Legal Questions Answered

I moved into an apartment very quickly and was not informed that dogs were not allowed… I notified them 4 days after I moved in that i had a dog and this was a problem.  Do i have any rights to get out of this lease without penalties?

Unfortunately, it is your responsibility to read through your lease before you sign it exactly for this reason. Sadly, you probably don’t have any legal recourse, unless there’s a section in your lease that states you may break it within a certain period of time after move in. Take a look at your lease again and read it very carefully. Odds are, you’re going to have a very difficult decision, to keep your pet, or keep your lease.

I moved into a beautifully landscaped place a few hundred cheaper than where I was living. It has taken a month to realize my unit has a unit underneath it that is infested with roaches. Of course, I am being affected. The site manager is working with me — but I am facing something major…I witnessed evidence and so these creatures are not going to evaporate…I signed a lease for a year…It’s been several days since I had a visit from pest control. Please advise my long-term actions and my legal rigts…

I recently signed a lease at a new luxury apartment complex that I really like. I looked at different floorplans and apartments on three different occasions, but the apartment that was assigned to me is infested with roaches and I am unable to move in because of it what can I do.

I lived in another state and because of an emergency situation I was forced to leave my lease was not up but the property mgmt terminated my lease is there any leans or legal recourses I should be worried about

Hi. As I know, read first, but I didn’t. I have just found out that my Landlord ends his leases on the 15th of the month. My new place is not open until the 1st. Now I am having to pay for storage for my stuff and an motel room until the 1st. Just a note to warn everyone to really read those leases! Whoda thought a lease could end in the middle of the month?!

I’m living in an apartment complex that has an out of state water company. Well a lot of the residents are really behind on their bill (including myself). The water cannot be shut off because it is tied in together with other apartments in the same bldg. The management has now sent out notices that our rent money will be applied to our over due water bills. Is this legal, since tenants pay their rent on time, and now it’s going to be applied to the water and not rent. What happens if the money is taken and applied to the water, now the rent becomes deliquent. Please advise.

my daughter is interested in a rent in
conneticut and the landlord asked her for 15.00 for a credit check. can she do that. thanks

I rented an apartment two months ago and signed a one year lease. Now I have lost my job and have no way to pay the rent. Is there any way I can get out of this lease? My landlord says no.
I know I will be evicted if I don’t pay my rent will this also go on my credit report?

I was living in an apartment in the Minneapolis area 7 months into a 13 month lease (one month free) when I got a new job in South Dakota. I tried working with my landlord to help getting it rented and my rent was paid up a month and a half in advance with the promise of being contacted if it would get rented or if not then I would be obligated to continue paying the rent. However I just received a bill for the remainder of my lease with penalties of my free month and other discounts saying that I am past due with my rent. Is this right or legal considering they have made no effort to contact me that the apartment has not been rented and since I now live over 4 hours away are they taking advantage of me since I can’t go and check to see if it rented or not? I am willing to pay for the rent due but feel it is unfair to penalize me considering I have made every effort to stay under the lease terms.

I signed a lease for one year, but now I want to move out 3 months before. I did not find any terms about ending the lease early in my contract with the landlord, except I “should notify her one month before I move”. I am a co-tenant, the other two will not move out. Do you think I should paid any damage? If so, how much should I pay for?

A question about another matter. I was residing at the apartment for five years . in the middle of my lease the landlord sold the property. A landlord’s it took upon the property. Gave me a new lease. And my deposit from the first lease carried over. Doing a time as I resided at his apartment. I had several complaints and problems. About mold, water damage, leaky roof, an assortment of problems. Once I gave him the complaint. A week later he gave me a new lease. Raising the rent $100. Not fixing anything. A week later after that. The apartment as well as a whole building was condemned. And I was asked to move. I had 24-hour period , unless all my things in the apartment and I went to stay with my brother. I’ve been with my brother for more than six or seven months. And I still have not received my things to my apartment. My rent was paid and I was not behind. I did not receive my deposit back. As well all my things are a bad condition due to the situation. I really don’t know my rights are. And no one seems to care. I have pictures of the damage I just don’t know what to do. Please help me in some way. Sincerely yours Mark Little

