Letter to my Landlord...

[Fitch.]

THIS IS THE LONG EXPLANATION, TLDR AT BOTTOM.

Ok, so here goes, I will try to keep this as organized as possible.

BEFORE ANYONE SAYS ANYTHING I SPOKE TO A LAWYER ALREADY I AM JUST LOOKING FOR ADVICE ON HOW TO WRITE MY LETTER

My landlord (we'll call her cuntface) is being extremely difficult. I am well aware that in my lease for my apartment it states that if I terminate my lease early I will have to continue to pay rent, as well as lose my whole security deposit. That's fine. I accepted a position elsewhere and they basically told me that if I don't come now then I can kiss the position goodbye. However, cuntface is trying to rack on all these extra fees...

--- $20 showing fee per person/group for every month until my lease is up until she fills the place, EVEN THOUGH I WOULD STILL BE PAYING MY PORTION OF THE RENT. (Which is obviously highly illegal, that's what lawyer Joe said).

--- "Mandatory" carpet cleaning service even though it's not stated in the lease anywhere that I need to do so. So fuck that. I'm willing to take my chances on that.

--- I parked on the grass slightly once, so now that portion of the grass is "dead because of my vehicle". So she wants me to fix that before I leave. It says in my lease that all lawn maintenance and care is the responsibility of the landlord and her subcontracting company to do that shit, not me.

Ok so moving on to my difficult part. I've never done this before. How do I word this letter stating I already spoke to the lawyer and I know what she can and can't do both morally and legally in the state of VT? Do this, without her completely going apeshit and threatening court and all that jazz. I'll go to court but I wanna avoid that, ain't nobody got time for that, etc...

TLDR; Help on how to word my letter to landlord that I know she's trying to pull a fast one on me because I'm 24, and she thinks I am stupid. Need to respond to her saying basically "fuck you, you can't do this" but politely without too much hostility.

Sorry if this isn't the right place, I tried googling and I even spoke to my lawyer and he said he can't help me on that one, since all landlords are obviously different people. He will definitely represent me (aka. rape my wallet) but before that, it's all me.

P.S. Help.

[Meresgi]

Type "Fuck your face asscunt" in large bold letters then "PS: This is for you". Then shit in a box and wrap it in a nice bow and attach the letter to it.


Seriously though, she sounds like a crazy bitch (i've had a few as landlords/gfs) so no matter HOW you phrase it, she might go apeshit over it. Try to word it fairly nice though, type the entire thing out and then take a break and come back, read what you typed and see if it sounds good. Usually you'll find you might type some things in anger, so re-reading it after a cig and a walk or something might help cool you down and be able to look at it from a different perspective.

I would mention you have gotten legal advice, but don't say "BITCH I GOT A LAWYER YO FUCKED" because she will go on the defensive. Just clearly state what is and what IS NOT in your lease agreement. Ask her to cite where it states YOU have to pay for the lawn care, or carpet cleaning, or showing fees. If they are not listed anywhere, then she has no grounds.

[Quixon]

"Cunt Face,

Per legal advice from my attorney, insert attorney's name, I am not legally responsible for paying the following Charges/Fees:

1)List them

Therefore, I will be deducting the aforementioned fees from any/all invoices I receive. My rent will continue to be paid in full and on time, until (Date specified on the lease) as per our signed lease agreement. Any and all reimbursements/fees requested not specifically stated on the lease agreement will NOT be paid.

Regards,

Name"



Edit: Once someone sees you have contacted a lawyer they will calm the fuck down.

[Fitch.]

Spoiler: show

"Cunt Face,

Per legal advice from my attorney, insert attorney's name, I am not legally responsible for paying the following Charges/Fees:

1)List them

Therefore, I will be deducting the aforementioned fees from any/all invoices I receive. My rent will continue to be paid in full and on time, until (Date specified on the lease) as per our signed lease agreement. Any and all reimbursements/fees requested not specifically stated on the lease agreement will NOT be paid.

Regards,

Name"



Edit: Once someone sees you have contacted a lawyer they will calm the fuck down.

Thank you, the format is well appreciated. Just waiting on my reply.

[BaneTheBrawler]

quixon nailed it. short, to the point, no excess information. she doesn't need to know she's a cunt, she doesn't need to know how you feel. just raw facts of the situation. that puts the next move on HER. she can either break the law, or come at you, bro, or whatever, but no matter what she does you'll have the moral high ground which puts you ahead if it ever comes to a jury.

[Quixon]

Kind of fucked up you lose the deposit AND have to pay rent until the lease expires as well. I thought the deposit was for damages and shit like that.

I never rented though, just made that assumption about the deposit. I went from my parent's house right to my own house.

