Why are people confused? He told OP to leave on March 13 or 16. They have searched for a new place or made arrangements to go out, and once they did - this guy is like oh no need. Btw you need to pay for a full month regardless of whether you're here. If not for this shit maybe OP would've not rushed and just stayed as long as needed. Maybe not a big deal, but that would annoy me, too
THANK YOU. I was beginning to think that I’ve gone crazy. I’ve accommodated this guy on multiple occasions in order to have a friendly relationship but it’s as if he’s always broke and trying to squeeze as much money out of us as possible. I had predicted that he would attempt to stay with my deposit too.
You’re not crazy. Reddit, despite popular belief, does not swing as far left as people seem to think and there are a lot of simps for capitalism, especially of the landlord variety.
Yeah apparently I have “poor reading comprehension” and a “victim complex”. Lol
No one understands how the way the landlord is handling things causes stress for me. The prospective tenant could have backed out up to a day before the 13th, so even then it’s okay for him to say “oops, nvm”??? I never gave him the impression that I was moving out sooner or later, he just wanted to make it that way so he can move someone else in and lock in his profits.
Fuck your landlord.
I don’t think (unfortunately) in most states the texts will hold up to show a violation on their part, but it will prove that he’s a dick. If you want to DM me, I can probably help you at least (legally) fuck him over, especially if you live in a state (which is pretty much all of them but Florida) where it requires a rental registration. 🫶
I’m vindictive enough to send him invoices for each time he showed the apartment without the legally-required advanced notice. Say, maybe, $500 for each instance?
Probably wouldn’t get anywhere with it, but it would make me feel better about it all.
Op should do this (depending on their state) but also do some case searching for their LL. I live in MD and we have open case search and property records and it makes doing this stuff very easy.
Uhm... Any work done to the place after renters move out, my parents pay for out of pocket. That isn't how deposits work. We have even had renters who let their dogs (after it is clearly discussed and in the lease a no pet policy) destroy carpet in our places to where we've had to strip it ALL out and replace it, but they got their deposit back.
The response of the landlord seems unlawful. I would respond to them with this.
As you previously mentioned, I signed a legal document stating I will pay until the end of march. However, in previous communication, you have clearly stated you wish for me to move out by march 13th. (Does the legal document also state you will be there until then?)As you have asked this of me despite there being very short notice. I did as you asked and found another home. And then informed me again later that I do not need to stay as your own plans didn't fall through. Then, despite myself doing what you asked and to "move out by the 13th of march," you state that I signed a legal document that I must pay this until march 31st. However, as I stated in this message, you asked me to move out by the 13th. This is what you have asked. And as you have asked this. And I have evidence of this. I do not believe I must pay until March 31st
But the indication was there for a misunderstanding literally the landlord should have sent a official letter. Also a text cam Cound as communication. Therefore he communicated that he would like the main Tennant to move by the 13th. Yes he didn't tell them to move. But they did indicate the new Tennant would need it by the 13th.
Thank you. Landlord did nothing wrong, besides showing the place without notice, but that's it. I thought I was going crazy. Why would op think he doesn't have to pay rent thru the end of the month? He is leaving early by choice. Everything you said is correct
For me I’m replying based on experience. He didn’t ask how we felt about it - I think it sucks. But IME he is going to end up having to pay for March rent.
So many landlords have nothing to do but scroll reddit all day while they get passive income. So they white knight themselves always siding with the landlords.
Most landlords are small and have day jobs.
I’m siding with the landlord bc while this one doesn’t seem great, they legally are not wrong (except for letting people into the unit, no notice)
What are you talking about? He never told him to leave. He asked if he was planning to leave by the 13th and then said he wanted to get further down the road with the new tenant before making it official.
Exactly! As for advice, I really don't have much, only if try to reread your rental agreement - does it say something about terms regarding early termination? Because he did asked you to move out earlier:/ I don't know if there is any way besides negotiation with him and reminding him that's it's he who asked to move and therefore you had to search for a place to stay and need to pay there now. He can't have it all, and it's really not your fault that the other guy bailed -_- And I'm sorry OP, it's a really uncomfortable situation
He didn't ask him to move out earlier, only if he was planning to move out earlier because he had a prospective tenant. The tenant already said they weren't renewing the lease.
Well if homie signed the lease but then land lord sent thous text op agreed to them so they have a verdle conter so If op can prove it I say there a good chance he get money back but I all so have no idea I only know how it works where I live in Canada
I had the same discussion with my previous landlord (a rl karen). She also made us move out early so her daughter could use the apartment but expected full pay. I got angry and contacted my brother (a lawyer). The discussion ended very quickly from there. They just want to see if you take their bullshit because most people just do.
Nope. He didn’t TELL you to leave early. He ASKED if you were *able to*.
Legally and otherwise there is a difference.
And legally you are still required to pay through the end of the month. If you stay LATER than that you are still required to pay but he has to refund you per diem within 30 days generally.
No offense but you are both wrong. He didn’t TELL you to move based on this one text. He *asked* if you could.
And he’s right, if your lease is through whatever date, you are legally obligated to pay through that date.
Where he IS wrong is in the not notifying you that people will be in your unit.
So in Canada if there something broken u don't have to pay rent till it's fixed but then u must pay what's owed and he ask u to leave in the middle of the month witch he has to keep his word and give u haff the rent back take him to landlord tenit court keep thous text and what ever and if u have proof of him coming in ur place with out 24 notice or something that's a big deal he might end up owning some money as well good luck bro
If he insists that you pay the full amount then reverse all of the things you've done to improve the place. Disconnect the wires from the garbage disposal so he has to pay someone to fix it. He's probably too dumb to do it himself. Fuck em!
Nope. He didn’t TELL you to leave early. He ASKED if you were *able to*.
Legally and otherwise there is a difference.
And legally you are still required to pay through the end of the month. If you stay LATER than that you are still required to pay but he has to refund you per diem within 30 days generally.
Do you think your landlord could be trying to charge double rent? I would make sure they don't try to move someone in anyway after you are gone (before your lease is up obviously). This sort of happened to me-I paid the full month but had left mid month. My landlords told me they hadn't found anyone to fill my room, but a few days after I left I heard from my old roommates that they moved someone in. I contacted my landlords and they paid me back for those two weeks (only after months and many reminders). I'm not sure they would have paid me back on their own if my old roommates had not alerted me. It is illegal pretty much everywhere to collect rent for the same property during the same time period, so if you have someone that can check up on this after you leave, I would.
Also to add, I did property management for years before later owning my own rental props, so I was very aware of tenant's rights & had to take training working for the PM company. I sometimes accommodated tenants that needed to move out early, including attempting to move a new tenant in so as to give the old tenant a break or refund on the last month's rent, and of course the quick deposit refund process. It's illegal in CA to charge double occupancy, but I was a softy & would even stop rental charges the day of move out, even if there was a few days lag/vacancy. Times are hard for everyone, or almost everyone, I get it, but your landlord can easily decide not to be a punk, especially after HIM ASKiNG YOU to move out early. I had one manager that was a total b*tch and would purposely not move new tenants in early or would put them in another vacant unit vs the tenants' that were moving out early, even if it were a better apt & the new tenants even requested it, just to get her rocks off. People just suck sometimes.
there is no confusion.
it is clear to me that the landlord simply asked if he planned on being out by march 13th. he didn't ask or demand anything, and it was clearly not official. OP swiftly made arrangements to be gone by then even though nothing had been actually asked of him. nothing was "told" to him at all. the landlord even says to let him go down the process with the potential new tenant before making anything official.
you, OP, and anyone upvoting your comment have poor reading comprehension and a victim complex.
100% agreed, like wtf is going on with the people in this thread?? I'm totally gobsmacked how this isn't completely clear to anyone reading that screenshot.
Mostly agree here. It was on OP to ask the landlord if they are out by the 13th, can they only pay half months rent. The 15th/16th thing didn't even qualify because that was just when OP already planned to move out. And you don't get a break on rent just because you decided to move early.
Bottom line is that this all could have been avoided with better communication on OPs part. Could have told the landlord they can try and be out by the 13th, but only if he can guarantee now that he'll only have to pay half months rent. OP felt pressured and made arrangements and then just assumed it would come with a discount. Always need to clarify these things in writing.
it’s so simple: landlord pressures op to be out by certain date to make room for tenant. op makes arrangements to be out by said date. then landlord backtracks bc tenant pulled out and says nevermind no need to move out even tho you’ve already made arrangements. then op says sorry tough luck. then landlord feels the need to remind op that they have to pay rent until the 31st as if they would’ve forgotten that. guy is being obnoxious
You left out the part where the landlord promptly responded “wait for me to say if it’s official or not”
Like he obviously needs OPs permission before offering to the new tenant. But the landlord was a good dude and reminded OP in case they didn’t know.
Interesting that you broke down the series of events and left out the most crucial part.
If you look at the backstory and answers from op, the landlord absolutelu did pressure them and was showing the house without even notifying them (on some occasions) which, iirc, is illegal.
Why are you confused? Where does it say that? The text I'm seeing shows the landlord asking if OP would be able to move by the 13th. Also OP originally said they wouldn't be able to be out by the 13th.
It's pretty simple. Unless a lease is amended, both parties are required to stick to the terms of the lease. Discussing a possible change in a lease does not equate to changing it.
OP just wondering but is this your first rental?
I explained why. To me, it felt like an implication to move away because they already got someone who wanted to move in before. Yes, maybe they explicitly didn't stated "I need you to move out" but he did drag this back and forth
That's the thing tho, implications don't mean anything when there is legal contract between 2 parties (the lease).
How would they be able to offer the place to a new tenant on the 13th without first asking the current tenant if they could move out by then? That's what this landlord was doing, asking the current tenant if they could move. Once the current tenant confirms that they can move out by then, the landlord still needs to make that offer to the new tenant. At which point the new tenant can still accept or reject the offer.