Dear apartments.com:
I am currently living in a one bedroom apartment which is part of a large complex. I have lived there for several years. My fiancee and I are hoping to move in together in the next month or two. My dilemma is that I am worried that I will not be able to move out of my apartment without paying a large penalty. However, I never signed the lease that they sent me. My lease would have been from Sept. 2006 to Sept. 2007. However, in August 2006 there was a near-fatal attack in my apartment building, and after that happened the apartment complex did very little about it. I did actually make several attempts to contact the apartment manager to see what my options would be (month-to-month lease, paying a penalty, etc), since I knew I would be most likely wanting to move out. The manager never got back to me, and therefore I never signed the lease they had sent me. In my prior lease, it stated that if the lease was unsigned it would automatically renew for one year, but that managment would charge an extra fee per month, which they have not been charging me.
Recently I spoke with the apartment manager; he stated that it didn’t matter that I never signed the lease and that I would have to give two months notice, and pay a two month penalty.

Can you give me your opinion on this matter? Do I have a case for being on a month-to-month lease since I never signed one?

I recently signed a new lease agreement on a new apartment I have been in over 16 months. The new agreement is set to start in April 2007. I am still under my old lease agreement as of Jan 2007. I just recently found out I could be transferred back to Louisiana. Is the new agreement my resposibility if I get transferred and still give 30-60-day notice on the lease I am under now?

dear apartments.com, I would like to ask where can i find if the place i am renting is on the legal list in Rental Board, if it is legal for renting units.because everytime i paid my rent,my landlord wants CASH not a check and no receipt.I hope you can answer my question,I’m worried for the future I might get problems.because i don’t have any proof.Thanks,OTANER

I am trying to get out of a lease. I have been through so much hell in this apartment and just want out! The girl who was going to sublet fell through. What will happen to me if I just take all my stuff and leave? Will they come after me for the money? How will my credit be effected?

I have been going through some issues’,dealing with the new Manager,that had (just), arrived,4 mos.,ago.This lady Manager,has violated my rights as a tenant,by:1.INVADING ONES PRIVACY,ASKING APARTMENT RESIDENCES’,GUESTS’,WHO THEy aRe’,THERE TO SEE,(or),TELLS OUR’ VISITORS’,THAT THE are NOT TO BE ON OUR PROPERTy AND FOR THEM TO LEAVE.3 (ONE DAY),last month,(12/1/06),This new Manager, has been involved in MAKING UP, HER’ OWN RULES NOT PROPERTIES’ RULES’,NOT FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL HOUSE RULES’.LIVING with all these and more things’,she’s doing,isn’t okay.This woman,is:a RETIRED,SOCIAL WORKER,and was a SOCIAL WORKER for 30yrs’,then,4mos’,ago,Our’,management,which is: XX APARTMENTS/(AND), XXX, XXX PROPERTIES’,INC.,hired this lady after she (just),started her’ retirement,What,by being Our’ new manager!I don’t get why THE MANAGEMENT had transfered Our’ old manager, to Hayward,(and),hired this woman as Our’, new manager,(in-TRAINinG)!?It dosen’t,make any sense! ITS NOT RIGHT THAT SHES’,BEEN INVaDING OUR’ PRIVACYS’! 7 (ALSO),SHE HAD CALLED THE AUTHORITIES,SAYING THAT SHE HADN’T SEEN MY” DAUGHTER OR I,SO SHE ACTED LIKE SHE WAS CONCERNED

I am on a month to month lease with a roommate. I have chosen to move out, and have already moved. They have chosen to stay. “We” have both signed the paperwork to release me from the lease, but it is not valid until the roommate requalifies on their own. Therefore I am still on the lease and can’t get off. Recently the roommate has started using illegal substances in “our” apartment. I just want off the lease, and away from getting in trouble. But I cannot force them to fullfil their part in getting me off the lease. I there anything I can do at this point to get off the lease and keep myself out of this trouble???? Please help!!!!

I want to move into a place of my own. I am 26 years old I have two kids and I just got married to my school sweetheart.We have been living in the house with his mother. We want to move out because it would be cheaper to just get a place of our own then try to help his mother fix everything.We can’t find any that will rent to us because we don’t have any credit or a co-signer.we have the money, and we can pay the rent,or
even buy a fixer upper we just need someone to give us a chance. we want to have another reason to be working other than our children.

