| You are here: Home Categories Real Estate What to do since we dont have a lease with our lan... |
Submitted 257 days ago...
What to do since we dont have a lease with our landlord
My boyfriend and i have lived in this apt. for around 2 years or more.it was previously owned by a differant landlord which always responded to our problems in the apartment like the water running or leaking and so on.we also had a lease that was based on yearly then before he sold it he bases it on month to month.our landlord now(has been for around 8 months or so) will hardly answer any complaints from us.we saw several roaches and we also beleive the
beleive the water in the downstairs apt which he also owns is leaking because its on our bill which is running around $150.00 monthly.he has not rented to downstairs since he has owned it.when he first came he showed us the water damage down there because he wanted my boyfriend to fix it for pay.anyway my problem is that we dont have any kind of lease or paperwork at all between him and and us so we are not sure what our rights are.we told him we would be late on rent and he said he was gonna charge us additional $40.00 which was never discussed before and we were late on another occasion which has never been more than a few days
Answer 1 / 2
Submitted 256 days ago...
Answer 2 / 2
Submitted 168 days ago...
My favorite real estate law instructor, who also is a federal bankruptcy judge, says: "If it ain't in writing, it ain't!" Seriously, he stressed over and over that anything dealing with real estate must be in writing to enforce. No, you don't owe a late fee. No, you don't have to pay for the leak downstairs, but you do need to call the water department to report this and put it on the record in case the landlord makes a legal issue of this. If I were you, I would write a polite letter to the landlord and tell him unless he makes the necessary repairs by a certain date, you will be contacting the small claims court in your city or township and be placing the rent money in escrow (to be held until repairs are done). You will not be in violation of your rent, but the landlord cannot touch the money until this matter is settled. The court staff will shove the forms at you and set up a hearing date. It is worth the small investment of your time and a little money to protect your rights. Oh, by the way, you better start looking for another place to rent. That landlord can evict you without any cause. You are month-to-month. Leases are good things for all parties. Ask for one and cross out anything in it that is not correct or you do not agree to. Initial it and get a copy of the final lease that is signed by the landlord and yourselves, and don't be late paying your rent!
Answer This Question Now
If your Answer is chosen as the “accepted” answer, you will earn ongoing royalties on
this thread.
Simply type your Answer in the box below and post your answer.
This Question has not been awarded yet.