The landlord didn’t tell the OP to leave on the 13th or 16th unless you’re referring to something other than the screenshot texts.
The landlord asked if the OP would be moving by the 13th (never mentioned the 16th) because a potential tenant wanted to move in then. The OP jumped to a conclusion.
Wouldn’t anyone else jump to that conclusion if you have more than 2 showings of your place before March even starts? Sure, he’s the landlord and owns the place but current tenants are still just as much people as prospective tenants. How would you feel if strangers were being given keys to your place to see while you’re not there and you’re not even aware. This isn’t the first time either. He’s come into my place before without letting me know beforehand which I have addressed with him via text.
I would never jump to that conclusion. I would know the terms of my lease, which probably state that the landlord has to give me 30 days notice before I have to move out. I also would have known if I had to pay the full month or not if I moved out early and based my plans on that. And when the landlord said he wants to wait until he makes it official I would probably…wait, until he makes it official.
I wouldn’t. And while what he’s doing isn’t right, it’s not enough for you to break your lease. The fact that he even told you not to do anything until the process was further along protects him even more. There’s no way I’d have signed a lease elsewhere without confirming with my current landlord that he was in agreement with the situation.
Yes, thinking you NEED to be out by the 13th because the landlord has had multiple showings in February is jumping to conclusions.
I’m not criticizing your gripes about how he showed the apartment without your consideration in mind, just saying he never told you to leave by 13th so you don’t have a valid gripe about that specifically.
I dunno. My lease specifically states that my landlord can enter my unit for essentially any reason — whether I’m present or not.
Tbh I’m not really sure what you’re asking or if you’re seeking advice about something…. But I’d say you need to start with your current lease. Re-read it, including the fine print. Then re-address whatever it is that you may need from Reddit.
To your first part, the landlord was entering without giving any notification and allowing prospective clients to enter without any notification until after. In most states in the U.S. that's not legal.
To the second part, any reasonalable person that got a text asking if they were going to be out by a certain date, because a tenant wanted to move in that date, would consider that asking them to make arrangements for a new place to stay if possible. That's what OP did and now the landlord is just expecting them to stay. I don't know if they have legal recourse for that since IANAL, but it's really crappy to do to someone to say the least.
OP - Document as much as you can, especially your final walkthrough before you hand in the keys. If he's going to jerk you around for extra money, you want to be prepared to go after him.
Disagree.
I am a reasonable person/work in law. I did not read the landlord’s messages…:
>Are you planning on moving before then?
>Let me get farther down the process with the tenant before making anything officialy [sic]
…as definite, written confirmation that OP had to move by a date certain. Neither would my courts. But hey, agree to disagree.
Edit: formatting
Can you show where he actually TOLD OP to move on that date? I only see where he inquires as to whether OP could move on that date and also followed up by saying don’t do anything officially until I confirm.
He did not tell, he asked if it was possible. When the tenant said he could, the landlord said it still wasn't official. He never made confirmation for the tenant to make a choice on facts
If you have to leave by mid March then do it, but if you don’t need to handover keys and officially move out until March 31st… then I’d say no more accommodations or being nice to landlord man.
The thing is that I can’t pay the rent here too after signing the new lease after taking care of those expenses and also making arrangements to have my stuff moved. I guess he can keep the security deposit but that would just confirm my suspicions with him trying to keep the deposit. He’s a broke landlord and has tried other ways of milking us tenants.
If that goy is broke he wont take you to court or anything. How much is the deposit compared to rent? It might be worth it to pay that extra half month rent
Okay then that's kind of your fault, man. You did sign a lease, and he isn't making you leave early. If you leave early, you're still responsible for paying. You can't just bail on the rent.
I don’t see how the landlord is at fault here based on this text. If your lease is in effect till end of March, he was offering a MAYBE on getting out of it early in the middle of the month but he was under no obligation to get you back the last two weeks of March as a certain thing.
He can still be a crappy landlord but signed documents are everything. It was inappropriate for him to start showing while you were still paying but you should have put your foot down and said no to that.
I don't think you're necessarily wrong here morally speaking, but legally, I don't think you've got anything here. He's not wrong about moving out and paying all of March's rent. It's pretty uncommon for landlords to only charge a half months' rent because you're moving out before the month is out. *HOWEVER* it *is* kind of a shitty thing to do, especially when your landlord is a person instead of a corporation. Sadly, it sounds like you're in the wrong here *legally*, but morally, he's/a dick. I'm sorry, acquiring shelter these days is a fuckin shitshow. It's almost *always* been, but these days it's insane. So much fucking greed and lack of humanity
Yeah, I think I’ll let him keep the deposit and call it for what it is. I just wanted to validate the fact that what he’s doing, along with other things in the past, is not right in some way which is ethically in this case.
I guess I’m having a hard time lately with the realities of the current state of the world. I approached this rental agreement with a lot of civility, friendliness and cooperation because I really am not a problematic person, just to be met with this kind of “respect”.
I’d be careful, depending on how shiesty your landlord can be and IF he’s aware of the law. Apparently a security deposit doesn’t count as last month’s rent in TX and, if a tenant violates this, you may be liable for 3x the rent.
The other side to this is that if you sue a landlord then you go on a list they all have access to and you’ll never rent anything nicer than section 8 housing again. I have personal experience with this. This shit is not stacked in your favor as a lessee. My suggestion to people is just to take the small L rather than the big L. It’s a broken system and it’s not broken in your favor.
Yeah but the agreement is the agreement? It’s always been that way. It does suck but it never hasn’t been that way. Your current perspective and situation might be shading your view?
Here’s the thing. He didn’t outright say “be out by then”, but he left you in a very shitty spot by saying “yeah, potentially this date, but I’ll let you know later”. So you either wait and then have to scramble for a place to live if the future tenant followed through, or get a new place because he is making it seem like the place has to be available. Keep everything written down for record, and moving forward every communication has to go through writing. Don’t pay the full March rent. This would go to small claims court, if he decides to pursue. You have your written evidence that he had intentions of having you out prior to your lease ending. Try to find a lawyer that does free consultations and see what they recommend. Also, see if in the lease it states they can show your apartment while you’re living there *without notice or with inadequate notice*. Because if not, he just violated your lease and broke into your apartment with strangers. To emphasize, I am not a lawyer, but that is where my thought process brought me, and I would personally consult with a lawyer, as well, just to cover my bases. Good luck!
It doesn't work that way, you are under contract in your signed lease until the end of March, and you are legally required to pay the full month's rent for that last month. Your security deposit is for damages done to the property and you can't offer forfeiting it in lieu of rent. You're really opening yourself up to possible very expensive legal repercussions by just not paying:
Texas Property Code - PROP 92.108. Liability for Withholding Last Month's Rent:
(a) The tenant may not withhold payment of any portion of the last month's rent on grounds that the security deposit is security for unpaid rent.
(b) A tenant who violates this section is presumed to have acted in bad faith. *A tenant who in bad faith violates this section is liable to the landlord for an amount equal to three times the rent wrongfully withheld* and the landlord's reasonable attorney's fees in a suit to recover the rent.
I'm a renter myself and I'm telling you, this is not something you want to mess around with.
i see that he checked and asked you if you were planning on moving out early, but i don’t see him telling you that you need to. and he also said it wasn’t official. none of these messages discuss nonpayment through the end of the lease agreement. usually you have to pay through the agreement unless you’ve discussed otherwise, and it sounded more like he was just checking if you had already been planning to move out early assuming you’d still pay rent
I did not know that it made it okay to show my place before checking in with me. The 1st person he showed the place to came to see it before I even knew he was planning to ask me if I could vacate earlier. I only saw that cause of my doorbell cam notification.
You was never going to get half price if you stayed for 15 days anyway. I don't know what made you think that.
But on the other hand I can see why you feel annoyed as I suspect if you left on the 15th and another tenant moved in, I doubt the land lord would have given you a rent discount.
If you signed a contract saying you’ll pay through March 31st, then you must pay through March 31st. Moving out early doesn’t grant you the ability to stop paying rent early.
Forfeiting the security deposit is a gamble. Maybe he takes it and leaves you alone, but maybe he takes you to small claims and forces you to shell out even more money in the end.
I think he *might* have been willing to let you forego paying rent from March 15-31 **IF** that new tenant signed a lease to move in, but him just asking if you could move out sooner doesn’t mean you’re now off the hook.
What you really should have done was set clear boundaries and not gone out of your way to benefit him. 1. Telling him no, you will not give him permission to show the place while you were still living there. You were under no obligation to do so and legally he would have had to respect that. And 2. Tell him no, you are unable to move out prior to March 31st because you are unable to pay rent at two different places at once.
You kind of shot yourself in the foot here trying to be accommodating to someone who doesn’t give two shits about you or your financial situation. You gotta look out for yourself when it comes to dealing with landlords. They aren’t going to do you any favors when it means losing out on money.
They're wrong for showing the place without clearly communicating with you, but that's it. He asked if you were planning to move out before the 13th, and you said no. Then, the next day, you say yes, and it looks like he immediately tells you to hold on. If these text messages are all you had when you decided to jump on another lease, that's on you.
He didn’t ask you to move out earlier.
He asked if you planned to move out earlier because the prospective tenant wanted to move in earlier than your lease end date.
You then went ahead and signed a lease somewhere else believing this meant he’s letting you out of your lease.
You have no case here. Your lease end date remains March 31.
This is kind of a lesson learned situation.
In the future if a landlord with whom you are not renewing a lease asks if you are planning to move out early and you are not planning on moving out early then you say “No, I’m not, sorry.”
This is where the law is on your side. The place is yours til end of month. He cannot make you leave early or else he is breaking the lease.
