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Question
Can I sue my previous landlord for $650?
Okay this is what happened. Back in November 2007, someone broke into the place I was living in and took my laptop computer worth $500.I was paying $325 a month rent, $650 ($325 rent plus deposit) 2 move n May 2007. I remained there for 2 more days after the break in and I started getting my things together to move. Approximately a week later, I tell my landlord about the situation I hand over the keys also so he can inspect the place. Of course there wasnt any damage bc I kept it up outside and clean inside, but the only problem was I made an improvement to the bathroom without telling him. And I didnt give him two weeks notice before moving. how could I do that when i had a break in. he made the excuse not to give me my money. not even half. he said that it would cost more than my deposit to adjust the bathroom which nothing was wrong with it. I thought it was done nicely. so in this case do you think I should take him to court to sue for the full amount I dont think its fair
5 months ago - 10 answers
Best Answer
Chosen by Asker
Let's see.....you broke the contract by not giving proper notice. The landlord had to redo the bathroom because you did some work in it without a building permit or even permission from him. He was being generous not to sue you for the full damage, more then fair. If you sue him he will counter sue and he will win this in court, no question about it. You owe him money, not the other way around.
by Landlord
5 months ago
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Other Answers
Forget it ..you will never win. Your landlord is not responsible for break ins, you made an "improvement" to his bathroom without a permit and you did not give him enough notice. Take this as a learning experience and move on.
by shine- 5 months ago
You might get judgement from the courts for the landlord to pay you. but the courts will not enforce the payment. crazy i know. i got judgement from the courts once.i was supposed to get $1200.00 . i never saw a penny.
by iltmaemc- 5 months ago
you broke your lease, and gave no proper notice, and even so, you broke the lease! He doesn't have to give you a dime since you altered things that were prohibited and walked away from the property. If you were robbed, then your renters insurance would have taken care of this. It is not your landlords problem because you had a break in, unless the premises were in poor and break -inable condition. You should be lucky he didn't take you to court and get you for the rest of your lease.Forget about the money
by Hi I'm Karma? U heard I'- 5 months ago
It all depends actually. I'm a landlord of several rentals and we do month-to-month but I still have a rental agrement and the tenants are not allowed to do any kinds of alterations of any kind, and if there is a problem they must contact me for things to be fixed. If you signed an agreement, it may have been specified as well. If you didn't, then I'd seek legal council because he may indeed owe you, at least half. Always take pictures when you move into a place and once your moved out, then you have more to stand on as proof. Normally on rentals though, your not allowed to make any kind of alterations of any kind, not even big nails or screws in the walls or paint, not even a staple in the windows.
by Wutz it worth 2 ya?- 5 months ago
You can go to small claims court and plead your case. Sometimes a judge will feel for you and if he thinks that you were taken advantage of he will award you some or all of your deposit back. Sometimes, you can call the landlord and ask for a settlement and tell him you are going to small claims court and sometimes, the landlord will settle. Perhaps you could get a person of authority to call on your behalf who might encourage him to work with you. Also, if he keeps your deposit, in my state if he is in the rental business he has to give you a letter stating why he kept your deposit. I was a landlord at one time and a renter took all the furniture out of my rental unit; but because I did not give him a letter telling him why I kept his deposit, the judge made me return it. Also, call small claims court and ask them for the time deadline, each state is different. You do not need an attorney. If you go to court, be sure you are organized and have all your dates written down and all your points on why you deserve your deposit back. Good Luck!!
by Ballcap Hat- 5 months ago
Honey, this is the USA. You can sue anyone for anything. That doesn't mean you have a case. Go tell it to the judge if you like. It doesn't cost much to stand before one in small claims court. By the way, landlords love to collect damage fees for unauthorized improvements. It's like double icing on the cake. The place is better AND they got some of your coin. Check your state and local tenant landlord laws. You might find that a landlord can only charge for DAMAGES, and it sounds like your lovely improvements did not devalue his property. It all depends on where you live.
by argybargy- 5 months ago
Anyone can sue in small claims court, but the odds of winning are small since you broke your lease and didn't give 14 days notice......and changed the bathroom without telling him. I didn't move out after a break in, but you may have been too traumatized to evaluate your options last year. Most leases require 30 day notice. You don't need a permit to paint/wallpaper or change a light fixture.
by Ginger- 5 months ago
if you sue, he will sue you for not enough notice and you will lose.
by americanfreeman- 5 months ago
Shine is right. A break-in is not a reason to break a lease. Your not allowed to make improvements without written consent even if you think it made it look better, the landlord may think otherwise and you must give 30 days notice, 2 weeks is not enough.
by Classy Granny- 5 months ago