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Ex Tenant owes $180/Ex Landlord wants $1000

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jjlewis305

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? Connecticut

We have or had good friends that owned a two family house. We lived in Hartford and wanted to move to an area that was more efficient, Vernon Rockville. Friends helping friends situation

We (my husband and I) moved in February 2004. There was no deposit and no written lease. We verbally agreed on $800 a month and no term was set.

During that summer I had an argument with the wife (landlord) and she told me to move out. When my husband came home that night, she admitted she did say that. About a week later she came down stairs sobbing and apologizing for what she said that she and her husband wished us to stay. Fine. Its taken care of.

Well the first week of November 2004, again another argument she asked us to vacate the premises. Enough is enough. My husband and I paid our November rent and on the 19th secured another apartment. We let them know on that day that we would be out by Dec. 11th.

Eight days before we left our "friends the landlords" came to us to sort stuff out. They could not understand why we were leaving. My husband again pointed out that she asked us to vacate the premises twice. It was then agreed between all parties that we should pay for 11 days in Dec, $283.91. They told us to pay them when we can.


Now here it is Oct 2005. We only managed to pay $100 of that amount. We used checks and on all the checks in the memo I noted amount paid/amount left. They accepted and cashed these checks.

They are now suing us for $1000. They want all of December rent even after they re-rented 3 days later. They warned before we left we had to be out because someone was moving in. By law I believe they cannot collect rent for the same premises from two different tenants. They also want interest and late fees, aggrevation fee and newspaper fee.

Where do we stand on this? How did we get from $180 to $1000? What can we expect to happen? They gave us notice to vacate, should we have to give 30 days?

Thank you
 


JETX

Senior Member
jjlewis305 said:
Where do we stand on this?
Contrary to other 'opinions'....
You are in deep crap.

You were a month-to-month at-will tenant. As such, you are REQUIRED by law to provide a 30 day written notice to your landlord of your terminating the 'lease'. There is nothing in your post to indicate you did that. Absent that WRITTEN notice... your landlord is entitled to rent left owed and unpaid.

Connecticutt Statutes:
Sec. 47a-11c. Breach of rental agreement by tenant. Measure of damages. If a landlord terminates a residential or commercial tenancy on the grounds that the tenant committed a breach of the rental agreement and the landlord brings an action for damages for the breach, such damages shall include the amount of rent agreed to by the parties but unpaid by the tenant. The landlord shall be obligated to mitigate damages. This section shall not limit either party's rights to assert other legal or equitable claims, counterclaims, defenses or set-offs.
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2005/pub/Title47a.htm

How did we get from $180 to $1000?
Of course, no one here can answer that. What was the answer when you presented that question in WRITING to your former landlord??

What can we expect to happen?
Go to court. Present your defense to the charges. Court rules.

They gave us notice to vacate, should we have to give 30 days?
Both parties should have given written notice. Wanna bet their version is going to be that YOU left on your own without notice??


Thank you[/QUOTE]
 

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