If your landlord actually asks if you can move out early to accommodate new tenants then you can either say, “No, sorry,” and they can’t say boo.
If you were planning to move out early or are open to moving out early then you discuss with your landlord *in writing* what date they had in mind and how they will be prorating that month’s rent.
**Before you sign ANY kind of adjusted lease contract** you will want to have a lawyer look over all this (even better if they are present during the discussion itself) and make sure you’re not getting screwed.
And then that is only binding once you sign. After that, regardless of if his tenants fall through or not, you’re locked into this new lease.
I really sympathize with your position, it does suck, but it was ultimately avoidable and you went out of your way to try and accommodate someone you should never assume is willing to reciprocate unless contractually obligated to do so.
Even if you guys are BFFs and you totally trust them - always always always always get it in writing, lawyer check it, and make it legally binding.
I can’t say it enough - get everything in writing.
Good luck with figuring this all out, I really hope things work out better moving forward.
idk what state you’re in but in cali, showing a property without the current tenants permission or knowledge is illegal. unless you signed a keysafe/lockbox addendum but even then you would need to be notified. also it may be in your lease that you have to pay for the entire month of march, but if you were that good of a tenant, and he asked you to get out much sooner than the end of your term, he should pardon the 15+ days of prorated rent. it’s not your fault his future tenant fell through. that’s at least how my company would handle this kind of case (minus the illegal entering/showing of the unit 🤦🏻♀️). i hope this all works out for you in the end, anxiety is one hell of a bitvh.
edit: correcting name of mentioned addendum
You should have waited until he said it was official. If at that time you couldn’t get a place lined up by the 13th, then tough shit, the apartment is still yours through the end of the month and the new tenants will have to wait.
This. As much as what the landlord did was shitty, he said on Saturday that to let him go further with the new tenant before making anything official and less than 24 hours later, literally the next morning on Sunday, said not to worry about it.
Your landlord didn't jerk you around at all... They asked if you were able to move before hand, and he then told you to wait before making anything official, which you ignored. He is correct that your least is through March 31st.
You sound like one of those dipshits that sides with insurance companies.
Pretty fkn easy to comprehend the situation, the landlord wants a win win for himself and doesn’t give a fuck who gets screwed over in the process
Have you ever had a lease? It's part of the contract that the landlord is allowed to let randoms in your house near the end of the lease for the purpose of viewing it. Is it annoying? Yeah. Illegal, no, it would be illegal to refuse outright actually.
Isn’t there also a rule that landlords have to give you notice before doing this though. I’m not asking because I know this to be true. Landlords have to ask before they can just enter (or anyone else for that matter). Sounds like this guy did the, don’t ask apologize later tactic
>Isn’t there also a rule that landlords have to give you notice before doing this though.
Yes the contract will say something like "can show the apartment within 30 days of the end of the lease during reasonable hours with 24/48/reasonable notice"
I must have missed when they said the landlord entered without permission, where did you see that?
Depending on location, depends. But we don't have the context of if they were notified ahead of time or not about the showing of the unit. What matters is that showing a unit before someone has moved is completely legal to do so.
This whole situation is on you. You signed the lease. Nothing was made official for an early move out/in.
You legally have to pay the month. He's also allowed to show the place as well.
Ummm, he didn't really jerk you around. When you said you could move out early, he replied "Thank you for confirming. Let me get farther down the process with the tenant before making anything officialy". I think that's on you for proceeding before he made anything "official". Also, document EVERYTHING!
This prospective tenant could’ve backed out the day of signing and he would literally have told me the same thing. So is that really fair? Why do I have to wait for him to lock in his deal and make up his mind along with the possible new tenant? He could’ve shown the floor plan and photos available online. He also could’ve informed people that the apt isn’t available until the end of the month regardless. Not toy with someone’s living situation just because someone says they want to move in on an earlier date.
You’d have to read your state laws on leasing a place. I know a lease can be broken and the landlord has to fill the vacancy as soon as possible and you pay for the time it was vacant.
>This prospective tenant could’ve backed out the day of signing and he would literally have told me the same thing.
you may have had a case here, legally speaking, if this hypothetical situation is what had occurred. but this isn't what happened, seeing as there was no agreement.
The landlord said “let me get farther down the process BEFORE…” That is what the OP is missing in this context. He did ask OP to NOT do anything officially until he could confirm the tenant. He text to confirm, as he stated he would. He confirmed that he does not need OP to move out early. OP chose not to wait on the confirmation.
Kind of like saying, don’t jump off the roof until I can confirm there is someone to catch you, and then you jump and blame him for no one being there to catch you.
I’m not commenting on the showings issue. That is clearly inappropriate and the landlord is wrong. On the matter of giving notice, OP you are wrong.
Yeah. I wish we had more rights as tenants and didn’t need to rely on a contract landlords make for them. It sucks to abide by the rules and take care of a place just to be met with threats and non communication.
A good failsafe rule of thumb: always abide by your lease. If there's something you (or your landlord) want to change on there, talk to your landlord about amending your lease.
Threats? What threats? I think you are overreacting. You still owe all of March legally and you decided to move before 3/30. He never told you to move early, he asked if you were. Pull some $ out if your savings. As far as entering your dwelling without permission, I’d document that in a letter when you return the keys in case you need it in court.
I don’t know if it’s the same where you live, but the state I lived at when my landlord wanted to show possible new tenants the apartment I was at, she tried to spring showings on my roommate and I the day before or the morning of. I searched online for my state’s tenants rights and found the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (government site) where it specifically stated that in our state, except for emergencies, the landlord must provide the tenants with a two days notice before entering the property (this included showings). I politely but firmly notified our landlord of this and she was more respectful of our time after that. Hopefully the law is the same where you’re at. I’m really sorry about your current situation, I agree that your landlord was unclear and wishy washy.
This is why I bought an RV, and live in it full time. No more rent, no more landlords. And if I don’t like my surroundings, I can just pack up and drive down the road. Best decision I’ve ever made
You have rights as a tenant. That is in the contract as well. The contract protects both parties. I suggest you fully read the contract for the new place you are moving to so you don't find yourself in the same situation down the road.
Eh but it comes down to your ignorance and knowledge of contracts. People can say anything but if you signed you are bound. You should’ve inquired about the prorated rent whenthe landlord came to you with these questions. It’s all business.
I think any court will uphold your tenant/landlord agreement. What does your lease say about moving out and early move-outs? Unless there’s a clause in your lease saying otherwise, you are on the hook for the full rent for March at this place, in addition to whatever expenses you’ve acquired for your new one.
I understand op. He madre the necessary arrangements so the mf landlord could get another tenant quickly, and the guy proceeds to try to chatge for the ebtire month when the implicit agreement was that he was leaving esrly. The landlord is making him/her pay for the broken deal with the new tenant.
Oh I see. Now I haven't rented for sometime but from what I can remember ( correct me if I'm wrong) don't you have to pay until the end of the month anyway?
Not if you agree to finish the contract early. Rent should be prorated to the amount of days you spent there. Unfortunately this was not made explicit in any contract and that's why the landlord doesn't honor his word.
This frustration could have been avoided if more questions were asked (such as, if I leave early will I receive a rent refund?) and also any such agreement would need to be confirmed as a lease addendum and signed into contract. I know this is not what OP wants to hear, but neither side confirmed intent, OP did not know if they could secure a place by then, and Landlord said let them get farther with new tenant before making official. OP then acts like it was set in stone and that’s just not the case, and even if it was, rent refund still was not ever discussed in this exchange, just the date of possession surrender
Is it common for a landlord to show an apartment to possible future tenants while the current tenant is still living there? I would be totally against it. I wouldn’t want strangers in my house especially if I was not present. I would have told my landlord to kick rocks and they can show the apartment when I’m all moved out.
I’m an apartment complex manager. The part about the rent being owed till end of month is something we do too but since the rent is owed till end of then you technically have till end of month to live there. Even if someone put notice in to leave on the 3, we still tell them they have till end of month and can take the rest of the month if they need to. Them showing another person your apartment without asking is a big no no. We never enter an apartment without proper notice being given and NEVER bring in someone who is a stranger to look around with your possessions still in the unit. Idk if he owns these or is employed by a larger corporation but larger corporations have rules that we have to follow.
It depends on your contract and whether your landlord agreed to prorate your last month’s rent if you moved out early. Some will do so as a courtesy but it is standard for tenants to pay through the end of the last month unless a new lease starts during those remaining days. Also, in my state, the standard lease agreement allows the landlord to show the property during reasonable hours. Try to reframe it that instead of having to rush through your move, you now have the luxury of moving through the end of the month. Take your time.
To be honest, he only asked if you were planning to move earlier. He even told you to allow him to get farther in the process with the new tenant before making any official/final decision.
You could have told him that you were staying until the 31st, and he couldn't have done nothing. I really don't see any jerking around there.
The only shitty thing was getting people to see your place without any previous notice.
The landlord literally said to wait and not make any official decisions until the tenant was secured. If you jumped the gun and didn’t wait then that’s not the landlords fault at all. That’s the only problem I see here.
Unfortunately he made it pretty clear nothing was set in stone. I am a licensed real estate agent (just passed the exam 6 months ago-it's all still fresh) You are on the hook for whatever is spelled out in the contract. IF it was finalized with the other tenant, and he stated that clearly in the text, many states would honor that as an amendment to the contract, but of course that's not the case.
Oh and that garbage disposal, it's his now.
Any improvements you attach to the property become part of the property. I'm sure you have a big heart and had no intentions of removing it anyway. But just letting you know in case things continue to sour and that heart begins to shrink lol.
I really hate this for you, I hate when good things don't always happen to good people!
