tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890885.post4038518205622026132..comments2023-10-20T09:43:39.318-04:00Comments on Frumpter: Lease Term Dealbreakers.Zoe Strickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07940789852735669214noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890885.post-71762473864152083472008-01-11T09:13:00.000-05:002008-01-11T09:13:00.000-05:00This is why I never bothered with a written lease ...This is why I never bothered with a written lease when I was renting out a room (either as a renter or later when I was the landlord). Unless you have an absentee landlord, home life becomes unbearable if one party wants out-- no matter what the legalities are.<BR/><BR/>This family is going to harass you in a thousand legal and semi-legal ways until you move. If you want those locks changed, I suggest that you change them yourself and provide them with a key (and get it in writing that they gave permission to have the locks changed). I would also plan on changing the shower head and the lightbulb yourself. They don't want you there, so they are unlikely to do maintenance work for you. I sincerely hope that nothing more serious goes wrong while you're there.<BR/><BR/>I would sit down and have a serious discussion with your wife about whether or not this is worth the stress. They are not going to give up and become more coorporative. <BR/><BR/>You might get a written lease eventually, but you are not going to get a friendly landlord who will be on your side if something goes wrong. And, at the end, if they want to find damages they *can* find damages. They could, say, bring in a UV light and identify all kinds of stains on the carpet and insist that your deposit goes to having it replaced. What proof do you have that those normally invisible stains were pre-existing? Another thing I've heard of is they insist they had to have the place professionally cleaned, or say that you damaged the finish on the tub (again, the tub likely already has scratches that you didn't note when you took possession) and that it has to be refinished. How well documented is the current condition of the apartment? <BR/><BR/>After the way they're treating you, they're not going to expect you to treat them fairly, so of course they're going to balk on letting you apply your security deposit to the last month's rent. In their minds, you could easily wait until the last day and then trash the place-- knowing that they're unlikely to take a lawyer to court.<BR/><BR/>Your home needs to be a sanctuary for you and your wife. They're not treating you fairly, but is staying there really worth what they're going to put you through? Please consider looking for another place.Ahuvahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12313911386166259760noreply@blogger.com