Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with renters

New owner/old lease

ian1977 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:38:59 -0800

Does my new landlord have to honor my old lease? I live in an 8 unit building and I am 6 months into a year lease. About a week ago I had a note on my door saying my building is now owned by Such and Such Company and to please send my rent there.

Now tonight I come home to another note saying that the new company wants 2 things from all tenants. One is whether or not we have a garage. Fine no problem.

The other is....since the previous owner didn't give the new company any of the original paperwork (huh?) could we please kindly fill out the rental application by Friday. This includes basic stuff (name, employer, etc) but also signing off on their right to do background check, credit check, etc. It also has a thing you fill out for a rental reference that they would send to an old landlord. The letter does state that this info is 'simply for our records and files.'

I looked at my old lease. Its typical boilerplate generic lease....it does have one paragraph about 'Lease is Subject to Mortgage' and says that, for example, should the property be foreclosed on, the new owners rights are superior to the rights of the tenant.

So here are my questions:

Why am I filling out the rental application? Ostensibly its just so they have one on file. Thats fine and dandy if thats all it is....but is that really all it is?

The whole 'lease is subject to mortgage' thing. Does anyone know what that means in practice? Is the new owner likely to void my lease because i don't fit their idea of a perfect tenant?

Do new owners typically honor the remainder of old leases?

Any other advice? It seems like the company is just doing pretty standard stuff, the place is going from ma and pa ownership to McRental Corp...so it makes sense that the company wants everything on THEIR paperwork. But then why I am giving them permission to do a background check, credit check etc? I already have the apartment, I am not applying for one. I guess I am just asking, is this a red flag situation?

landlord trying to replace carpets that don't need replacing

focus — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:40:21 -0800

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? I live in a townhouse w/ 2 roommates that we rent from a private owner. I'm the liaison between my roommates and the landlord (we are all on the lease). This is in Boulder County, CO (advocate of renters' rights, as I'm told) I believe it is her first time being a landlord. Before Christmas, my landlord called me and said that she is selling the place to a friend. She wanted to know if we could move out early so the new owner could move in ASAP. We told her that it was definitely a possibility and that we'd see what we could do. Around the 3rd week of January, we found a new place and called her to tell her that we wanted to move out.

side note: During this time we were having some pipe vibration issues that we wanted her to come take a look at. After she went to inspect the pipe situation (I wasn't there but my roommates were), she called me and told me that she thought the carpets in the downstairs were completely destroyed and wanted to have them replaced. She also said the entrance way to the townhouse was destroyed and that needed to be replaced as well. The downstairs is white shag, 1 year old, and had some noticeable stains on it in 10x10 area. She also complained about fingerprints on the railings on the steps and doors, dust on the vents, etc. Petty stuff. After she complained about the carpets, we rented a Rugdoctor and tried to clean them as much as possible. She then wanted to come inspect the carpets, but never ever gave me notice to do so and came in when nobody was there to inspect them. I didn't know about this til later.

So, I was on the phone w/ her discussing the carpet and move-date situation after we knew about our new apartment when she told me she had come on a day to inspect the carpets but never told me when and what time. I was irate and called her unprofessional. This upset her and she handed the phone to her husband who proceeded to cuss me out, threaten to get me kicked out of my new apartment, ruin my credit, make us stay the entire length of the lease, and basically physical violence. I was pretty shaken up after this. Things calmed down (me kissing her undeserving ass) and her and I sorted things out the next day through text messaging: moving out early was agreed to be Feb 11th. After that agreement, I asked if I could have it in writing and she said she would fax it over on Monday after they got back in town. Monday comes and she faxes me over an agreement that her husband put together (w/ a lawyer's help from the sound of it) and it says that if we want to move out on the 11th, we have to agree that the carpets are "completely destroyed" and we have to pay a proportionate amount of the replacing and sign it. She never gave a monetary value, just that damages would be calculated within 60 days. She has priced the new carpet and installation at $2500 for the whole townhouse with us not paying any of the top level, the entrance way of the main level, and the entire bottom level. Between my roommates, we'd be splitting in 3rds the main level, and my 1 roommate would be paying entirely for the bottom ($1000).

