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my landlord says i owe month to month fees

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my landlord says i owe month to month fees

Postby scruffeggy » Tue Feb 04, 2003 4:03 pm

hello,
i'm a student at suny albany and i'm renting a 1 bedroom apartment in a complex with around 600 units (4 units to a building). i've been living in the complex since september 2000. my problems started 2 months before the end of my first yearly lease. at that time i requested my neighbors unit since it was in much better shape, had a balcony, and was the same rent. the rental office led me to believe that as soon as they repainted the unit i would be able to move in. instead i saw people moving into the unit a week later. when i complained there obviously nothing i could do and they said they were sorry and would find me another unit with a balcony that was close by so i didn't have to rent a truck.
the rental manager who was nice and said i didn't have to sign a new lease until they found me a new unit. months passed and i was billed an additional 50 bucks every month because i was now considered on month to month even though i didn't sign anything. they even charged late fees on because i didn't pay the month to month fees. when i complained to the manager she assured me it was just an accounting mistake and not to worry.
now the bad part begins. recently the coorporation that owns my complex and 2 others of similar size decided to cut operating costs and let go the management staff from 2 of 3 complexes. they now say i owe all the month to month fees, late fees resulting from the month to month fees, and over $500 in legal fees. the grand total being 1601 dollars. there is no way i can pay that amount. inaddition, i just received a "notice of petition to recover real property" telling me to appear in court to pay 690 dollars. i have no idea how come i owe so much or even which amount is accurate. the new rental office which is now 10 miles away says any agreements i made with the previous manager is void because she no longer works for the company. they won't even give any information to contact her stating her arrangements with me are irrelevant with the amount in dispute. please any advice on my rights as a tenant would be appreciated.

i also found this on your website. does this statement mean i not liable for month to month charges if i didn't sign anything.

What if the landlord does not send you a renewal offer? The law says he cannot raise your rent, and that his duty to offer you a renewal simply continues. The tenant has no obligations until the landlord makes a proper offer. A tenant without a lease renewal becomes a month-to-month stabilized tenant with the same rights, and one advantage: The rent stays the same as under the expired lease. A Rule: Don’t pay any unauthorized rent hikes tacked on to your rent bill as a month-to-month tenant.
scruffeggy
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Feb 04, 2003 2:01 am
Location: latham,ny

Re: my landlord says i owe month to month fees

Postby Chimera » Tue Feb 04, 2003 9:51 pm

You happen to have posted this in the wrong forum, this is the New York City forum and you live outside of New York City. Since you do not live in New York City, the rules are different, so anything you see posted here might not apply to your case. The rule you found about lease renewal does not apply to you, it only applies to rent regulated tenants residing in New York City.
Since none of your agreements were in writing, I am afraid you might be liable for the month-to-month charges and the late fees, and the legal fees. If you want to stay, you should sign a new lease immediately, or else they will continue to charge you the month-to-month fees. You might want to consider negotiating a reduction in the total amount that you owe them in exchange for your immediate payment of the entire amount. On their end, guaranteed partial payment might be a better bet than waiting for you to pay the full amount, which you may or may not do. Finally, you might want to consider getting professional advice from a lawyer, it might cost you in the beginning, but save you money in the long run. Good luck.
Chimera
 
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Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2002 2:01 am
Location: NYC


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