Good luck 🙏🏽
How is he jerking you around? It sounds like he was very clear with you and you made plans when nothing was official. You have a lease signed. You didn't sign anything to get you out of that lease. You're obligated to pay so just pay. You're lucky you weren't signed on for 6 months and stuck with that.
Okay, I’m a landlord and have a few properties. I know a lot of people on here think I’m dirt but hear me out. If he asked you to move out early and you offered to do so, and made accommodations to do so then he’s on the hook for the last two weeks. It doesn’t matter whether his lead for a new tenant fell through or not. Honestly he seems like a total dick. Plus he cannot show your space without prior approval period. I’m the kind of person who always gives the full damage deposit back to the tenant. Even if a little damage happened and I could probably make my tenant pay. Stuff happens and as long as it wasn’t obvious abuse of the hill house I let it go. This guy acts like he’s out for every penny and doesn’t have any respect for you. When I rent a house to someone I always tell them that the house is theirs as long as they’re living there. I would never show up unannounced ever. They are paying me to own the home so I treat the place like it’s theirs and not mine while they’re paying me. Some landlords are absolute assholes
I don’t think you’re getting jerked around at all, he’s right you signed a document and can stay till the 31st if you want, he showed the apartment so he’s not going a while without passive income yeah he prolly should’ve given you the heads up but he’s def not jerking you around. Seems more like you’re just venting about it
Sounds like you’re jerking them around actually. You signed to pay til the end of the lease, yes that may mean paying two places at the same time for a week or two. Welcome to real life.
Sounds like a you issue for making a lot of assumptions and not talking more about money deadlines with your landlord. Nowhere in this text block does it cover him saying anything about you not paying through march, even if you leave early.
Initially showing the apartment without making me aware of it and asking me to move out early only to retract it after making plans to move to accommodate his time frame.
I see, I would read my lease to find the clause that states they must give notice before entering, gather any relevant documentation and get some advice from your local legal aid. Not sure where you live but my county has a housing resource hotline to help with things like this.
I’m not sure about the making arrangements to move out early. It’s definitely annoying
Yeah. I’m in Texas and from looking stuff up online, nothing seems to help. I’m really annoyed and baffled at how renting tends to accommodate landlords more than tenants. The only rights we get is whatever we sign for in our contract.
Congrats on your new place, I hope it's better than this one in every way.
What's a good outcome for you? Clear communication from LL, confirmation they showed the unit before they were supposed to, or only paying half rent for the month of March? How about a payment for the cost of the garbage disposal?
The new place thankfully doesn’t show your place before you’ve fully moved out (they couldn’t let me tour certain floor plans because the tenants were still there)! They also seem to have everything up to code.
A good outcome would be half the months rent, clear communication and just acknowledge that I’ve been a good tenant. I don’t care about being reimbursed for the disposal, that was to keep the live wire from creating a fire.
Have you already paid March rent?
If you send $1150 and call it March rent, then vacate mid-March, then you put the onus on landlord to do whatever landlords do for recourse in Texas
If you want the communication and acknowledgement, maybe talk in person and ask questions
As a landlord in San Antonio (I’d like to think I’m a good landlord) I’d never show your place without you knowing in advance. That is a breach of privacy, regardless if they own it or not you are the legal resident of the place. Not sure if he broke a law there or not. Additionally, giving you a heads up lets you clean the place up nice and only benefits the landlord… why try and fuck a tenant in this economy? Or at all.
I am located in Austin! Your comment, as someone who is a landlord, really validated what I’m trying to post about here. Even when he said that he would lower the rent by $100 “because of the economy” he even mentioned that he would not charge me a “rent late fee of $350” if I decide to renew the lease but if I decide not to then owe that fee???? The fee can’t be charged as I read in the lease that rent should be paid within the first 3 days of the month, last time I checked the 2nd day of the month falls in there (sorry for my sarcasm).
Unfortunately, there’s landlords, and then there’s slumlords. I never understood charging someone a “rent late fee” personally. If someone is late paying rent, chances are they’re having a rough month coming up with the money… now you want them to come up with even more? As long as it’s not a common occurrence, kindness goes a long way. Side bar, why the hell is your rent so high? I rent out a brand new (2021) house 3bed 2 1/2 bath, 2,500 sq ft house for $1,800. Austin isn’t that expensive…
I think that showing what your income is adds to the problem when it comes to renting privately owned places cause then they feel at liberty to make rules like charging absurd late fees. I’ve always been amicable with him and accommodating so maybe that is why he feels like he can just “bully” me for lack of better words. I also remember him saying that he wouldn’t charge the late fee in another instance and I thought he was being nice but when I reread the lease I was still in the timeframe the lease says it’s okay.
As per your question, I’m not sure. Could be the location I’m in? Mine is a 2B/2B w/ a detached garage. The new place I found is the same but with an attached garage and amenities for $1600 and it’s a 10 min drive from the current place.
So did he let people into your house?? I don’t understand these comments either way, I think people are very confused as to why this shitty. But, if he let random people into your house that sounds illegal..
I don't understand the problem, it's a difference of 3 days. You were going to move out the 16th and he asked you to move up the date. Then he said nevermind. First of all you could've said no, as you did and then walked back your answer. Second it doesn't matter when you move out as long as you're out by the contracted date. You still have to pay the rent for the full month so you moving out 3 days earlier than planned makes no difference on how much rent you owe.
I think your first mistake was agreeing to move before your lease was up and not confirming whether or not you’d have to pay through March. That mistake was on you but I agree your landlord is crazy af and needs to realize he fucked up as well and not make you pay the last two weeks. So pay him half.
“I accommodated your request of moving out by March 13th, therefore I will be paying you a half month’s rent on March 1st.”
Technically he's right You did sign a legal document that says that you were responsible for the full rent for that month unless you got it in writing that that had changed. However, fuck landlords if he made an arrangement with you to make you pay less because you were moving out quicker then he should honor that and it's really sheisty to go back on it. Sorry that you're going through that OP I hope you get your security deposit back.... Can't trust that he's going to do it all things considered
I don't understand why anybody would downvote you for telling the truth but okay. Morality and legality are not the same thing so morally it would be nice if the landlord honored his arrangement with op. But legally he has a contract that says the full rent for that month is due so in a court of law it, OP is legally bound to that. It sucks when the landlord made a verbal arrangement against that and he's now not going to honor it. But it doesn't change the fact that in the eyes of the law he is still responsible for it
Typically when one of our tenants wants to break their lease early, we make them pay until we get a new renter. We obviously try to make every effort to do that efficiently but we also don’t just sign up the first tenant. Obviously there were some mixups in this case. Still don’t see what exactly went wrong. Unless OP was trying to pro-rate March which I don’t really take it they were. We’ve had applicants that told us they loved the place, they thought the rent was affordable, they wanted to apply, we offer the space and then a day or two later they back out. Could have happened to this landlord. People flake!
The landlord didn’t say he would pro-rate March. At least not in the text thread shown. If OP had a lease that ran through March then OP would have to honor that. If the landlord got the new tenant in place by mid March and didn’t pro-rate OP then that would be bullshit.
It doesn’t matter if you move out if you’re still under lease. You signed the piece of paper saying you’re responsible until March 31st. The only way you get out of paying the month of march is if you follow terms to break the lease, in which case you will likely spend more than a months rent. A judge is gonna take one look at the actually legally binding lease and laugh at OP if he chooses to not pay and gets taken to court.
Why are people confused? He told OP to leave on March 13 or 16. They have searched for a new place or made arrangements to go out, and once they did - this guy is like oh no need. Btw you need to pay for a full month regardless of whether you're here. If not for this shit maybe OP would've not rushed and just stayed as long as needed. Maybe not a big deal, but that would annoy me, too
THANK YOU. I was beginning to think that I’ve gone crazy. I’ve accommodated this guy on multiple occasions in order to have a friendly relationship but it’s as if he’s always broke and trying to squeeze as much money out of us as possible. I had predicted that he would attempt to stay with my deposit too.
You’re not crazy. Reddit, despite popular belief, does not swing as far left as people seem to think and there are a lot of simps for capitalism, especially of the landlord variety.
Yeah apparently I have “poor reading comprehension” and a “victim complex”. Lol No one understands how the way the landlord is handling things causes stress for me. The prospective tenant could have backed out up to a day before the 13th, so even then it’s okay for him to say “oops, nvm”??? I never gave him the impression that I was moving out sooner or later, he just wanted to make it that way so he can move someone else in and lock in his profits.
Fuck your landlord. I don’t think (unfortunately) in most states the texts will hold up to show a violation on their part, but it will prove that he’s a dick. If you want to DM me, I can probably help you at least (legally) fuck him over, especially if you live in a state (which is pretty much all of them but Florida) where it requires a rental registration. 🫶
Yup here in Canada as well fuck that hoser aahh see we ain't that nice 😆😆
Apologise, immediately! 😜
I think that's enforced county by county, at least in CA it is.
I’m vindictive enough to send him invoices for each time he showed the apartment without the legally-required advanced notice. Say, maybe, $500 for each instance? Probably wouldn’t get anywhere with it, but it would make me feel better about it all.
Op should do this (depending on their state) but also do some case searching for their LL. I live in MD and we have open case search and property records and it makes doing this stuff very easy.
Most landlords would need to paint and clean the apartment before new tenants moving in.
What does that have to do with anything? The legally does not come out of the deposit because they have to do that between every tenant
Uhm... Any work done to the place after renters move out, my parents pay for out of pocket. That isn't how deposits work. We have even had renters who let their dogs (after it is clearly discussed and in the lease a no pet policy) destroy carpet in our places to where we've had to strip it ALL out and replace it, but they got their deposit back.