She told me before when I brought up professionally cleaning the carpets to save my $ and that they were going to be replaced anyway. It sounds to me (and everybody I've shared this with) that she has made some promise to the new owner about replacing the carpets. Since this letter, we've gotten the carpets professionally shampooed and they look really good (also took pics): upstairs was never an issue, the entrance way looks great (nothing more than normal wear and tear) as well as the rest of the main level, and the downstairs looks good.

This post has a few factors. First, it is entirely 1 roommate's fault for the downstairs and he knows this. side note: I dislike him greatly for a list of things too long to mention. If we replaced the carpet, my guess is that the cost would be around $1500 and that 1 roommate would be paying $1000 plus 1/3 of the entrance way. Our security deposit would cover this. I'd be out $400 of it minus the 1/3 of the entrance way and my 1 roommate would be paying me back over the course of like 6 months.

So in conclusion, should we just bend over and pay the landlord knowing full well that my 1 roommate will get the rotten (but justified) end of the deal? Or should we fight this thing because the landlord is out of her mind and the carpets have been cleaned the don't need to be replaced?

Cost breakdown:

1. Replace the carpets:
- save the rest of the month's rent (+$235)
- pay flat fee for cost of carpet (me: $150-200 and having my roommate pay me back for the amount that i have to cover him, probably $500)

2. Fight it and goto court
- pay the rest of the month's rent ($235)
- pay carpet cleaning ($120)
- stress about court ruling
- possibly get money back from court ruling

Why collect rent when you can have an empty worthless building?

nax — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 08:04:39 -0800

How come renters need protection against foreclosure? I keep seeing news reports about legislation to keep renters from being displaced when the landlord goes belly up. Doesn't their lease do this already? What's the advantage to the bank of kicking out the renters while they try to sell the building?

State Farm is there? Not there?

greenland — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:27:47 -0800

Recommendations for renter's insurance carriers? We're in the NYC area and will be shopping around. Quotes are easy enough to get, but we'd feel better going into the fray with info on customer experiences, as well. Finding carriers and getting quotes is easy enough, but I can't seem to find any feedback, customer dissatisfaction, or reliable info regarding having to deal with State Farm/Nationwide/USAA/etc.? Googling (for me, anyway) brings up sites and user reviews that aren't as reliable as AskMe is, and Consumerist has surprisingly little in the way of user experiences.

Considering how cheap renter's insurance tends to be, we don't mind paying a little extra for better service. Any recommendations? Any carrier we should steer clear of? Any other advice? Thanks!

Is my former landlord being ridiculous or should I pay?

hworth — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:28:48 -0800

Illinois Renter/Landlord Filter: Is my former landlord being ridiculous or should I pay? Here's the details: I had leased an apartment through the end of June. The was no security deposit included in the lease. When I moved in the carpet was not in great shape. When I moved out it was worse, I realize I probably need to pay something for that, but my landlord is trying to charge me $232. Is that an outrageous amount?
Also, the landlord is trying to charge me $150 for cleaners that came in on June 26 before I had finished cleaning the apartment myself. I can't imagine the landlord has any legal basis for the cleaning charge. Correct?
The landlord is threatening to take me to small claims court. My question: Does she have any legal grounds for either of these claims? Or, is rug and apartment cleaning part of doing business as a landlord?

Suddenly homeless in Seattle

Atom12 — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:46:34 -0800

Friend in Seattle is suddenly homeless. Can anyone recommend some resources? A friend of mine broke up with his girlfriend. He moved into his new apartment Friday and got all his stuff out of the storage unit and into the new apartment.

Today at 4am he wakes up to the sound of rushing water. The fire department tells him to grab his stuff and get out. He's got three bags of clothes and that's it. The area flooded and his apartment is now under 5+ feet of water. He didn't have renter's insurance.

