Hi,
I received a letter from my former landlord saying that my case has been
sent to the collection agency and that unless I dispute their claim in
the next 30 days, they will turn my case to the credit rating bureau.
As I moved out of the apartment back in October last year and have not
been staying a a fixed address since then, I did not receive other correspondences
sent by the landlord earlier. Back in October, I was laid off by my
company and had to break the lease and move out of the apartment as I
could no longer afford to stay there. I notified the landlord in a faxed
letter stating this and also communicated with their leasing office over
the phone. Unfortunately (and stupidly), I did not secure anything in writing from them saying that they accept my request.
Apparently the reason why they are pursuing my case is that they have
not yet found a tenant to replace me. Therefore they have been holding
me liable to pay the rent. I find this difficult to believe as the apartment
is a rent-stablized, fully renovated unit in the prime Upper East location
and would be considered a steal.
Anyway, at this point in time I would like to find out if I should try
to handle this case by myself, i.e. by sending the landlord a letter
disputing their charge, or to hire a lawyer.
Your suggestions would be much appreciated.