[Sqwunk]

Landlords will try to get away with a lot of things they aren't allowed to do based on the tenants ignorance. My mom had a landlord that would always claim "well in new jersey we always did it this way" and one time he treatened to call the cops on me to have me removed from the premise because I was there while my mom was at work.

The place is in NH and lease laws change from state to state, so anything claimed about another states laws is null. And a cop wouldnt be able to have me removed because it was my moms apartment and her choice if I was allowed to visit while she was gone. There was a slew of other things he tried getting away with too. Real fuckin creep.

Sorry I dont have actual advice for you Fitch but it seems like Quixon gave a pretty solid format thats right to the point. What part of VT do you live in? Not many of us BG'ers in the VT/NH area

[Quixon]

I'll take a Quart of your finest Maple Syrup if the letter works.

[Headspace]

Also, you can look into them keeping your deposit as well. Even though it's a lease agreement, some of that shit in a lease may still not be legal depending on the state/whatever. Most states are pretty pro-tenant and you can fight that type of shit I believe.

[archibaldcrane]

I know in CA if you leave your lease early, the landlord has to actively try to market the apartment for new renters as they would with any other vacancy, and if they do not, you do not have to keep paying your rent. You can test this by having a friend or something call the management company and ask about vacancies, see if they put up "For Rent" signs, etc.

Can't speak to VT, but maybe a question for your lawyer?

[Senji]

Normally if you break a lease early it costs an extra 2 or 3 months depending on how they handle security.

[Skyylya]

If you're paying the rent I don't get why you have to do any of this...just pay the rent until your lease is up. She shouldn't have to be involved at all?

If you're paying it every month, you're technically not breaking the lease. I would try to sublet it or something.

[Talus]

Your lease and any addenda you signed are all you need to show a lawyer and/or court. For my last apartment, I signed the lease itself, which stated the rate, length of time I'd be a tenant, and the notice I'm required to give if I'm moving out along with the conditions that went along with that notice (losing security deposit), and a few addenda regarding mold (I have to inform if I see it), bedbugs (attesting I am not knowingly bringing bedbugs in) and pet-related (attesting I have no pets but if I were to get a pet, I'd inform the office and pay the extra in rent each month).

Usually mentioning that you've consulted a lawyer is enough to scare someone to back down, but some people just get egged on more. Read your lease carefully, I hope you had the lawyer read it carefully too.

This is how I'd write the letter,

Dear Landlord,

Per our lease agreement, I will continue to pay the required rent as stated, which I signed on (DATE). Regarding the $20 fee per person per showing, I will not be paying these fees, as they are not a part of the lease agreement, which I signed on (DATE). Per your instructions regarding a "mandatory" fee for a carpet cleaning service to be performed on my apartment, as this is also not indicated in the lease agreement, which I signed on (DATE), I will not be paying for this service. Further, the terms of the lease agreement, which I signed on (DATE), clearly state that lawn maintenance and care are your responsibility, therefore I will not be paying for any lawn maintenance or care.

Moreover, I have contacted an attorney regarding these matters, (put the name in if he is actually your attorney). If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact my attorney at (phone number).

Respectfully,

Fitch

[Edelweiss]

I know she's trying to pull a fast one on me because I'm 24, and she thinks I am stupid.

Have you considered offering to show her your Abercombie-Fitch tattoo?

[Pirian]

Have you considered offering to show her your Abercombie-Fitch tattoo?

I was hoping beyond hope that somebody would bring this up

[Brill Weave]

It was really only a matter of time.

[Twilight Sky]

I never rented though,

Don't worry, you're not missing out on anything, except landlord asshatery/jackassery/negligence.

[Kohan]

I only rent, specifically because I do not want to be tied down to one specific area. I have never been a person who likes to have the same home for ages on end. A lot of people consider moving exhausting, but I normally find it refreshing.

However, I also have a background in Property Management and Realty, so I do inherently know what to look for, and how to do business. That always helps, especially if a deal does turn sour (e.g., through landlord negligence).

[Ksandra]

If you're paying the rent I don't get why you have to do any of this...just pay the rent until your lease is up. She shouldn't have to be involved at all?

If you're paying it every month, you're technically not breaking the lease. I would try to sublet it or something.

Actually, Skyylya has a really REALLY good point.

If she is making you pay to the end of the lease, don't break the lease. Just pay it, but move. That way you still get your deposit back.

[BaneTheBrawler]

a lot of leases require you to actually remain living on the premises for the duration. i raised the same point with my parents when i first moved out and was learning about this shit, they explained that it's because you're a sort of de-facto caretaker of the property. you're supposed to be there to do minor maintenance, clean, and keep drifters from squatting in your place. if you move out, even if you're paying rent, you're still not fulfilling that part of the lease so it's broken.

obviously you can get leases that dont have that, but from what my parents said it's not common. usually only for people who travel a lot. also usually more expensive. probably depends a lot on the region, tbh.