The SFD tried to get ahold of the Red Cross but nobody answered. He does have a job, but obviously no apartment anymore. I just got off the phone with him and he hasn't talked to the landlord yet.

Has anyone been through something similar? Obviously he's learned a lesson about insurance, so let's leave that one alone if we can. Thanks in advance.

Now that I'm out, she's keeping the cash!

dead_ — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:47:28 -0800

My landlord won't give me my deposit back. Is there anything I can do? I'll try and keep this as short as possible.

I had to leave my apartment due to the owner deciding to redevelop the property. The lease was terminated legally, and though I wasn't happy about moving out, things never escalated beyond a few impassioned phone calls to the landlord and owner.

Prior to moving I asked my landlord about inspecting the unit and getting the deposit ($585) back. She told me that the building maintenance man would come by and do a walk-through and that I didn't have to worry about it. I told her that was fine. A week later we chatted on the phone and I asked how it went (as I was not home when the man came by). She told me that everything looked fine, that any problems were just, "normal wear and tear on the apartment." I explained to her that the floors were still a bit dirty, and she responded by saying, "Oh, honey, that's no problem, it's normal wear and tear and we're going to steam clean them anyway."

She asked for my new address and told me she would be sending over the check after I had moved out on the 31st.

Well, an envelope came yesterday, sans check. Instead, there was a letter inside that stated aside from taking my belongings with me, I had not completed all of the tasks on the "moveout checklist," and as such would not be getting my deposit back. This checklist was attached to the initial form that had terminated my lease. She included the list with her letter and wrote that all unchecked items had not been taken care of. She also said she had digital pictures of the entire unit if I had any questions.

Now then. My deposit was for $585, and I know that I did not do that much damage to the apartment. The dirtiest part was the carpet--and I admit that it was indeed dirty. Her maintenance man, however, had come through and gave me the all clear on it. She also had said that it was fine and, in her words, "normal wear and tear." I also know for a fact that other tenants received free steam cleanings of their carpets from her, and I had brought up the quality of the carpet numerous times with her. Not all of the damage to it took place during my lease anyway.

The rest of the apartment was just fine. There was no damage to walls, appliances or windows. Aside from one broken light fixture (maybe $10), there was literally nothing wrong. I did not leave the apartment sparkling clean, but it was completely empty, vacuumed and wiped down.

As for the moveout checklist she had attached, it contained menial cleaning duties like "wipe down the counters" and "clean out the refrigerator." All of the items were unchecked, even though I had completed nearly 90 percent of them. For example, "mop the kitchen floor" was unchecked, even though I had mopped it. The few items that I actually hadn't completed were along the same lines: "dust the blinds," "clean out the bathtub," and "remove the shower curtain." (Which I might add was there when I rented the apartment to begin with! That's why I left it!)

I am livid about this situation, because I took good care of the apartment, and I feel as though my landlord is simply trying to screw me out of money. She hasn't answered or returned my phone calls yet, and even if she were to get a hold of me, I am unsure what to do! I'm in Nebraska, if that makes any difference.

Is there anything I can do to get my money back? What is the best way to proceed with this? Help!

Rental.. 8 months of utilites at once, mold in my destroyed bathroom, should I get a discount?

gradient — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:56:51 -0800

For the past 8 months my landlord has neglected to give us the utilities. He finally just gave them to me because I'm moving out. Total is $1500. Other issues include my torn apart bathroom complete with black mold. Should I get a discount on the utilities? For the past 8 months my landlord has neglected to give us the utilities. He finally just gave them to me because I'm moving out. Total is $1500.

4 months ago, my bathroom (one of 3.5) in the house was torn apart because the shower was leaking. Like completely gutted. Black mold was found underneath it. It's still there (after 4 months).

I'm forced to use a roommates bathroom that is inside(attached) to his room. For middle of the night pissing, I have to go down a flight of stairs to the half bath. Yeah, that blows. I can't take showers whenever I need to anymore. I can't take showers with my girlfriend cause that'd just be awkward.

