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Derelict Landlord who also doesn't cash checks

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Radagast

Junior Member
I live in Massachussets. The Landlord of the house I live in is a bit nuts. There are 4 of us living here. The original renters have long since left. We pay as a collective unit but have signed no lease or paperwork of any kind. Only one of us has ever met the landlord in person. I currently pay the bills and I have only talked to her on the phone. Massachussets does have a way of renting without a lease and just with an oral agreement. It is similar to a month to month lease.

She stopped cashing checks in September (It is currently May). She had been known to go a few months without cashing a check before but never this long. In January I switched to using online bill payment to pay the checks so I would have some record of having made an attempt to pay if this ever came to court.

Her voicemail is not accepting messages and my last personal letter got returned unopened from the postal service.

She does not do any repairs on the property (including some serious problems, leaky roof, broken down front door). When we have had a problem we have done the repair ourselves and removed the money for materials from the rent. We have sent her the receipts and have retained copies for our records. She has orally agreed to this on the phone in the past and usually does not say anything. I have not been able to reach her since september and it is now May!

The neighbors do know her to be crazy. My guess from the stories is that she is manic depressive or schizophrenic.

We do have a very good rental rate and so I do not want to move out but am wondering what is the best way to proceed.

Is there a statute of limitations on how long she has to collect?

Should I be sending her some certified letter?

Could we set up a joint account for the 4 of us and use online bill pay from that?
 


seniorjudge

Senior Member
Radagast said:
I live in Massachussets. The Landlord of the house I live in is a bit nuts. There are 4 of us living here. The original renters have long since left. We pay as a collective unit but have signed no lease or paperwork of any kind. Only one of us has ever met the landlord in person. I currently pay the bills and I have only talked to her on the phone. Massachussets does have a way of renting without a lease and just with an oral agreement. It is similar to a month to month lease.

She stopped cashing checks in September (It is currently May). She had been known to go a few months without cashing a check before but never this long. In January I switched to using online bill payment to pay the checks so I would have some record of having made an attempt to pay if this ever came to court.

Her voicemail is not accepting messages and my last personal letter got returned unopened from the postal service.

She does not do any repairs on the property (including some serious problems, leaky roof, broken down front door). When we have had a problem we have done the repair ourselves and removed the money for materials from the rent. We have sent her the receipts and have retained copies for our records. She has orally agreed to this on the phone in the past and usually does not say anything. I have not been able to reach her since september and it is now May!

The neighbors do know her to be crazy. My guess from the stories is that she is manic depressive or schizophrenic.

We do have a very good rental rate and so I do not want to move out but am wondering what is the best way to proceed.

Is there a statute of limitations on how long she has to collect?

Should I be sending her some certified letter?

Could we set up a joint account for the 4 of us and use online bill pay from that?


Set up an interest-bearing checking account for the rent and make your rental payments to that account.
 

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