Breaking a lease
Mazeroth
Posts: 1,585
Oh what fun I'm dealing with right now. I wrote a letter to the realty place we rent our townhouse from and gave them our 45 day notice. We've only signed 6 month leases since we moved in here and they've always expired at the end of September and March. The price for a 6 month and 1 year lease is the same per month so there's never been a reason for us to do the 1 year.
Well, I got a letter last night from the realty company with a photocopy of the lease we signed and they're saying it expires at the end of March, not September. The last page is the page we sign and there's no indicator or anything as to how long the lease is and when it expires on the last page. There are 3 vacancies right now out of a total of 28 townhouses so they're hurting a little bit. What I'm thinking they did is whipped up a quick front page that states the lease ends the end of March `08, photocopied that with our real lease, and are trying to play games with us.
The way we sign the lease is every 6 months they send out a copy of the charges and a place to check 6 month or 12 month. Once they receive it they whip up a lease and send it to us. We sign it and send it back. Simple.
Now I don't know what to do. I'm thinking of just playing along with these clowns and at the end of September moving out without warning. Rent is $699/month as was our security deposit so I'm thinking of not paying rent next month (I could literally skip rent for 2-3 months before they noticed, trust me) and when I move out, give them a friendly phone call telling them my security deposit is my last month's rent.
What do you guys think? Can they come after me or hurt my credit? Nowhere on that lease where we signed does it have any binding information. My wife and I also have 780-810 credit ratings from each of the 3 agencies so I'm not sure if they can really hurt that or not. I'm also not sure IF they report it that it would even go to those credit places, as I've heard there's a separate credit rating just for renting?
Anywho, I just thought I'd see what you guys would do if you were in my situation. We've rented here for 4 years straight and have never had a single problem so I don't know why they're trying to pull this **** with us.
Well, I got a letter last night from the realty company with a photocopy of the lease we signed and they're saying it expires at the end of March, not September. The last page is the page we sign and there's no indicator or anything as to how long the lease is and when it expires on the last page. There are 3 vacancies right now out of a total of 28 townhouses so they're hurting a little bit. What I'm thinking they did is whipped up a quick front page that states the lease ends the end of March `08, photocopied that with our real lease, and are trying to play games with us.
The way we sign the lease is every 6 months they send out a copy of the charges and a place to check 6 month or 12 month. Once they receive it they whip up a lease and send it to us. We sign it and send it back. Simple.
Now I don't know what to do. I'm thinking of just playing along with these clowns and at the end of September moving out without warning. Rent is $699/month as was our security deposit so I'm thinking of not paying rent next month (I could literally skip rent for 2-3 months before they noticed, trust me) and when I move out, give them a friendly phone call telling them my security deposit is my last month's rent.
What do you guys think? Can they come after me or hurt my credit? Nowhere on that lease where we signed does it have any binding information. My wife and I also have 780-810 credit ratings from each of the 3 agencies so I'm not sure if they can really hurt that or not. I'm also not sure IF they report it that it would even go to those credit places, as I've heard there's a separate credit rating just for renting?
Anywho, I just thought I'd see what you guys would do if you were in my situation. We've rented here for 4 years straight and have never had a single problem so I don't know why they're trying to pull this **** with us.
Post edited by Mazeroth on
Comments
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If they have your social, they can and probably will report it. It does show on your credit report. Think back to the application you filled out when you moved in.
Bad rental history is not something you want on your record, especially if house shopping / applying for a mortgage is in your near future.
Cheers,
RussCheck your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service. -
We've been preapproved for our house for a few months and are already in contract on one. They're in the middle of fixing a few minor things and then we're going to close on it. The mortgage broker is a close friend of my brother and will give me a no-BS answer so I'm probably going to give him a call Monday to see if this could potentially hurt us.
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First, you should have a copy of the lease. Make sure to go over every inch of it. I've heard of management companies trying to pull a fast when when vacancies are high in order to cover their ****. I made sure when we rented while trying to find our latest home to initialize each page, just to keep them in line.
