hello
1. my mother recently passed away and I wish to exercise my succession rights.
2. I have been living in apartment for the last twenty years, and I have no other residences, mortgages, or properties.
3. I have been paying the rent from my own checking account for at least the last fifteen years. ( For about a ten year period the rent was automatically deducted from my checking account. However, within the last five years the rent was alternately paid every other month from my mother's checking account and my own. e.g. I would pay Jan, March, May, July, Sep, Nov while my mother's account would pay the other months).
4. I have emails from the landlord's office which stated that "it was OK to accept payment from the son (i.e. "me") dated 2002
5. In 2009 I sent the landlord a form RA23.5. (Although I have a copy of the original document, I misplaced the certified / mail acceptance receipt. However, In addition to sending by USPS, I sent the landlord a copy of the form via email. I have follow up emails with the landlord's office where they assured me they would keep the form in my mother's file.
6. When I filed the lease renewal forms, I always make sure that I am listed as an occupant. However, when they mail back a copy of the signed lease agreement, it does not include a list of occupants (i.e. the signed page only includes the primary tenant). I do have a copy of the full renewal forms, and I make sure to email them a copy of the renewal forms which include the occupant listing.
7. The current two year lease took effect on Dec. 1 2017, and my mother passed away about three weeks later. (Naturally I paid the Jan & Feb 2018 rents from my checking account without any issues.
My apologies for the long background, but here is my question:
Is there a particular format to use when writing the landlord to inform them that I wish to exercise succession rights?
Would something as simple as this be acceptable (or do I need to include more detail):
To Whom It May Concern:
Please be advised that Jane Smith has recently passed away (attached is a copy of the death certificate). I would like to inform you that I wish to exercise my succession rights. Please address the lease renewal to John Smith.
Thank you
thank you very much for your time