I live in a basement unit, but i think it is illegal, because the utility people says there is no 5th unit just 4. Plus its one way in and no windows.

is it an illegal apartment

I have a question. What are the landlords rights on entering you residence. Are they allowed to enter at anytime they feel? Or do they HAVE to notify you before they may enter at anytime?
Thanks,
Carol

I am moving and i want to tell my landlord. she said that even though im moving out in the middle of the month i have to pay for the full month, my lease is up. can they do this? thanks

I have 3 pending felonies. I have a 6 yr old daughter i need to move no later 13th. I want to keep her in dadid douglas school district! Knowone will rent to me. What do I do?

My daughter stored her belonging, furniture, dishes, clothes, Etc (including my 9 month old grandson’s crib!). at a friend’s apartment while she and my grandbaby lived in a homeless shelter for 6 weeks. Her friend was evicted, but was allowed to get only her things. My daughters’ things were not given back. She now has an apartment through the local housing authority, but can’t get her stuff back. The landlord told her when she asked him about it that he would burn it or give it away before she would get it back. What can she do? She can’t afford an attorney.

Thanks,
Kim YOung

I’ve been living in an apartment for 6 months I signed a lease for two years.  The landlord was sent to a nursing home and the property was sold.  The new owner is demanding more rent and a deposit is this legal?  Also he claims he can give us a 15 day notice to vacate even though he accepted our rent for this month… can he do this?  If my new landlord doesn’t accept my normal amount I’ve been paying all this time on the first of next month what is the eviction process.  I thought it was three day notice then seven days then 30 days.

i just resigned my lease in Dec. and now I’m taking a job out of state what can i do to get out of lease? Is there any law that can help me?

My boyfriend and I have lived in our current apartment for almost a year (the amount of time in my lease) and we have had several problems since living here. In the beginning we gave them plenty of notice that we were looking for a two bedroom townhouse by the beginning of March of last year. And our lease from our previous apartment was about to be up. We had to stay in our old apartment longer than expected and when the time came to move into our new apartment, they didn’t have the two bedroom townhouse available anymore. They offered us a three bedroom apartment for a hundred dollars off our rent. We thought that was a great deal so we took it. But since living here we have had several maintenance problems that have never been fixed. We have only 1 smoke alarm in this two story apartment and we have complained about it from day one. The tiles in our bath tub have fallen down and there is mold. Our sink has been clogged three times since living here and everytime we tell management to fix it, they never do and they threaten to charge us for fixing it. We have no weather stripping on our doors or windows and our electric bill keeps getting higher and higher. Again we have mentioned all of these things several times and nothing is ever done about it. We are so fed up that when our lease is up in March of this year we are going to find a way to move. Is there anything I can do to be compensated for any of these problems even though I am moving soon? And how can they rent to people with so many violations? There are apartments out here that have no carpet and one actually doesn’t even have a door to the oven!! How can they rent out apartments that are unsafe and how can I report these things before I move?

Me and my 2 year old son moved into our 1st apartment on november 8/2006. A couple weeks into my lease I discovered that i had mice running around in my apartment. I contacted my rental office 3 different times. I had a dead mouse in my apartment last wednesday. The maintence man came and took him out. I’m afraid that my son might get bit. I don’t know what to do.

I’ve lived at my residence for 2 years. I have 4 months left on the lease and i am fed up! 6 months into the lease the roof was leaking in my sons room so now is a huge hole in the ceiling…never been fixed. The bathtub and toilet have been leaking insane amounts of water on the floor. 4 attempts to fix this and its worse! the room started leaking water in my hallway last august…never been fixed and there is a blue tarp with bricks keeping the rain out…what can i legally do to get out of this hell?

Can I change my mind about renting an apt. if they didn’t give me a copy of my lease & was never given the correct address to have ulities turned on? Also I fear living on the 3rd floor & especially since there was a fire in the complex this morning, even though it was a different buiding.

