Need Advice

[momfromTN]

We moved into this house in July. Our landlady lives next door. She only asked for the first month's rent and said we could pay the deposit over the next several months. So, we have paid on the deposit, $100 a month in addition to the rent for 3 mos now. She told my DH today, that not only does she want us to add to the amount every month to pay the deposit faster, but she also wants us to pay her an additional month's rent, as in, First, Last and deposit. She NEVER once mentioned that when we moved in. She works with DH's sister and we thought she was generous to allow us to move in without the deposit up front. We have painted a bedroom and replaced a vertical blind on the patio door, and replaced a fan in one of the rooms, and never billed HER. All we can afford is the rent and the $100 extra until we get our tax money. She is nuts. She also said we could have our dog, and then when we moved in, she told me we had to get rid of her. Heartbreaking, but we did find the pup a nice home. She also told my DH she wants to do a walk thru on the house, like we are destroying it or something. Far from that, we always take good care of rentals as if they were ours. We don't bother anyone and we pay our rent on time every month. She also, has NEVER given us our lease to sign, so legally, where we live, we could move out and she has no recourse. I am looking for someplace else to move, but they ALL want so much up front to move in. I know I cannot blame landlords for that, as we have seen first hand what some bad tenants can do to a place. But, we have given this woman NO reason to act like a nut to us. We wanted to stick it out until tax time, but I don't know if we can. I don't think she can evict us for the deposit not yet paid, as we don't have a lease and we have witnesses that will attest that the extra month's rent was NEVER mentioned, those being 2 of DH's sisters, who talked to the landlady even before we moved in. If we had known all of this, we would have never moved in.

What would you all do? Part of me doesn't want to move again, but part wants to get out ASAP. We are even considering selling the car to pay for it, and keep only our truck for awhile. I don't know if I can take much more. My nerves are shot. I am afraid to let the kids play out in the yard when she is home, because if she dared to say something to them or me, she would end up with the tongue lashing of her life. ALso, when she told DH about this extra month's rent, he told her point blank that she NEVER said anything about it before we moved in and we are not paying. Personally, if I could move out tomorrow and tell her to shove it, I would. GRRR!:mad:

[zitra]

All I can give is ((((hugs)))) as say I don't think she can legally change the terms regarding the deposit, if she already made the agreement to let you pay it over the next several months..I also don't think it is legal for her to make you pay an additional months rent UNLESS she told you about it before you moved in...if you still have the receipts for the items you purchase for the house (fan/blind/etc) I would definately give them to her...My old landlord used to let us deduct from the rent whatever improvements we made to the house...we paid about $500 for carpet (our rent was $250 a month), so we just gave him an envelope with the reciepts, and didn't have to pay rent for two months...

I guess it depends really on how much you can take from/of her..if you REALLY can't deal with her, and think it would be a problem/headache you can't deal with I would move, because your sanity/peace of mind is worth more than anything...

Next time she tries to get you to do something that you didn't agree to in the beginning, I would let her know that her tryign to change the terms of your agreement is illegal (and so would it be if she tried to kick you out for stating so or for not "going along" with her NEW "terms")...

Again ((((hugs)))) someone else could probably give you better advice on what to do better than I ...I just know that what she is doing is illegal, and hate when people try o screw other people over just because they think they can, and that noone will ever find out about it/do anythign about it, so it's o.k. GRRRRRR

[momfromTN]

The good thing is that 2 of his sisters talked to her before we ever moved in and she never said she wanted an extra month's rent. She said she only required deposit and first months. We also have yet to receive a lease from her. DH told her we are not paying an extra month's rent. I do know my rights as far as her wanting to come into the house to "walk thru". She has to give us 24 hr notice. And I won't let her come in if my DH isn't home. I am not going to deal with her. We might have to just suck it up and deal until tax time. She never really bothers us, in fact, she avoids us until DH goes over to pay the rent, then she starts in. Every month it is something. I hate renting and we are looking to get a house on contract for deed sometime soon as we can. We messed up our credit so it is our own fault. I blame no one but us. Lesson to everyone: protect your credit, because you never know when you might need it. I will say one thing, we are on a tight budget and cannot spare a dime extra. So I guess she will have to go suck a lemon.

