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My landlord is threatening to deduct charges for a long list of repairs to an apartment I have rented for the last two years. I do not recognize several of these items - they are not small.
My lease expires April 29. I moved out Mid march - bought a place. I paid rent for the full lease -> the end of April.
I moved 90% of my belongings immediately upon vacating - I moved myself to save money - didnt get it all but what I left was primarily in closets. Not that I couldnt have left it all til the end of this month - but I needed what I could manage.
I gave my landlord (who is also a realtor) two months notice which she accepted and she listed the property immediately.
My landlord or her colleague who actually "listed" the rental showed the place over 40 times while I lived there through the middle of March - and then many more times after I moved out in mid- March. I was a good tenant and made sure the place looked good and I got out - every single time - despite not having a vested interest. And despite not being given notice prior several times.
I just went back to the apartment to pull the picture hooks from the walls and spackle and found the door taped shut - I went in anyway to be greeted by the smell of pulyurethane. The floor seemed relative dry so I tip toed in and found that several rooms were "taped" off to restrict entry. The floors had been refinished. I saw my belongings had been removed from the closets and packed in boxes - including window treatments. I left.
I contacted my landlord who by chance had sent me an email yesterday morning that I did not get before leaving home telling me not to go in and walk on the floors - to indicate I had been to the apartment to do final cleaning and remove my belongings but was not able to do so - or I guess I chose not to do so- I didnt want to ruin the floors. She said in her email that she had contractors in to look at the floors and they offered her a sweet deal to do the floors right then - so she took it and had the floors sanded and refinished.
She has successfully re-rented the apartment for May 1 - or at least thats what she put in the email.
She wanted me to vacate immediately - or at least two days before the end of the lease. Something I wouldve tried to make happen but her attitude is abusive and I'm getting my back up.
After vacating I never recieved another notice that anyone would be entering the apartment. I got several emails from my land lord/realtor saying she had been to the apartment and found the heat was too low - she had adjusted the thermostat and wanted me to leave it there - I was fine with that - but I did expect advance notice or at least "notice" if somebody had been in the apartment - after all I am liable for the condition of the apartment for the duration of the lease.
The final straw was her having the floors refinished while I am still paying her rent. She could have offered me a week rent back if she wanted to do extensive work on the place - and she knows that - but she did not.
Yesterday was my one day this week I was able to get over there to clean the place out and I couldnt get in - also got me upset. I will have to squeeze time in by friday to get the work done.
So now I'm wondering -- she broke the terms of the lease several times by granting access via lock box to the apartment and giving me no notice or account for who entered. She gave access to the apartment to a contractor and his employees for several days to work on the floors - not giving me notice or account til it was done. And now she is coming at me with a lengthy list of repairs needed.
I am considering filing in small claims court for the full return of my security deposit plus one week rent to compensate for the time the apartment was not usable to me. I actually put a new screen in the front door myself before vacating since I had ripped it and it was within my skill set to fix it. It is damaged and its on the list of things she will seek compensation for -- I didnt do that. It's a small doorway - couldnt the employees of the contractor be responsible?? I dont know. She is also listing a chipped tile in the shower stall and she will have to refinish the shower. The shower is disgusting - at least 50 years old if not original - and we discussed it needing repair if she was to re-rent. She emailed me saying she was going in to bleech the shower to try and remove the mold and mildew etc. The grout is almost gone, etc etc. I never complained because frankly I did not want to deal with this landlord.
What's the down side for me if I file? I will let her know my intention to do so in the event she would like to settle with me but I doubt she will.
Opinions?
Thanks!!
Last edited by beachfamily123; 04-27-2010 at 05:01 AM..
My landlord is threatening to deduct charges for a long list of repairs to an apartment I have rented for the last two years.
My lease expires April 29. I moved out Mid march - bought a place. I paid rent for the full lease -> the end of April.
I moved 90% of my belongings immediately upon vacating - I moved myself to save money - didnt get it all.
I gave my landlord (who is also a realtor) two months notice which she accepted and she listed the property immediately.
My landlord or her colleague who actually "listed" the rental showed the place over 40 times while I lived there through the middle of March - and then many more times after I moved out in mid- March. I was a good tenant and made sure the place looked good and I got out - every single time - despite not having a vested interest.
Did she make the repairs she is claiming she made? Were they necessary because of your actions, and were they repairs of something beyond normal wear & tear?
sorry Bill - I hit enter before completing the full post.
Several of the items on her list I didnt know about - didnt see, etc.
One item is a broken window - the glass is fine but the mechanism to lift the window is shot. The window was up and slammed down on its own - I heard it and it was loud - but I was no where near the window when it happened.
Am I liable for repair? I mentioned it to her when I was moving out and she acknowledged it - but I did not tell her when it happened.
She is abrasive so I tried to keep interaction at a minimum - perhaps my bad.
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