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So I have been living and renting in the same apartment with my parents for almost 21 years. The manager RECENTLY gave papers to the renters about a 500 dollar pet fee and extra carpet fees and is asking 1400 from us by mid-january, next month. The pet fee is understandable, due to damage some pets may inflict on the apartment itself, but the carpet fee is not. If I were to have recently moved in within the last 5 years I would understand because the carpet is fairly new and my pet might have damaged it. But the fact that our manager has not replaced our carpet in 20+ YEARS, when it states that he has to replace it every 5 years, definitely makes me question whether or not I should pay the extra 900 dollars. Please enlighten me on this situation and any kind of advice (legal or not) would help.
not to mention!!!
My manager is a discriminating racist and a sneaky bastard. He came up to our apt to fix the curtains and my mom called him out, telling him that she found out that he told the apartment owners about the pets living here recently (when he should've, as a responsible manager, told them twenty years ago when he and his family and a few other neighbors had pets). So he quietly left then came back ranting on about how he wouldn't do that to the korean tenants here but to the others. What the flying f***?!?! There was a flyer/notice in the laundry room clearly stating that the building was discrimination free and I don't know i'm super angry...
Unless the "fees" were part of your lease renewal, they can not add them after the fact unless your lease allows for these fees to be added. Do as Bosco55David said and sent them a written notice that you will only be paying what is legally allowed in the lease.
Now, I do have one item to mention to you:
Quote:
Originally Posted by theclawmin
He came up to our apt to fix the curtains and my mom called him out, telling him that she found out that he told the apartment owners about the pets living here recently (when he should've, as a responsible manager, told them twenty years ago when he and his family and a few other neighbors had pets).
Like it or not, like how it was done or not, like when it was done or not; it IS the manager's job to report all lease and house rules violations to the owners.
Agree that if you are on a one-year lease and the fees are not included in the lease, he can't add new terms now unless you agree.
That said, what are the rules about pets? If your lease says you can't have pets or a certain kind of pet, etc., and you have one, you are in violation of your lease and can be evicted. Maybe these fees are the owner's idea of negotiating a way for you to stay and keep your pets, and not get evicted?
On the other hand, if they've known about your pets for 21 years and did nothing, that basically gives you permission to have them. And normally, damage to a carpet is deducted from a security deposit, and must be depreciated over time. In other words, in your apt, they probably can't legally charge you anything for the carpet at this point.
BTW, yelling at your manager is not a good idea if you want to stay there.
Be sure to read your lease and understand all the terms in it.
It would be helpful to know which city/state you live in, too, for more specific advice regarding your options, legal resources, etc. Just can't be more specific without knowing more info about your city/state, lease specifics, etc.
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