Bizarre (and unethical?) landlord situation
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Anonymous
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We rented a SFH about 2 months ago in a nice suburb of a large metro area (not DC). We moved from out of state and wanted to wait a year before buying.
The realtor who worked with us and did all the lease paperwork mentioned that the detached garage would not be available because the owner/landlord uses it for storage. He also would be coming into town once and awhile and would stay in the apartment above the garage. Fine. Well, he has not left the garage apartment. Actually LIVES there. We are really pissed that this was not disclosed to us. He stops by and rings our doorbell 1-2 a week to pick up mail and check on the house. He also does yardwork in the backyard at his leisure. We reached out to the realtor, and are waiting for her to talk to the landlord directly. Is there any recourse here to get out of this lease? We are locked in for 1 year. I do not feel comfortable having a random person living in our backyard. Our teenage daughter is freaked out to stay home by herself. We would have never rented the place!! |
Anonymous
| They aren’t random, they’re the owner. |
Anonymous
| He has the right to be in the garage as it’s not in your lease but the backyard access may be negotiable. What does your lease say about backyard access? |
Anonymous
| What does your lease say about the apartment/garage? Call landlord/tenant in your county and ask them. |
Anonymous
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I would find somewhere else and ask to move. Once in a while is not having a full time chaperone. Had they not lied about how often he would be living in the garage you wouldn’t have accepted. Sounds like fraud to me.
It’s going to be difficult to go the hard way about it but ask upfront first and see if you can finagle a way out the lease. |
Anonymous
| Oh and leave reviews for the “realtor” |
Anonymous
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OP read the lease carefully.
If it includes the garage in your rent then call housing authority. Then he must move out. If not if no disclosure many states are renter friendly I would call and ask what you are to do. |
Anonymous
| Who's responsible for yard maintenance in the lease? |
Anonymous
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Our lease does not specifically state that we cannot use the garage. It was stated from the realtor.
And yes, he is a random man. |
Anonymous
No, he isn't "random." He's the owner and you were told he'd be staying there (even if they said it would be from time to time). Just tell them you aren't comfortable with it and want to break the lease. Find somewhere else. It will likely cost you money and hassle, but the alternative is to put up with it. You aren't going to get rid of him. |
Anonymous
| You don’t really get to dictate how often the owner is in his apartment that you knew he’d be in. If you don’t want him in the yard offer to do the work yourself. |
Anonymous
Lots of different options, honestly. It's pretty clear they pulled a fast one on you. I think under most readings of a lease the tenant would be entitled to the use of the garage on the property unless the lease excluded it or it has a different address (which this does not appear to). If you really want to stay in the house then you can play hardball and demand the guy move out - I don't think it matters if he's the owner or not. If you just want to get out of the lease talk to the property manager or the owner and tell them you aren't comfortable with the arrangement and would not have agreed to it/moved in if you had known. You can probably do some basic research regarding the laws in the jurisdiction about landlord/tenant laws and accessory dwelling units, etc. Depending on your financial situation I might ask for compensation for anything I had to pay an initiation fee for like internet, electric, water, etc. |
Anonymous
HE STOPS BY TO CHECK ON THE HOUSE 1 - 2 TIMES A WEEK??? He sounds OCD, and there's a reason why he's renting the main house and not living in it himself... like, he ran into money issues and had to vacate the main house, but isn't happy to be staying in the apt. Speaking as a landlord with 20 years experience, people who find themselves in such a financial bind that they have to rent out their home, should never, ever be landlords. They're too emotionally invested in the situation and that doesn't translate well when the other party is simply trying to have a logical, ethical, professional relationship. They didn't happen to put the part about the apt. in writing, did they? You need to put up some major boundaries, STAT. My suggestion -- if you don't hear back from the agent/realtor, go over their head to their manager and file a complaint. Then go to the office for landlords & tenants in your county (just Google your county name and landlord, tenant office). Either call or stop by to see them and see what they say (the one in MoCo, MD you can stop by any time during business hours). You may want to also check to see if your landlord is even licensed to rent the property? Most counties have a search engine online, you can just type in your home address and it will tell you if he's licensed to rent or not. If he's not, well, he's gonna be hit with some MAJOR fines if you tell on him. Thus, I'm sure he'll be amicable to your moving (make him pay your moving costs too!). |
Anonymous
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I assume (not an attorney) that whatever is written in the lease will dictate your choices. Does the lease state that you cannot use the garage for storage or that the landlord will be living in the garage apartment? You don’t have to collect his mail— tell him to complete a postal change like everyone else in the country. I wouldn’t use the realtor in the future either.
Please keep us updated. I am invested in your cause. |
Anonymous
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I would try starting with the friendly way, because you probably don’t have a lot of recourse legally.
Call the realtor and say you didn’t understand the garage situation and want to see if you can amicably find somewhere else and exit the lease early. See where that gets you. |