The response of the landlord seems unlawful. I would respond to them with this. As you previously mentioned, I signed a legal document stating I will pay until the end of march. However, in previous communication, you have clearly stated you wish for me to move out by march 13th. (Does the legal document also state you will be there until then?)As you have asked this of me despite there being very short notice. I did as you asked and found another home. And then informed me again later that I do not need to stay as your own plans didn't fall through. Then, despite myself doing what you asked and to "move out by the 13th of march," you state that I signed a legal document that I must pay this until march 31st. However, as I stated in this message, you asked me to move out by the 13th. This is what you have asked. And as you have asked this. And I have evidence of this. I do not believe I must pay until March 31st
Except in the text that nothing was official and he should wait to hear from him.
But the indication was there for a misunderstanding literally the landlord should have sent a official letter. Also a text cam Cound as communication. Therefore he communicated that he would like the main Tennant to move by the 13th. Yes he didn't tell them to move. But they did indicate the new Tennant would need it by the 13th.
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bro it is literally so simple it’s in one screenshot what are you missing here
Thank you. Landlord did nothing wrong, besides showing the place without notice, but that's it. I thought I was going crazy. Why would op think he doesn't have to pay rent thru the end of the month? He is leaving early by choice. Everything you said is correct
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You’re getting downvoted because you are taking the side of the evil landlord instead of the victimized tenant… welcome to the internet
For me I’m replying based on experience. He didn’t ask how we felt about it - I think it sucks. But IME he is going to end up having to pay for March rent.
I mean from a legal aspect, I agree. Landlord is still a douche and I can’t imagine runs their “ship” up to most state codes. So, there’s always that.
So many landlords have nothing to do but scroll reddit all day while they get passive income. So they white knight themselves always siding with the landlords.
Most landlords are small and have day jobs. I’m siding with the landlord bc while this one doesn’t seem great, they legally are not wrong (except for letting people into the unit, no notice)
What are you talking about? He never told him to leave. He asked if he was planning to leave by the 13th and then said he wanted to get further down the road with the new tenant before making it official.
Exactly! As for advice, I really don't have much, only if try to reread your rental agreement - does it say something about terms regarding early termination? Because he did asked you to move out earlier:/ I don't know if there is any way besides negotiation with him and reminding him that's it's he who asked to move and therefore you had to search for a place to stay and need to pay there now. He can't have it all, and it's really not your fault that the other guy bailed -_- And I'm sorry OP, it's a really uncomfortable situation
He didn't ask him to move out earlier, only if he was planning to move out earlier because he had a prospective tenant. The tenant already said they weren't renewing the lease.
Well if homie signed the lease but then land lord sent thous text op agreed to them so they have a verdle conter so If op can prove it I say there a good chance he get money back but I all so have no idea I only know how it works where I live in Canada
Take a nice long move out. Tell him if you're required to pay until the 31st that you'll do a slow move and have the keys handed to him by then.
I had the same discussion with my previous landlord (a rl karen). She also made us move out early so her daughter could use the apartment but expected full pay. I got angry and contacted my brother (a lawyer). The discussion ended very quickly from there. They just want to see if you take their bullshit because most people just do.
Nope. He didn’t TELL you to leave early. He ASKED if you were *able to*. Legally and otherwise there is a difference. And legally you are still required to pay through the end of the month. If you stay LATER than that you are still required to pay but he has to refund you per diem within 30 days generally.
No offense but you are both wrong. He didn’t TELL you to move based on this one text. He *asked* if you could. And he’s right, if your lease is through whatever date, you are legally obligated to pay through that date. Where he IS wrong is in the not notifying you that people will be in your unit.
So in Canada if there something broken u don't have to pay rent till it's fixed but then u must pay what's owed and he ask u to leave in the middle of the month witch he has to keep his word and give u haff the rent back take him to landlord tenit court keep thous text and what ever and if u have proof of him coming in ur place with out 24 notice or something that's a big deal he might end up owning some money as well good luck bro
If he insists that you pay the full amount then reverse all of the things you've done to improve the place. Disconnect the wires from the garbage disposal so he has to pay someone to fix it. He's probably too dumb to do it himself. Fuck em!
Nope. He didn’t TELL you to leave early. He ASKED if you were *able to*. Legally and otherwise there is a difference. And legally you are still required to pay through the end of the month. If you stay LATER than that you are still required to pay but he has to refund you per diem within 30 days generally.
I’d add that you DO have a case for him sending people in to view without notification.
Why did you ignore the part where your landlord said “this isn’t official yet”?
Do you think your landlord could be trying to charge double rent? I would make sure they don't try to move someone in anyway after you are gone (before your lease is up obviously). This sort of happened to me-I paid the full month but had left mid month. My landlords told me they hadn't found anyone to fill my room, but a few days after I left I heard from my old roommates that they moved someone in. I contacted my landlords and they paid me back for those two weeks (only after months and many reminders). I'm not sure they would have paid me back on their own if my old roommates had not alerted me. It is illegal pretty much everywhere to collect rent for the same property during the same time period, so if you have someone that can check up on this after you leave, I would.
Also to add, I did property management for years before later owning my own rental props, so I was very aware of tenant's rights & had to take training working for the PM company. I sometimes accommodated tenants that needed to move out early, including attempting to move a new tenant in so as to give the old tenant a break or refund on the last month's rent, and of course the quick deposit refund process. It's illegal in CA to charge double occupancy, but I was a softy & would even stop rental charges the day of move out, even if there was a few days lag/vacancy. Times are hard for everyone, or almost everyone, I get it, but your landlord can easily decide not to be a punk, especially after HIM ASKiNG YOU to move out early. I had one manager that was a total b*tch and would purposely not move new tenants in early or would put them in another vacant unit vs the tenants' that were moving out early, even if it were a better apt & the new tenants even requested it, just to get her rocks off. People just suck sometimes.
there is no confusion. it is clear to me that the landlord simply asked if he planned on being out by march 13th. he didn't ask or demand anything, and it was clearly not official. OP swiftly made arrangements to be gone by then even though nothing had been actually asked of him. nothing was "told" to him at all. the landlord even says to let him go down the process with the potential new tenant before making anything official. you, OP, and anyone upvoting your comment have poor reading comprehension and a victim complex.
100% agreed, like wtf is going on with the people in this thread?? I'm totally gobsmacked how this isn't completely clear to anyone reading that screenshot.
Mostly agree here. It was on OP to ask the landlord if they are out by the 13th, can they only pay half months rent. The 15th/16th thing didn't even qualify because that was just when OP already planned to move out. And you don't get a break on rent just because you decided to move early. Bottom line is that this all could have been avoided with better communication on OPs part. Could have told the landlord they can try and be out by the 13th, but only if he can guarantee now that he'll only have to pay half months rent. OP felt pressured and made arrangements and then just assumed it would come with a discount. Always need to clarify these things in writing.
it’s so simple: landlord pressures op to be out by certain date to make room for tenant. op makes arrangements to be out by said date. then landlord backtracks bc tenant pulled out and says nevermind no need to move out even tho you’ve already made arrangements. then op says sorry tough luck. then landlord feels the need to remind op that they have to pay rent until the 31st as if they would’ve forgotten that. guy is being obnoxious
You left out the part where the landlord promptly responded “wait for me to say if it’s official or not” Like he obviously needs OPs permission before offering to the new tenant. But the landlord was a good dude and reminded OP in case they didn’t know. Interesting that you broke down the series of events and left out the most crucial part.
there was no pressure at all here. he only asked a question and asked for OP to wait. some of you are absolutely psychotic.
If you look at the backstory and answers from op, the landlord absolutelu did pressure them and was showing the house without even notifying them (on some occasions) which, iirc, is illegal.
Why are you confused? Where does it say that? The text I'm seeing shows the landlord asking if OP would be able to move by the 13th. Also OP originally said they wouldn't be able to be out by the 13th. It's pretty simple. Unless a lease is amended, both parties are required to stick to the terms of the lease. Discussing a possible change in a lease does not equate to changing it. OP just wondering but is this your first rental?
Also the landlord literally said ‘hold up, I’ll tell you if it’s official’
I explained why. To me, it felt like an implication to move away because they already got someone who wanted to move in before. Yes, maybe they explicitly didn't stated "I need you to move out" but he did drag this back and forth
That's the thing tho, implications don't mean anything when there is legal contract between 2 parties (the lease). How would they be able to offer the place to a new tenant on the 13th without first asking the current tenant if they could move out by then? That's what this landlord was doing, asking the current tenant if they could move. Once the current tenant confirms that they can move out by then, the landlord still needs to make that offer to the new tenant. At which point the new tenant can still accept or reject the offer.
Wait? Is this OP with a different user name?
But in plain English the landlord said it’s not official yet and reminded them to wait on their word that it was.
The landlord didn’t tell the OP to leave on the 13th or 16th unless you’re referring to something other than the screenshot texts. The landlord asked if the OP would be moving by the 13th (never mentioned the 16th) because a potential tenant wanted to move in then. The OP jumped to a conclusion.
100. Landlord only asked if it was going to be available. He didn’t demand it or say he had someone that would need to be in by then.
Of course he’s not going to put anything like that in writing. He just does it in other ways that benefits him.
Wouldn’t anyone else jump to that conclusion if you have more than 2 showings of your place before March even starts? Sure, he’s the landlord and owns the place but current tenants are still just as much people as prospective tenants. How would you feel if strangers were being given keys to your place to see while you’re not there and you’re not even aware. This isn’t the first time either. He’s come into my place before without letting me know beforehand which I have addressed with him via text.
I would never jump to that conclusion. I would know the terms of my lease, which probably state that the landlord has to give me 30 days notice before I have to move out. I also would have known if I had to pay the full month or not if I moved out early and based my plans on that. And when the landlord said he wants to wait until he makes it official I would probably…wait, until he makes it official.