[Unicornmom77]

This will prolly make some ppl mad, but IF it were my family I would just withold the rent until I got enough up, like 2 mts and then move. You have no lease and neither does she, And rmeber yuo do not have to vacate ANY dwelling until you stand before a judge and he says so, or the sheriff comes and says so. Thats what we would do, I am not sure about living right next door tho...YIKES!

I will pray for you all! I hope things work out for the best!!

[schsa]

You had a verbal contract and then she changed the terms and she can't do that. If there is no lease you are bound by the state laws and you can look those up in your local library.

Don't agree to the change in the lease. If she decides to do something about it, then let her and you just take your time holding the rent and move out.

[morris2b]

Hey do what I do instead of taking the rent to her start mailing it to her, our landlord lives 3 houses over from us and they have yet to get us a contact as well , but our landlords are nice people, but I do not take rent over, I mail it or have the kids run it over to their shop, LOL......

[fatesfaery]

I think renters laws vary from state to state, but in NC if you don't have a written lease your landlord can do pretty much what they want to.
Library's usually have pamphlets on stuff like this, and this site might have some usefull information.Florida rental laws (http://loans1.multimediahouse.us/dir/florida_rental_laws_for_landlords/index.shtml)

Hope things work out, I know how hard it is to find decent rental property.

[momfromTN]

Originally posted by fatesfaery
I think renters laws vary from state to state, but in NC if you don't have a written lease your landlord can do pretty much what they want to.
Library's usually have pamphlets on stuff like this, and this site might have some usefull information.Florida rental laws (http://loans1.multimediahouse.us/dir/florida_rental_laws_for_landlords/index.shtml)

Hope things work out, I know how hard it is to find decent rental property.

That is pretty much the case here too, as far as raising rent, etc, but we do have some rights here. I told DH we need to start looking if she keeps it up. I wil absolutely NOT give her an additional month's rent. Thats another $600 bucks and I would like her to tell me just where we are supposed to get it? If she were to take us to court, we have 2 separate witnesses who will testify that she NEVER mentioned the additional month's rent; she only mentioned the deposit and the first month rent. So who knows? She never bothers us,in fact she avoids us, and only makes comments when he goes to pay the rent. I would mail it, but then she might come over and say crap, or it might get caught in the mail and she gives NO grace period for late rent. Don't need that kind of trouble. I think she is a nut. We thought she would be ok, since she works with DH's sister. He hasn't discussed this with his sister yet.
I just hope she stays cool until we get some money. Only about 3 more months til Feb and filing that tax return. She isn't the confrontational, in your face type, and I am glad for that. I am so sick of nutty landlords! I know tenants make their own problems, but the last couple of landlords we have had, have been nutty.

[AngelGrim]

sounds like a landlord we had, she was nice to us till we moved in then wanted us to take care of her 50 cattle, feed and haul grain to them even though we had other things to do, we finally moved out cause we couldn't stand it, hope your able to do whatever you need to do. Hugs!!

[girlwithsoul]

Hi.....I'm a realtor and my father is a real estate attorney. Here's my advice. While laws vary from state to state a verbal contract is binding anywhere....period. Your landlady screwed herself by not having you sign a lease. Anyway, it's also generally illegal to charge deposit + 1st and last month's rent. In fact, the largest property management company in the nation lost millions of dollars in a lawsuit because it was found that they were doing exactly that and also changing the terms of contracts without getting it in writing. You have recourse but only if you continue to pay your rent on time. Make sure you have records of your payments to prove you were a faithful tenant. Good luck and if you need any help or an attorney to write a letter for you feel free to PM me. Take care.