My normal rent (with a working bathroom and no mold) was $700. I feel like I should get quite a heavy discount for two reasons:
1) Getting your utilities after 8 months? Why should I be stuck with a huge bill just because the landlord is too lazy to do 5 mins of dividing?
2) My bathroom is GONE! and there's black mold in it! It's literally 4 ft from my bedroom door.

So, what do you think? Should I get a discount on utilities for a lazy landlord?

I live in California.. if there's any laws for the mold/ unannounced construction.

What's the deal with Rental Insurance?

SansPoint — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 08:20:19 -0800

PhillyFilter: Moving to a new apartment in a slightly questionable neighborhood. What do I need to know about, and how much would I expect to pay for renter's insurance? I'm moving to my first apartment, a 4 bedroom, shared with two other people in North Philadelphia, right by the North Philadelphia station on the R8 (16th St. and Glenwood Ave.). The neighborhood could be better, but it's not bad at all, what with a nice new shopping center and supermarket nearby. Still, I'm worried that, as a college student, I might risk getting broken-in.

It's been suggested that I get renter's insurance, and it makes sense, but I'm a student. I don't know the details of how this stuff works. How much would I expect to spend per month? Should the policy cover all three of us? Can it be extended to a fourth person if we get one? How much should the policy cover, monetarily? We're all college students with all the associated high tech gizmos (computers, TV, iPods, game consoles, etc.). None of us has a car, however. Also, what company should I get this insurance with?

Thanks for your help! I can't wait to move in.

New House Renting Questions

Bondrake — Fri, 12 May 2006 18:35:16 -0800

I'm looking at renting a house with two or three friends. We're all young (early 20s) and I'm the only one that really has much of a credit history. What do I need to know about working this out? I am looking at places in Arizona in the Chandler, Tempe, Gilbert, Ahwatukee, and (possibly) Queen Creek markets. I'm looking in the $1,300-1,800/mo range and am hoping to get at least a 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 3 car garage house with a pool. Preferably 2 story.

I initially planned to just rent the house on my own and then just rent a couple of rooms out to my friends for $450/mo. However, I don't want to have to claim that as income and I'm worried if I do that I will need to do so. Can I avoid this as simply as having their name on the lease or do I need to worry about having them included in the application too? (I'm concerned about their credit)

Also, what is looked at when determining whether you qualify to rent a property at x rate? For example... how much money would you need to make to qualify to rent a house for $1,500/mo? I can afford about $1,300/mo on my own if I live somewhat frugally, but that is a large percent of my income.

Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

Can I insure my Digital camera against losing it?

leftfooter — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 11:38:33 -0800

having just lost an expensive digital camara, and having had to replace it, is their some type of insurance that covers losing such items? I know renters insurance covers you if you get broken into, but I'm more concerned with losing items in public. If there is something available, what does it cost, is it worth it ?? etc. I live in Austin, Texas.

Renters Insurance for Students?

rockstar — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 18:02:17 -0800

I'm a graduate student, living in a graduate dorm, and I need to purchase renters insurance. Which companies are student-friendly, reliable, and affordable?

renting privacy

fabesfaves — Mon, 09 May 2005 13:23:06 -0800

I've been renting an apartment for two years and am moving out when my lease is up at the end of July... Our landlords (a large realty company) send us at least two notices per week, telling us that our apartment might be shown on a given day or days, within a time frame of six hours. Without any exaggeration here, there are usually three days each week, including Saturday, where the company could stop by with prospective renters--a six hour period for each day. We find this incredibly disruptive. If we want to do anything private, we run the risk of having that interrupted by strangers coming through our house. We live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have read the building code, and have looked at our tenants union website. Nothing clarifies whether or not this is "legal"... I have mentioned to them that it is incredibly disruptive, and basically gotten a "Oh we know, we are sorry" in return. Can anyone tell me if this sounds wacky to them, too? And then what we can do about it? I know we only have three months left to "put up with it" but I think this is an extreme disruption of our privacy.

Renters Insurance

cmonkey — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 13:16:48 -0800

What's the best (cheapest) way to handle renters insurance?