Breaking my lease: landlord barely making an effort and raising the rent. What are my chances in court? YANML, I want to know where I stand before I start pouring lawyer money after rent money. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 21, 2009 - 14 answers

I'm a landlord for a owner-occupied 4-unit bldg. I know I can't discriminate, with respect to tenant selection, regarding "family status", but am I free to prefer a single-occupancy renter to a family? My motivation is mostly remunerative -- included in rent are: water, hot water, and heat, and so a single renter is cheaper for me than a family of three with respect to those utilities. Is my preference for 1 vs. 3 rentors actionable discrimination? (Call me a miser if you like, but I'm under rent control, and I need to watch my costs, since it is near impossible to pass inflationary costs on to tenants.)
posted by JimDe on Nov 22, 2009 - 15 answers

My friend was laid off several months ago in NY and can no longer afford her lease. I've heard that for job-related reasons (such as moving for a new job) that you can break a lease legally, does anyone know about this? What have the many others who must have found themselves in this situation done? Clearly its not so easy to find someone else to take over your lease as a lot of people have lost their jobs and can't afford a lease. Please help us!! Thanks!
posted by saraindc on Oct 14, 2009 - 9 answers

UKRentalfilter: Can my landlord end his agreement with the letting agents if one of two tenants under the current contract wants to stay in the property? [more inside]
posted by freya_lamb on Aug 16, 2009 - 3 answers

Help! My landlord is trying to scam me! [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 11, 2009 - 20 answers

Can I persuade my landlord to let me use my security deposit for my last month's rent? If not, what's my next best option? ( I'm dealing with paying my credit card bills too.) [more inside]
posted by lblair on Aug 3, 2009 - 14 answers

ApartmentNightmareFilter: My new apartment is falling apart and no one will step up. What are my rights here? [more inside]
posted by telegraph on Jul 15, 2009 - 16 answers

All signs point to illegal activity on the part of my landlord, and paying the rent in cash certainly isn't helping the situation. What are our options (in DC?) [more inside]
posted by tmcw on Jul 7, 2009 - 21 answers

How does a terrible negotiator go about renegotiating lower rent in Los Angeles? [more inside]
posted by Thin Lizzy on Jul 2, 2009 - 14 answers

Can an Ontario lease stipulate that, once the lease is up and I switch to month-to-month tenancy, I still can't move out between October and April? [more inside]
posted by Beardman on Jul 2, 2009 - 9 answers

When I signed the lease on my apartment, I put down first month's rent, last month's rent, and security deposit. Now the building has changed hands, I'm moving out, and my brand-new landlord is telling me I need to pay last month's rent again and she'll refund it later, along with the security deposit. Does she have any right to require me to do this? New York is the state. [more inside]
posted by ourobouros on Jun 29, 2009 - 15 answers

Need help renting out a parking spot near several hospitals. [more inside]
posted by jrichards on Jun 8, 2009 - 6 answers

I've got a month until a potential rent increase (lease renewal) and I need help negotiating with my landlord. [more inside]
posted by cobaltnine on Jun 2, 2009 - 8 answers

My SO and I are considering taking advantage of the current housing market and purchasing a second house to lease. What specifics should we contemplate at this early stage? [more inside]
posted by purpletangerine on Apr 29, 2009 - 5 answers

NYCRentFilter: My landlord is letting me walk after my lease is up rather than cut my rent, even though the apartment will be vacant for at least a month after I leave. Why? [more inside]
posted by raconteur on Mar 27, 2009 - 38 answers

I desperately want to bail on a lease one day after signing. I let the landlord know and she is freaking out and threatening to sue me if I don't pay first and last. Is there anything I can do to get out of this? [more inside]
posted by Waterbear on Mar 24, 2009 - 12 answers

I have a verbal month-to-month lease in Chicago, IL (there is no signed paper lease). I want to move out by March 1st (a few days from now). So there will be no 30 days' notice possible. What happens in this situation, with the deposit, etc? (more inside) and how do I deal with the landlord? [more inside]
posted by white light on Feb 25, 2009 - 11 answers

I've heard that one can sever certain contracts they sign in Ontario if it's within the first 10 days of signing. If this is true, does it also apply to a lease on a house?
posted by gman on Feb 16, 2009 - 5 answers

my landlord is trying to make me pay for replacing the carpets when they do not warrant a replacement, and she will not stick to a verbally (and textually) agreed upon date of moving out early (which was her idea so that her new owner could move in asap) unless we agree to replacing the carpets. What should I do? [more inside]
posted by focus on Feb 4, 2009 - 8 answers

Can anyone recommend a property management company in the Chicago area? I'm a would-be landlord. [more inside]
posted by ignignokt on Jan 29, 2009 - 3 answers

What personal info does my future landlord need from me to make sure I'm legit? How do I make sure he's legit? [more inside]
posted by Asymptote on Jan 15, 2009 - 8 answers

So I burned a sizable patch of our living room carpet, and now the landlord is coming up for a visit. [more inside]
posted by easy_being_green on Jan 12, 2009 - 13 answers

Is there a good way to estimate how soon I'd be able to rent out my place? [more inside]
posted by ignignokt on Dec 16, 2008 - 8 answers

What should I do to protect myself from my roommate's mess? [more inside]
posted by ictow on Nov 7, 2008 - 14 answers