I moved in a new apt. 6 months or so & I was not ask to sign a lease. I pay month to month. The 1 st. problem was trying to get my phone transfered to new apt. & they said they could not ,cause apt. was not regestered with the county for 911. So I looked into it on line & found on county or city search there is only 2 apts. regerstered at this address & there are really 4 in the building. 2nd. is I have been late paying rent maybe 2 times & she has charged me a late fee of 32.00 each time late,but when she want’s to be late picking rent she dont charge the late fee. The 3 rd. is she call’s everytime before she come’s to pick rent,but last time she did not & she intered my private gate knowing I have a small dog & my dog almost bit her & now she is mad . My husband that same day gave her rent & late fee & ask when you gona come fix some things in our apt.? She said she did not know & that she would let us know on next 1 st. of the month she might need us to move out to fix thing’s. This is not true , what need’s to be fixed is a light breaker in other apt. that controls our bathroom light . & 1 window screen. I really think she is wanting us to move ,cause she is mad about the dog thing.IMy util. are furnished with our rent, so when the breaker in front apt. shuts off we have no light in our bathroom & we have to ask the man in that apt. to plese turn it on so we can have light . What can or should I do?

I live in a one bedroom apt.Ive been here for three years i have never been late with my rent and i keep my place up very well. My boyfriend has been staying here with me,he is not on my lease Is there anyway that i can add him to my lease without my landlord raising my rent?

I’m 21 years old and I live with my mother and brother on the second floor apartment of a 3 floor apartment building. My ex-friend *Jane and her former boyfriend *Rob moved into the small one bedroom apartment on the third floor just before christmas. Anything to do with the apartment was signed over in Rob’s name. The young couple ended up getting into a fight and breaking up. Jane stayed with me for a couple weeks and Rob contacted the landlords letting them know about the situation and he then moved out and into a new apartment by himself. Meanwhile, the day that Rob moved out of the little third floor apartment Jane started staying back up there instead of with me…knowing that the landlords think that the apartment is vacant. The rent hasnt been paid for at least 3 months now and she is still living upstairs. Is this legal?

Question!!
I’ve been living in Cincinnati Ohio in Hamilton County in this apt since 2004. The building I live in are all 1-bedroom apts. Under Ohio Law I thought you had to have a seperate bedroom for all children over 18 months. Right now I know 2 apts in my bldg that has 1 adult/1 chid and 2 adults/1 child. These children are well over 18 months!! How do I find out what the law is and who do I call to report if this is a violation? Thanks!

I’ve lived in this apt for 20 years. they sold the building and now the new landlord is trying to pay me to move out for a sum of money.Also my roommate that has lived here with me for 6 years they say he has to leave because is not on the lease. Do they have that right to do this? what should I do to solve this.

I am 60 and have been on disability for many yrs. I now must move after 13 yrs. because the property is being sold. I only recieve $623 per month, how can I rent an apartment and live on that. I have no family to help, I don’t want to end up in a roach infested dump. Medicaid says they can only pay for a nursing home, but they are awful and I really don’t need to be in one,what can I do?

moved into a apt, 7/13/06 signed a year lease now the owner gave me less than 30 days to get out. it says upon the greater of 30 days notice required under the act, the landlord may terminate the tenancy under this lease without cause or reason. we have less than 30 days, how do you find another place to live on such so short notice? i would really like a response on this one because this puts me in a very difficult situation. is there anyway i can get a response on this matter? ASAP please help..thank-you

My son recently was evicted from an apartment he had for only 2 months. It is his first apartment and he is being charged an additional $137.00 on top of not being refunded his damage deposit. My wife cosigned for the 6 month lease so we are responsible also. The charges are excessive and additional charges were added to the bill. Who can we contact to find out how to fight this.

I was evicted in court and agreed to move cause I was devasted that someone
had said they killed people on the 10 acres and there was drug activity. This came out to be false as I knew it would. I’m still living in motels cause I can’t get someplace decent.
How can I over turn this. Am I in the right to ask for some compensation. The rental truck alone was over $600.

I currently live in a 2BR apartment. My roommate is on the lease, but I am not. I informed him on March 15 that I would be moving out on April 1. I told him that I would help him in any way possible to find a new tenant to move in on April 1, and that if worst-case scenario we could not find someone for April 1, that I would pay all of April. I quickly sent him two leads for friends of mine who wanted to move in April 1. He instead chose a friend of his who couldn’t move in until April 15. What are my responsibilities? Do I owe him for the first two weeks of April? Do I owe him nothing since I offered him two tenants who could move in April 1? Do I have no responsibilities since I am not on the lease and since I signed nothing?

My daughter and her children moved into a newly built apartment complex. She moved in, as soon as the building was ready. Her and the kids got very sick shortly after moving in, and are still sick, 7 months later. She noticed mold growing in the apt. She went to doctors asking them if mold could be the medical problem her and the