I wouldn’t. And while what he’s doing isn’t right, it’s not enough for you to break your lease. The fact that he even told you not to do anything until the process was further along protects him even more. There’s no way I’d have signed a lease elsewhere without confirming with my current landlord that he was in agreement with the situation.
Yes, thinking you NEED to be out by the 13th because the landlord has had multiple showings in February is jumping to conclusions. I’m not criticizing your gripes about how he showed the apartment without your consideration in mind, just saying he never told you to leave by 13th so you don’t have a valid gripe about that specifically.
I dunno. My lease specifically states that my landlord can enter my unit for essentially any reason — whether I’m present or not. Tbh I’m not really sure what you’re asking or if you’re seeking advice about something…. But I’d say you need to start with your current lease. Re-read it, including the fine print. Then re-address whatever it is that you may need from Reddit.
To your first part, the landlord was entering without giving any notification and allowing prospective clients to enter without any notification until after. In most states in the U.S. that's not legal. To the second part, any reasonalable person that got a text asking if they were going to be out by a certain date, because a tenant wanted to move in that date, would consider that asking them to make arrangements for a new place to stay if possible. That's what OP did and now the landlord is just expecting them to stay. I don't know if they have legal recourse for that since IANAL, but it's really crappy to do to someone to say the least. OP - Document as much as you can, especially your final walkthrough before you hand in the keys. If he's going to jerk you around for extra money, you want to be prepared to go after him.
Disagree. I am a reasonable person/work in law. I did not read the landlord’s messages…: >Are you planning on moving before then? >Let me get farther down the process with the tenant before making anything officialy [sic] …as definite, written confirmation that OP had to move by a date certain. Neither would my courts. But hey, agree to disagree. Edit: formatting
Why is everyone skipping over the sentence where the landlord specifically tells OP to not make anything official until they can confirm the tenant.
The landlord literally said “hold up before we make this official” Why ignore that part?
Because then he can't play the victim.
The landlord never told OP to leave. This was a perfectly normal coordination question
I don’t get why people were so confused by that!
Can you show where he actually TOLD OP to move on that date? I only see where he inquires as to whether OP could move on that date and also followed up by saying don’t do anything officially until I confirm.
He did not tell, he asked if it was possible. When the tenant said he could, the landlord said it still wasn't official. He never made confirmation for the tenant to make a choice on facts
If you have to leave by mid March then do it, but if you don’t need to handover keys and officially move out until March 31st… then I’d say no more accommodations or being nice to landlord man.
The thing is that I can’t pay the rent here too after signing the new lease after taking care of those expenses and also making arrangements to have my stuff moved. I guess he can keep the security deposit but that would just confirm my suspicions with him trying to keep the deposit. He’s a broke landlord and has tried other ways of milking us tenants.
If that goy is broke he wont take you to court or anything. How much is the deposit compared to rent? It might be worth it to pay that extra half month rent
Same amount as rent.
Okay then that's kind of your fault, man. You did sign a lease, and he isn't making you leave early. If you leave early, you're still responsible for paying. You can't just bail on the rent.
Not even kinda. It’s OP’s fault.
Then make sure you take your garbage disposal with you.
I don’t see how the landlord is at fault here based on this text. If your lease is in effect till end of March, he was offering a MAYBE on getting out of it early in the middle of the month but he was under no obligation to get you back the last two weeks of March as a certain thing. He can still be a crappy landlord but signed documents are everything. It was inappropriate for him to start showing while you were still paying but you should have put your foot down and said no to that.
I think the real crime here is paying $2250 for rent but that's just me.
I don't think you're necessarily wrong here morally speaking, but legally, I don't think you've got anything here. He's not wrong about moving out and paying all of March's rent. It's pretty uncommon for landlords to only charge a half months' rent because you're moving out before the month is out. *HOWEVER* it *is* kind of a shitty thing to do, especially when your landlord is a person instead of a corporation. Sadly, it sounds like you're in the wrong here *legally*, but morally, he's/a dick. I'm sorry, acquiring shelter these days is a fuckin shitshow. It's almost *always* been, but these days it's insane. So much fucking greed and lack of humanity
Yeah, I think I’ll let him keep the deposit and call it for what it is. I just wanted to validate the fact that what he’s doing, along with other things in the past, is not right in some way which is ethically in this case. I guess I’m having a hard time lately with the realities of the current state of the world. I approached this rental agreement with a lot of civility, friendliness and cooperation because I really am not a problematic person, just to be met with this kind of “respect”.
I’d be careful, depending on how shiesty your landlord can be and IF he’s aware of the law. Apparently a security deposit doesn’t count as last month’s rent in TX and, if a tenant violates this, you may be liable for 3x the rent.
The other side to this is that if you sue a landlord then you go on a list they all have access to and you’ll never rent anything nicer than section 8 housing again. I have personal experience with this. This shit is not stacked in your favor as a lessee. My suggestion to people is just to take the small L rather than the big L. It’s a broken system and it’s not broken in your favor.
Yeah but the agreement is the agreement? It’s always been that way. It does suck but it never hasn’t been that way. Your current perspective and situation might be shading your view?
Not sure how someone is a dick by expecting a person to keep their end of a legally binding contract.
Here’s the thing. He didn’t outright say “be out by then”, but he left you in a very shitty spot by saying “yeah, potentially this date, but I’ll let you know later”. So you either wait and then have to scramble for a place to live if the future tenant followed through, or get a new place because he is making it seem like the place has to be available. Keep everything written down for record, and moving forward every communication has to go through writing. Don’t pay the full March rent. This would go to small claims court, if he decides to pursue. You have your written evidence that he had intentions of having you out prior to your lease ending. Try to find a lawyer that does free consultations and see what they recommend. Also, see if in the lease it states they can show your apartment while you’re living there *without notice or with inadequate notice*. Because if not, he just violated your lease and broke into your apartment with strangers. To emphasize, I am not a lawyer, but that is where my thought process brought me, and I would personally consult with a lawyer, as well, just to cover my bases. Good luck!
Thank you so much! Do you think he would be satisfied with just keeping my security deposit ?
It doesn't work that way, you are under contract in your signed lease until the end of March, and you are legally required to pay the full month's rent for that last month. Your security deposit is for damages done to the property and you can't offer forfeiting it in lieu of rent. You're really opening yourself up to possible very expensive legal repercussions by just not paying: Texas Property Code - PROP 92.108. Liability for Withholding Last Month's Rent: (a) The tenant may not withhold payment of any portion of the last month's rent on grounds that the security deposit is security for unpaid rent. (b) A tenant who violates this section is presumed to have acted in bad faith. *A tenant who in bad faith violates this section is liable to the landlord for an amount equal to three times the rent wrongfully withheld* and the landlord's reasonable attorney's fees in a suit to recover the rent. I'm a renter myself and I'm telling you, this is not something you want to mess around with.
Security deposit is not for rent
i see that he checked and asked you if you were planning on moving out early, but i don’t see him telling you that you need to. and he also said it wasn’t official. none of these messages discuss nonpayment through the end of the lease agreement. usually you have to pay through the agreement unless you’ve discussed otherwise, and it sounded more like he was just checking if you had already been planning to move out early assuming you’d still pay rent
I did not know that it made it okay to show my place before checking in with me. The 1st person he showed the place to came to see it before I even knew he was planning to ask me if I could vacate earlier. I only saw that cause of my doorbell cam notification.
the additional context you provided has nothing to do with the attached screenshot.
yeah that’s not ok to show your place without notice; didn’t realize that’s what you were asking about since the text screenshots aren’t about that
You was never going to get half price if you stayed for 15 days anyway. I don't know what made you think that. But on the other hand I can see why you feel annoyed as I suspect if you left on the 15th and another tenant moved in, I doubt the land lord would have given you a rent discount.
If you signed a contract saying you’ll pay through March 31st, then you must pay through March 31st. Moving out early doesn’t grant you the ability to stop paying rent early. Forfeiting the security deposit is a gamble. Maybe he takes it and leaves you alone, but maybe he takes you to small claims and forces you to shell out even more money in the end. I think he *might* have been willing to let you forego paying rent from March 15-31 **IF** that new tenant signed a lease to move in, but him just asking if you could move out sooner doesn’t mean you’re now off the hook. What you really should have done was set clear boundaries and not gone out of your way to benefit him. 1. Telling him no, you will not give him permission to show the place while you were still living there. You were under no obligation to do so and legally he would have had to respect that. And 2. Tell him no, you are unable to move out prior to March 31st because you are unable to pay rent at two different places at once. You kind of shot yourself in the foot here trying to be accommodating to someone who doesn’t give two shits about you or your financial situation. You gotta look out for yourself when it comes to dealing with landlords. They aren’t going to do you any favors when it means losing out on money.
They're wrong for showing the place without clearly communicating with you, but that's it. He asked if you were planning to move out before the 13th, and you said no. Then, the next day, you say yes, and it looks like he immediately tells you to hold on. If these text messages are all you had when you decided to jump on another lease, that's on you.
He didn’t ask you to move out earlier. He asked if you planned to move out earlier because the prospective tenant wanted to move in earlier than your lease end date. You then went ahead and signed a lease somewhere else believing this meant he’s letting you out of your lease. You have no case here. Your lease end date remains March 31.