I have been renting a room in a house for 2 months, but did not receive the lease until a few days ago, and want to know what my rights are. The situation is complicated, see extended explanation. [more inside]
posted by noahdubya on Nov 5, 2008 - 7 answers

How do I get my landlord to deal with the mold in my bathroom without compromising my living situation? [more inside]
posted by arcticwoman on Oct 23, 2008 - 15 answers

Messy housing situation, tenant is manipulating landlord's poor English skills and profiting. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 17, 2008 - 8 answers

Whenever I go look at a house for rent, I draw a blank on what questions to ask the landlord. I've started a list from this site. What's missing? What do you wish you'd asked or looked at more closely before signing a lease? (Specifically for a house, if you can...) Particulars: Three girls and a dog looking to rent a house with yard somewhere in the 562 or 714 area of So Cal. I expect to be there at the very least a year. We have no appliances of our own, but furniture galore.
posted by Joannalaine on Sep 12, 2008 - 12 answers

What legal action can my aunt take against her landlord? He's basically trying to get her to buy the house or get out. [more inside]
posted by grablife365 on Aug 28, 2008 - 5 answers

Should I sign a new year-long lease even though I know I'll be leaving early, or try to get my landlord to agree to a shorter term? [more inside]
posted by josh.ev9 on Aug 8, 2008 - 11 answers

EvictionFilter: How do I evict a tenant for unpaid rent in Tennessee? [more inside]
posted by lost_cause on Jun 17, 2008 - 6 answers

Please help! My landlord management company refuses to let me terminate my lease early. What can I do? [more inside]
posted by pinksoftsoap on May 19, 2008 - 25 answers

Complicated, messy NYC roommate/landlord question: 4 roommates share a 3 bedroom converted into 4 (with permission). One roommate signed a lease for a new building without getting permission from current building to transfer name on lease to new roommate. Said old roommate now refuses to pay six months of rent (remainder of lease). Much, much more inside. [more inside]
posted by SeizeTheDay on Mar 28, 2008 - 8 answers

MA filter: Must I have fuse box access if I rent an apartment? [more inside]
posted by pikaboy202 on Feb 17, 2008 - 7 answers

How to handle a landlord forging evidence in small claims court (VT)? [more inside]
posted by doomtop on Feb 13, 2008 - 15 answers

Old landlord claims they needed to replace carpet when we left. I say nothing was wrong above reasonable wear and tear. Indiana is the state in question. More details inside. [more inside]
posted by Silvertree on Feb 6, 2008 - 12 answers

A window in our apartment was broken by the previous tenants. When my roommates and I moved in this summer, our landlord told us that he'd get it fixed within 6-8 weeks. Winter's here, it still hasn't been fixed and it's causing our utilities to skyrocket. I know YANAL, but we need a bit of legal advice... [more inside]
posted by chara on Jan 2, 2008 - 15 answers

Ontario property management firm charging "service fees" just to apply for an apartment rental? This has got to be illegal. [more inside]
posted by anthill on Nov 7, 2007 - 20 answers

My landlord is trying to force me out of my lease. What are my legal options? [more inside]
posted by EarBucket on Oct 6, 2007 - 20 answers

Have you ever had someone else sublease (sublet) your rental apartment, long-term? (Long enough that the person was paying you month-to-month, rather than paying you all in advance?) If so, how did you find a reliable person? Or what happened when you found a bad person?? [more inside]
posted by lorimer on Sep 22, 2007 - 8 answers

My landlord won't give me my deposit back. Is there anything I can do? [more inside]
posted by dead_ on Sep 12, 2007 - 20 answers

Renting - It's been a while and I'm afraid we're gonna look bad on paper. Mid/late twenty year olds (one a musician) without a huge amount of $$ or history - are we screwed? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 22, 2007 - 13 answers

I'm being kicked out of my apartment, but I've done nothing wrong! Can I do anything? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 3, 2007 - 20 answers

What are the ownership boundaries of plants in a rented/shared household? [more inside]
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur on Jul 20, 2007 - 14 answers

My landlord is crazy and also there has been some check fraud. Help me unravel my responsibilities [more inside]
posted by paddingtonb on Jun 27, 2007 - 20 answers

Is this mold? I just leased an apartment and then found standing water, a leak, and what looks like a lot of mold. I want out. Property manager obviously doesn't want to let me out without lots of money. [more inside]
posted by kookoobirdz on Jun 21, 2007 - 22 answers

I'm in the fortunate/unfortunate positon of having to rent out my one-bed flat in Shepherds Bush, London. So I've got a few questions to ask: [more inside]
posted by electriccynic on Jun 11, 2007 - 9 answers

My apartment was entered without the knowledge or consent of me, or my landlord. Is this trespassing? [more inside]
posted by othersomethings on Jun 8, 2007 - 21 answers

We signed a lease (2 copies) on a new apartment in NYC, at our broker's office. The 2 copies were sent to the management company. As promised, the management company sent one of the copies back to us about a week later. It's got our original signatures, but the landlord didn't sign it! The line for the landlord's signature is empty. Doesn't this mean that we're bound to the terms of the contract, but the landlord is not? It seems very wrong. Is it normal? Should we demand a copy of the lease with the signatures of both parties on it?
posted by edlundart on May 28, 2007 - 18 answers

What to do about a landlord who is making it very difficult to pay rent? [more inside]
posted by justonegirl on Apr 28, 2007 - 25 answers