the essence because he isn’t the type to wait till “Monday”, and I’m not the type to add any more mobility restrictions to myself than Spastic Paraplegia has already done so. Not voluntarily without good reason.
I would like to thank you in advance for your valuable time and effort.
Nykkholeh
You need to talk an attorney, ASAP.
Many areas have a non-profit legal service providers that specialize in helping people in your situation that do not have the money to hire an attorney. Check the phone book, or ask around.
I have a nightmare of a story that just recently got “resolved.” After a leaky toilet caused what the landlord claimed in thousands of dollars in water bills in a multi-unit house(responsibility of landlord), the landlord withheld my security deposit. The new tenants after me complained the toilets in the apt. were broken when they arrived. However, the landlord (who I never met) withheld my security as a penalty without seeing the apt. After ignoring my e-mails, I finally filed suit (another $100 out of pocket for the paperwork) to get back my security deposit, which certainly got the landlord’s attention. With a little research, I found out that the landlord was bankrupt and was withholding my money, I assume, to pay off debts. We eventually settled out of court and the landlord agreed to pay me back half of my original security deposit a year after moving out. My advice: Always on arrival of the new apt and leaving, take pictures! And save the documentation and times of correspondence. As you are vacating, the landlord should do a walk through in person and return the security there (or at least within the month, depending on state laws). And most importantly, stay informed about your rights as a tenet.
Great advice Karen. I wish I had done that, it was my 1st time renting and I definitely learned that the hard way. Long story short, the landlord (or I should say the management company for the house I lived in) did the walk through when leaving the premises. Wrote a couple of things down, etc. Two weeks later, I get the Security Deposit report, and they found several other damages. Most of them had been there since the beginning, and some of them were even noted at the move-in inspection walk through. However, no papers and no copies were given to us at the beginning, and it seems they took advantage of that.
Thanks Brian. I suspected as much.
Are there any rights for landlords? My sister rented a small house to someone with a disabled son, to cover the mortgage. When she complained about something needing fixing, my sister would go over to see if it was something she could do before calling someone in. The tenant stopped letting my sister in and said she only wanted a professional. She stopped paying rent because she said the home was “uninhabitable” after she had been there/paid rent more than a year. It took months to get her evicted and by the time my sister got possession the lady had trashed the place.
Landlords do have a right to enter and inspect the premises (providing reasonable times and reasonable notice to the tenant) for repairs, safety issues, etc. Unfortunately for the landlord, if a tenant refuses to allow access, there is not much the landlord can do, short of entering when the tenant is away or evicting the tenant.
Equally unfortunate for the landlord, in the majority of cases I have seen, once eviction proceedings start, the tenant will stop paying rent (if non-payment wasn’t the reason for eviction), it will take several months to get an eviction, the premises are usually trashed, and utilities have not been paid. It is relatively easy for the landlord to get a judgment for back rent, damages, and unpaid utilities, but the chances of collecting on that judgment are extremely slim.
The above applies in my state (Illinois). I cannot speak for other state’s as I am not familiar with their laws.
It seems like tenants have all the rights,and some of us good landlords don’t have any rights,laws need to be updated and fair on both sides.
The laws should be fairer towards landlords. Good Landlords get completely taken advantage of by deadbeat tenants taking advantage of the system as it stands and we become less likely to rent.
There also need to be stronger laws around housemates/lodgers vs. tenants situations. We had a nightmare lodger in our house who was a hoarder and we had to interact with her daily because use of the “common areas”. She appealed the judge’s order for possession in my favor and the appeal was set 6 months out from the day she filed. Then she had the nerve to tell me if I wanted her out of my house, I had to pay her! We got really lucky, she didn’t pay her rent to the prothonatary, so we had her supercedeas removed, otherwise she would have been able to live in my house until the trial date.
I’m in PA.
I once rented a room from somebody who insisted I pay my rent in cash and wouldn’t provide a receipt. Obviously he was trying to avoid paying taxes on that income, but I lived in a state where part of my rent was tax deductible. Never did anything about that, but it definitely seemed fishy.
If your landlord only accepts cash and refuses to give a receipt, MOVE! Among the other shady things that can occur, the landlord can sue you for non-payment of rent, and since you’re stuck without proof you ever paid, you’re going to lose.
So there is nothing that can be done if the manager losses my money and even admits that he has workers(maintenance men and vendors) entering into the area,that is supposed to be secured to drop rent off?!
The best advice I can give is to talk to current (and former if possible) tenants of the landlord before signing a lease. There are a lot of good landlords out there, but there are a lot of lousy ones as well.
Knowing your rights is imperative, but if you wind up with a lousy landlord, you’ll still end up with countless hours of aggravation enforcing those rights.
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