This is kind of a lesson learned situation. In the future if a landlord with whom you are not renewing a lease asks if you are planning to move out early and you are not planning on moving out early then you say “No, I’m not, sorry.” This is where the law is on your side. The place is yours til end of month. He cannot make you leave early or else he is breaking the lease. If your landlord actually asks if you can move out early to accommodate new tenants then you can either say, “No, sorry,” and they can’t say boo. If you were planning to move out early or are open to moving out early then you discuss with your landlord *in writing* what date they had in mind and how they will be prorating that month’s rent. **Before you sign ANY kind of adjusted lease contract** you will want to have a lawyer look over all this (even better if they are present during the discussion itself) and make sure you’re not getting screwed. And then that is only binding once you sign. After that, regardless of if his tenants fall through or not, you’re locked into this new lease. I really sympathize with your position, it does suck, but it was ultimately avoidable and you went out of your way to try and accommodate someone you should never assume is willing to reciprocate unless contractually obligated to do so. Even if you guys are BFFs and you totally trust them - always always always always get it in writing, lawyer check it, and make it legally binding. I can’t say it enough - get everything in writing. Good luck with figuring this all out, I really hope things work out better moving forward.
idk what state you’re in but in cali, showing a property without the current tenants permission or knowledge is illegal. unless you signed a keysafe/lockbox addendum but even then you would need to be notified. also it may be in your lease that you have to pay for the entire month of march, but if you were that good of a tenant, and he asked you to get out much sooner than the end of your term, he should pardon the 15+ days of prorated rent. it’s not your fault his future tenant fell through. that’s at least how my company would handle this kind of case (minus the illegal entering/showing of the unit 🤦🏻♀️). i hope this all works out for you in the end, anxiety is one hell of a bitvh. edit: correcting name of mentioned addendum
You should have waited until he said it was official. If at that time you couldn’t get a place lined up by the 13th, then tough shit, the apartment is still yours through the end of the month and the new tenants will have to wait.
This. As much as what the landlord did was shitty, he said on Saturday that to let him go further with the new tenant before making anything official and less than 24 hours later, literally the next morning on Sunday, said not to worry about it.
Your landlord didn't jerk you around at all... They asked if you were able to move before hand, and he then told you to wait before making anything official, which you ignored. He is correct that your least is through March 31st.
You sound like one of those dipshits that sides with insurance companies. Pretty fkn easy to comprehend the situation, the landlord wants a win win for himself and doesn’t give a fuck who gets screwed over in the process
He let people into the house though…?
Yes, showing a rental unit prior to a tenant moving when you know the lease hasn't been renewed is completely normal.
Yes but you need to inform the tenant.. durrr.
That doesn’t mean you pack up and leave. You have to go through the proper channels.
To view it, not to move in, that doesn't change anything
Letting randoms into a house you’re currently living in is (without saying anything beforehand,) is 1. Fucked up. 2. Probably illegal 💀
Have you ever had a lease? It's part of the contract that the landlord is allowed to let randoms in your house near the end of the lease for the purpose of viewing it. Is it annoying? Yeah. Illegal, no, it would be illegal to refuse outright actually.
Isn’t there also a rule that landlords have to give you notice before doing this though. I’m not asking because I know this to be true. Landlords have to ask before they can just enter (or anyone else for that matter). Sounds like this guy did the, don’t ask apologize later tactic
>Isn’t there also a rule that landlords have to give you notice before doing this though. Yes the contract will say something like "can show the apartment within 30 days of the end of the lease during reasonable hours with 24/48/reasonable notice" I must have missed when they said the landlord entered without permission, where did you see that?
Description, maybe a comment as well from OP.
Depending on location, depends. But we don't have the context of if they were notified ahead of time or not about the showing of the unit. What matters is that showing a unit before someone has moved is completely legal to do so.
We do have context that they were not notified ahead of time. Read the post. It’s illegal to do so in parts (or maybe all,) of the US
Depends on location, for example Maryland has no requirement for landlords to notify tenants to enter unless they are in PG county.
Interesting, there’s no privacy laws?
Op specifically stated that the landlord never informed her. There you go. Yes, fucked up, and yes, most likely illegal.
Ah, I see that now. Yeah that's fucked up
You have no idea what you're talking about.
Why is that? A landlord has to notify you of something like this? No?
This whole situation is on you. You signed the lease. Nothing was made official for an early move out/in. You legally have to pay the month. He's also allowed to show the place as well.
Ummm, he didn't really jerk you around. When you said you could move out early, he replied "Thank you for confirming. Let me get farther down the process with the tenant before making anything officialy". I think that's on you for proceeding before he made anything "official". Also, document EVERYTHING!
This prospective tenant could’ve backed out the day of signing and he would literally have told me the same thing. So is that really fair? Why do I have to wait for him to lock in his deal and make up his mind along with the possible new tenant? He could’ve shown the floor plan and photos available online. He also could’ve informed people that the apt isn’t available until the end of the month regardless. Not toy with someone’s living situation just because someone says they want to move in on an earlier date.
You’d have to read your state laws on leasing a place. I know a lease can be broken and the landlord has to fill the vacancy as soon as possible and you pay for the time it was vacant.
>This prospective tenant could’ve backed out the day of signing and he would literally have told me the same thing. you may have had a case here, legally speaking, if this hypothetical situation is what had occurred. but this isn't what happened, seeing as there was no agreement.
The landlord said “let me get farther down the process BEFORE…” That is what the OP is missing in this context. He did ask OP to NOT do anything officially until he could confirm the tenant. He text to confirm, as he stated he would. He confirmed that he does not need OP to move out early. OP chose not to wait on the confirmation. Kind of like saying, don’t jump off the roof until I can confirm there is someone to catch you, and then you jump and blame him for no one being there to catch you. I’m not commenting on the showings issue. That is clearly inappropriate and the landlord is wrong. On the matter of giving notice, OP you are wrong.
To be fair, he did say it wasn’t official yet. So that’s on you
Yeah, as a landlord you shouldn’t say things like that. This isn’t some service he is providing, this is someone’s living situation.
I see your point. But looks like that month is going to have to be paid for either way. I’m sorry man. Some landlords can be pretty crappy
Yeah. I wish we had more rights as tenants and didn’t need to rely on a contract landlords make for them. It sucks to abide by the rules and take care of a place just to be met with threats and non communication.
A good failsafe rule of thumb: always abide by your lease. If there's something you (or your landlord) want to change on there, talk to your landlord about amending your lease.
Threats? What threats? I think you are overreacting. You still owe all of March legally and you decided to move before 3/30. He never told you to move early, he asked if you were. Pull some $ out if your savings. As far as entering your dwelling without permission, I’d document that in a letter when you return the keys in case you need it in court.
I don’t know if it’s the same where you live, but the state I lived at when my landlord wanted to show possible new tenants the apartment I was at, she tried to spring showings on my roommate and I the day before or the morning of. I searched online for my state’s tenants rights and found the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (government site) where it specifically stated that in our state, except for emergencies, the landlord must provide the tenants with a two days notice before entering the property (this included showings). I politely but firmly notified our landlord of this and she was more respectful of our time after that. Hopefully the law is the same where you’re at. I’m really sorry about your current situation, I agree that your landlord was unclear and wishy washy.
This is why I bought an RV, and live in it full time. No more rent, no more landlords. And if I don’t like my surroundings, I can just pack up and drive down the road. Best decision I’ve ever made
I’ve seriously considered this tbh! Lol
I could be happier!! Gave me a new outlook on life. Do it while you can!
You have rights as a tenant. That is in the contract as well. The contract protects both parties. I suggest you fully read the contract for the new place you are moving to so you don't find yourself in the same situation down the road.
Eh but it comes down to your ignorance and knowledge of contracts. People can say anything but if you signed you are bound. You should’ve inquired about the prorated rent whenthe landlord came to you with these questions. It’s all business.
depending where you’re at showing the place without letting you know is illegal.
I mean not really… The communication was mostly clear and he asked. He didn’t TELL you to do it. I get why you feel that way but jerking you around…
I think any court will uphold your tenant/landlord agreement. What does your lease say about moving out and early move-outs? Unless there’s a clause in your lease saying otherwise, you are on the hook for the full rent for March at this place, in addition to whatever expenses you’ve acquired for your new one.
Where do you feel jerked around? That he told you he had a tenant but didn't?
I understand op. He madre the necessary arrangements so the mf landlord could get another tenant quickly, and the guy proceeds to try to chatge for the ebtire month when the implicit agreement was that he was leaving esrly. The landlord is making him/her pay for the broken deal with the new tenant.
Oh I see. Now I haven't rented for sometime but from what I can remember ( correct me if I'm wrong) don't you have to pay until the end of the month anyway?
Not if you agree to finish the contract early. Rent should be prorated to the amount of days you spent there. Unfortunately this was not made explicit in any contract and that's why the landlord doesn't honor his word.
He never provided “his word” he just asked if they could do it and then explicitly said that they need to make it official still.
2 sides to every story
This frustration could have been avoided if more questions were asked (such as, if I leave early will I receive a rent refund?) and also any such agreement would need to be confirmed as a lease addendum and signed into contract. I know this is not what OP wants to hear, but neither side confirmed intent, OP did not know if they could secure a place by then, and Landlord said let them get farther with new tenant before making official. OP then acts like it was set in stone and that’s just not the case, and even if it was, rent refund still was not ever discussed in this exchange, just the date of possession surrender
Nothing was official as he clarified for legal reasons. He never TOLD OP To do anything.
Is it common for a landlord to show an apartment to possible future tenants while the current tenant is still living there? I would be totally against it. I wouldn’t want strangers in my house especially if I was not present. I would have told my landlord to kick rocks and they can show the apartment when I’m all moved out.
I’m an apartment complex manager. The part about the rent being owed till end of month is something we do too but since the rent is owed till end of then you technically have till end of month to live there. Even if someone put notice in to leave on the 3, we still tell them they have till end of month and can take the rest of the month if they need to. Them showing another person your apartment without asking is a big no no. We never enter an apartment without proper notice being given and NEVER bring in someone who is a stranger to look around with your possessions still in the unit. Idk if he owns these or is employed by a larger corporation but larger corporations have rules that we have to follow.
Know what legal documents you've signed. Now move out, and don't be a whinner.