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Get a copy of lessors rights, these should be available from your local courthouse free of charge. Real estate agents who rent property will try and screw you at every turn.Carl
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check your copy of the rental agreement and compare it to the new one they are flashing now.. and see if they match or if the new one has been altered.
Honestly, I don't know why rental companies try and screw with people like that.. **** happens... and sometimes we have to break a lease or move sooner than expected for a job or whatever reason. I don't know why they have to be such A-holes about it.
Yeah, yeah. I understand.. every vacant townhouse that sits empty is money they lose out on each month. i totally feel for them.. but you know what? Sometimes plans change and we can't fulfill the full term of a lease.
I say fight it with them.. or post an ad on Craigslist for someone to take over the remainder of your lease.. that way the rental company doesn't have an empty townhouse.
take Russ'ssss advice.. you don't want anything to hurt your good credit rating. sometimes it can take years or even a decade to repair damage that has been done to your credit.PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: -
We broke a lease once. We told them I got a job out of the city and was leaving, she wasn't happy but what can she do! So we gave her the 60days notice and that was that.
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We broke a lease once. We told them I got a job out of the city and was leaving, she wasn't happy but what can she do! So we gave her the 60days notice and that was that.
Just call the IRS on their ****.... and shut them down!!!! :rolleyes:
or
call the local health district and tell them the place is infested with rats.. the size of small beavers. Waaaaaaaa!PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: -
We broke a lease once. We told them I got a job out of the city and was leaving, she wasn't happy but what can she do! So we gave her the 60days notice and that was that.
What can she do? With most leases, they can charge you the monthly rent until the lease is over, or they find a new tennant. If you don't pay, they report you to the credit agency, and take you to court to recover what you owe. -
Real estate agents who rent property will try and screw you at every turn.
None that I know will, nor is that how we run our business. A good Realtor will help you in everyway possible, our business is built on referrals and repeat business, not on **** people for the meager commission on a few months of rental.
Cheers,
RussCheck your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service. -
If there are lease terms on the front page and your initials are not below the terms or at the bottom of the page, it can't be enforced. Your initials or signature should be at the bottom of every page.
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If there are lease terms on the front page and your initials are not below the terms or at the bottom of the page, it can't be enforced. Your initials or signature should be at the bottom of every page.
Not always true. In most legal action regarding real estate, intent, is the ruling factor. If you skip initialing a page, it does not invalidate the lease, or purchase and sale contract. Your intent is as clear as your signature on the appropriate pages.
If there are terms that appear on non-signature pages, and they are standard and accepted language, they should be initialed but aren't always. It's still binding.
If it were me, I'd play along with their game as the timeliness seems to suit his situation. I would, however, draft a simple document that states I owe nothing to the landlord and that there are no leases in effect.
In terms of credit, in MA, it would need to be a civil suit brought forth by the plaintiff and if found responsible, it would show up as a public record of a judgment against you. It carries less weight in the the computer scoring model than a late payment, and if you are lucky enough to have a 780 credit score like Thug, it will have little, but lasting impact. 7-10 years.
Yes, I am a broker in a combination law and real estate firm.-Ignorance is strength - -
None that I know will, nor is that how we run our business. A good Realtor will help you in everyway possible, our business is built on referrals and repeat business, not on **** people for the meager commission on a few months of rental.
Cheers,
Russ
+1
If not for people trusting me with their biggest investment ever, I would starve.-Ignorance is strength - -
None that I know will, nor is that how we run our business. A good Realtor will help you in everyway possible, our business is built on referrals and repeat business, not on **** people for the meager commission on a few months of rental.
Cheers,
Russ
It really depends on your area....There are only two Realtors that I will even talk to.....One being a retired pilot I served with, and the other has sold four people I know a home, in some cases more than one.....There are a whole lot of shady **** people around here...:mad:
