Landlord not paying condo fees - what to do?

[Anonymous]

Where do you live? There should be a local gov entity that can advise you of the rights/responsibilities in your area. Also talk directly to the condo board - they may not realize you're a tenant (in my experience, the owner who doesn't pay fees may also not notify the board when they're renting out the condo, even if that's required). In some areas, you can stop paying rent (or hold it in escrow) if the owner is not abiding by the contract, but not in others. DC is much more tenant friendly than other area around here, but even there you need to be careful. And eviction rules also vary by area. Really, you should consult a lawyer to fully understand your rights and obligations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think legally you still have to pay the full rent to the landlord. Sorry. It would be different if there was no heat.

No- not if the amenities are in the contract. If the landlord is not paying and the contract cites the use of the amenities and they cannot use them bc the owner is not paying then it is in breach of contract.

Yeah, but that needs to be worked out in small claims court not by being delinquent on rent. If they don't pay rent, they could get sued. I do think they should look into their rights.

yep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pay the rent to the owner minus the condo fee, pay that to the association, submit the receipt to the owner and say you covered it for them.

nope, you wrote a contract with the landlord , he has a contract with the bank and condo board. STFU and pay your rent , if you don't like it buy a place.

OP here - is this really the logic you're going to go with? Guess who is not holding up their end right now (hint - not us.) We are NOT getting what was so prominently advertised when we decided to rent this place. I don't think it's unreasonable to demand that either that be upheld or some compensation be offered. I do think it's an issue of financial distress but aside from being cognizant that an eviction notice could show up any day if the place is foreclosed, it's really not my concern.

OP, I am a lawyer, not a landlord. Not this PP, but I did post that you have to pay your rent. You just do, sorry. I know it sucks losing your amenities. At least this is what they taught us in law school in MD - they said that maybe you have something to work with if there is like no heat or electricity maybe, but that's it. No A/C isn't even enough.

[Anonymous]

AroundTheBlock wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would you do in this case? Our landlord is late on their condo fees (again) leading the board to cut our access to building amenities (gym, pool, etc.) Should we ask for reduced rent? Demand it? Our preference is that they pay their damn condo fees so we can use the building amenities, several of which were key to our decision to live there. However, we are almost halfway into this month's rental period and still nothing. FWIW, this is not the first time we've been caught between the owners and building - we were instructed by the building law firm last year to pay our rent to them because of the delinquent condo fees.

Property manager of over 60 properties here.

You need to read the lease and review the section for Landlord responsibilities. Look for any language that specifies the Landlord is responsible for maintaining scheduled payments of the condo fee. If you can find this the Landlord is in default and you can go after him with an attorney. If you have a solid case the Landlord will pay for your attorney fees.

Also, most condos will have a lease addendum that a tenant and landlord must sign in addition to their agreement. You should check your records for this.