Top Tenant-Landlord Legal Questions

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Top Tenant-Landlord Legal Questions

Oh My Apartment · Apr 7, 2008

We first started this blog in 2005 and we wanted to bring a few posts back to the forefront to help those of you who will be moving this spring or summer. Because landlord-tenant issues are so common, the most important legal posts are grouped below. We hope these are useful as you start planning your next move.

How to Break a Lease
Your apartment at “Buena Vista Village” looks out on a junkyard, is infested with roaches, your next-door neighbors are running a meth lab, your upstairs neighbor is a professional tap-dancer, your carpeting still smells like the urine of the previous tenant’s cats (which she definitely wasn’t allowed to have), your car has been broken into three times in the past month, and there are bullet holes in one wall of the complex that haven’t been covered up in the whole time you’ve been there. Read more…

3 Tips When You Break a Lease
You’re sick and tired of the sewer running through your apartment, your neighbors and their pets won’t stop running around above you, your car has been broken into twice within the last month, and all you want to do is just leave your apartment. Too bad you still have 6 months left on your lease. Before you threaten your landlord with leaving him with an empty apartment, make sure you know these 3 tips when you break you lease. Read more…

Decoding Your Lease’s Legal Jargon
Unless you’re a real estate lawyer, a landlord, or you just like reading over lease documents, the legal terminology in your lease might not be used in your everyday vocabulary. Terms such as buyout clause, sublease, and termination could help you break your lease, if you know how to use the legal jargon to your advantage. Here are a few general terms to help you through your lease. Read more…

How to Get Your Security Deposit Back
Ah, the security deposit… a financial burden when moving in, a blessing when moving out. There’s a reason it’s called a deposit–because you put money down only to cover excess damages that you might cause but, you’re almost guaranteed to get it back. Unless you cause extreme damage that your landlord can prove was your fault and existed after you moved out but before new tenants moved in, you deserve to have your deposit refunded in full. Normal wear and tear on the apartment is to be expected. However, some landlords won’t make the effort to get your money back to you unless you ask for it. Beyond making sure that your crazy friends don’t trash your apartment or that the kitten you’re secretly hiding in your room doesn’t claw up the carpet too badly, here are some steps to take to ensure you get your security deposit back. Read more…

Handling an Eviction Notice
You pay rent on time, keep your apartment reasonably clean, and you think you’re a darn good tenant. You’ve never even considered the possibility of being evicted. Even if you’re sure it’ll never happen to you, it’s important to know the details of the eviction process and the many reasons why you might be evicted. Those who pay rent on time may still be susceptible to eviction due to other factors. Read on to learn more about the various categories of eviction and your rights in each situation.

There are three main types of eviction notices, as well as a separate category of non-eviction notices to vacate. Each type of eviction notice–pay or quit, cure or quit, and unconditional quit–is described below, and the non-eviction notices are covered below. Read more…

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