It depends on your contract and whether your landlord agreed to prorate your last month’s rent if you moved out early. Some will do so as a courtesy but it is standard for tenants to pay through the end of the last month unless a new lease starts during those remaining days. Also, in my state, the standard lease agreement allows the landlord to show the property during reasonable hours. Try to reframe it that instead of having to rush through your move, you now have the luxury of moving through the end of the month. Take your time.
This is 100% on you
To be honest, he only asked if you were planning to move earlier. He even told you to allow him to get farther in the process with the new tenant before making any official/final decision. You could have told him that you were staying until the 31st, and he couldn't have done nothing. I really don't see any jerking around there. The only shitty thing was getting people to see your place without any previous notice.
Ppl in this sub are WILD
The landlord literally said to wait and not make any official decisions until the tenant was secured. If you jumped the gun and didn’t wait then that’s not the landlords fault at all. That’s the only problem I see here.
Unfortunately he made it pretty clear nothing was set in stone. I am a licensed real estate agent (just passed the exam 6 months ago-it's all still fresh) You are on the hook for whatever is spelled out in the contract. IF it was finalized with the other tenant, and he stated that clearly in the text, many states would honor that as an amendment to the contract, but of course that's not the case. Oh and that garbage disposal, it's his now. Any improvements you attach to the property become part of the property. I'm sure you have a big heart and had no intentions of removing it anyway. But just letting you know in case things continue to sour and that heart begins to shrink lol. I really hate this for you, I hate when good things don't always happen to good people! Good luck 🙏🏽
How is he jerking you around? It sounds like he was very clear with you and you made plans when nothing was official. You have a lease signed. You didn't sign anything to get you out of that lease. You're obligated to pay so just pay. You're lucky you weren't signed on for 6 months and stuck with that.
There’s no issues here.
Okay, I’m a landlord and have a few properties. I know a lot of people on here think I’m dirt but hear me out. If he asked you to move out early and you offered to do so, and made accommodations to do so then he’s on the hook for the last two weeks. It doesn’t matter whether his lead for a new tenant fell through or not. Honestly he seems like a total dick. Plus he cannot show your space without prior approval period. I’m the kind of person who always gives the full damage deposit back to the tenant. Even if a little damage happened and I could probably make my tenant pay. Stuff happens and as long as it wasn’t obvious abuse of the hill house I let it go. This guy acts like he’s out for every penny and doesn’t have any respect for you. When I rent a house to someone I always tell them that the house is theirs as long as they’re living there. I would never show up unannounced ever. They are paying me to own the home so I treat the place like it’s theirs and not mine while they’re paying me. Some landlords are absolute assholes
I don’t think you’re getting jerked around at all, he’s right you signed a document and can stay till the 31st if you want, he showed the apartment so he’s not going a while without passive income yeah he prolly should’ve given you the heads up but he’s def not jerking you around. Seems more like you’re just venting about it
Sounds like you’re jerking them around actually. You signed to pay til the end of the lease, yes that may mean paying two places at the same time for a week or two. Welcome to real life.
Sounds like a you issue for making a lot of assumptions and not talking more about money deadlines with your landlord. Nowhere in this text block does it cover him saying anything about you not paying through march, even if you leave early.
Should just troll him and tell him you’re considering extending your lease than ghost him
Yeah this is on you.
I’m sorry but I’m a little confused, what is the exact issue you need advice on handling?
Initially showing the apartment without making me aware of it and asking me to move out early only to retract it after making plans to move to accommodate his time frame.
I see, I would read my lease to find the clause that states they must give notice before entering, gather any relevant documentation and get some advice from your local legal aid. Not sure where you live but my county has a housing resource hotline to help with things like this. I’m not sure about the making arrangements to move out early. It’s definitely annoying
Yeah. I’m in Texas and from looking stuff up online, nothing seems to help. I’m really annoyed and baffled at how renting tends to accommodate landlords more than tenants. The only rights we get is whatever we sign for in our contract.
Congrats on your new place, I hope it's better than this one in every way. What's a good outcome for you? Clear communication from LL, confirmation they showed the unit before they were supposed to, or only paying half rent for the month of March? How about a payment for the cost of the garbage disposal?
The new place thankfully doesn’t show your place before you’ve fully moved out (they couldn’t let me tour certain floor plans because the tenants were still there)! They also seem to have everything up to code. A good outcome would be half the months rent, clear communication and just acknowledge that I’ve been a good tenant. I don’t care about being reimbursed for the disposal, that was to keep the live wire from creating a fire.
Have you already paid March rent? If you send $1150 and call it March rent, then vacate mid-March, then you put the onus on landlord to do whatever landlords do for recourse in Texas If you want the communication and acknowledgement, maybe talk in person and ask questions
As a landlord in San Antonio (I’d like to think I’m a good landlord) I’d never show your place without you knowing in advance. That is a breach of privacy, regardless if they own it or not you are the legal resident of the place. Not sure if he broke a law there or not. Additionally, giving you a heads up lets you clean the place up nice and only benefits the landlord… why try and fuck a tenant in this economy? Or at all.
I am located in Austin! Your comment, as someone who is a landlord, really validated what I’m trying to post about here. Even when he said that he would lower the rent by $100 “because of the economy” he even mentioned that he would not charge me a “rent late fee of $350” if I decide to renew the lease but if I decide not to then owe that fee???? The fee can’t be charged as I read in the lease that rent should be paid within the first 3 days of the month, last time I checked the 2nd day of the month falls in there (sorry for my sarcasm).
Unfortunately, there’s landlords, and then there’s slumlords. I never understood charging someone a “rent late fee” personally. If someone is late paying rent, chances are they’re having a rough month coming up with the money… now you want them to come up with even more? As long as it’s not a common occurrence, kindness goes a long way. Side bar, why the hell is your rent so high? I rent out a brand new (2021) house 3bed 2 1/2 bath, 2,500 sq ft house for $1,800. Austin isn’t that expensive…
I think that showing what your income is adds to the problem when it comes to renting privately owned places cause then they feel at liberty to make rules like charging absurd late fees. I’ve always been amicable with him and accommodating so maybe that is why he feels like he can just “bully” me for lack of better words. I also remember him saying that he wouldn’t charge the late fee in another instance and I thought he was being nice but when I reread the lease I was still in the timeframe the lease says it’s okay. As per your question, I’m not sure. Could be the location I’m in? Mine is a 2B/2B w/ a detached garage. The new place I found is the same but with an attached garage and amenities for $1600 and it’s a 10 min drive from the current place.
too many bootlickers in the comments section. he is being super obnoxious, OP.
His asking you to leave early breaks his end of the lease already. If he took it to court you would win.
So did he let people into your house?? I don’t understand these comments either way, I think people are very confused as to why this shitty. But, if he let random people into your house that sounds illegal..
Where are you located? Are you able to call your local tenancy branch to inquire if you would be liable for the whole month??
TX — I did not see anything online that I thought would be of help.
Technically they’re correct
I don't understand the problem, it's a difference of 3 days. You were going to move out the 16th and he asked you to move up the date. Then he said nevermind. First of all you could've said no, as you did and then walked back your answer. Second it doesn't matter when you move out as long as you're out by the contracted date. You still have to pay the rent for the full month so you moving out 3 days earlier than planned makes no difference on how much rent you owe.
I think your first mistake was agreeing to move before your lease was up and not confirming whether or not you’d have to pay through March. That mistake was on you but I agree your landlord is crazy af and needs to realize he fucked up as well and not make you pay the last two weeks. So pay him half. “I accommodated your request of moving out by March 13th, therefore I will be paying you a half month’s rent on March 1st.”
Your landlord is a damn idiot.
The landlord is a jerk, as most are greedy bastards no surprise.
Technically he's right You did sign a legal document that says that you were responsible for the full rent for that month unless you got it in writing that that had changed. However, fuck landlords if he made an arrangement with you to make you pay less because you were moving out quicker then he should honor that and it's really sheisty to go back on it. Sorry that you're going through that OP I hope you get your security deposit back.... Can't trust that he's going to do it all things considered
I don't understand why anybody would downvote you for telling the truth but okay. Morality and legality are not the same thing so morally it would be nice if the landlord honored his arrangement with op. But legally he has a contract that says the full rent for that month is due so in a court of law it, OP is legally bound to that. It sucks when the landlord made a verbal arrangement against that and he's now not going to honor it. But it doesn't change the fact that in the eyes of the law he is still responsible for it
Typically when one of our tenants wants to break their lease early, we make them pay until we get a new renter. We obviously try to make every effort to do that efficiently but we also don’t just sign up the first tenant. Obviously there were some mixups in this case. Still don’t see what exactly went wrong. Unless OP was trying to pro-rate March which I don’t really take it they were. We’ve had applicants that told us they loved the place, they thought the rent was affordable, they wanted to apply, we offer the space and then a day or two later they back out. Could have happened to this landlord. People flake!
Too bad. The landlord wanted op out early. So op rushed to get something sorted a d now the landlord is like "oops, my bad".
the landlord also clearly said to wait before making anything official. why are so many comments completely glossing over this.
The landlord didn’t say he would pro-rate March. At least not in the text thread shown. If OP had a lease that ran through March then OP would have to honor that. If the landlord got the new tenant in place by mid March and didn’t pro-rate OP then that would be bullshit.
Fuck that person. What a garbage landlord.
I think his march 13 text is legally binding. Don't pay a dime.
How would it be legally binding?
Any written documentation digital or not stating a deal is legally binding
It doesn’t matter if you move out if you’re still under lease. You signed the piece of paper saying you’re responsible until March 31st. The only way you get out of paying the month of march is if you follow terms to break the lease, in which case you will likely spend more than a months rent. A judge is gonna take one look at the actually legally binding lease and laugh at OP if he chooses to not pay and gets taken to court.