Tenant/ Landlord Dispute

Ok
Here is the dispute.

This guy has been renting an apartment for the past 3 1/2 years, and will be graduating from college in May ( 5 months), he makes the mistake of letting his landlord know that he is graduating and will be out on May 1.

Now this landlord is a tight ass and wants the apartment rented out, so that the day he moves out the new tenant will be in. The landlord is hoping that there is no overlap where the apartment sits empty, and thus makes no rent.

This apartment is a nice one sitting in a great location right on campus, and thus already there have been 10 different parties who have come by to see it. The tenant doesnt want strangers coming into his apartment like this. After all he is still paying full rent. He feels that as it gets closer to May, if it isnt rented these showings will be graeter and greater.

This issue is not addressed at all in the lease. Who is right here?

Does the landlord have the righ to show this apartment without tenants approval ?

or

Does the tenant have the right to say, No. You show it to prospective tenants after I go.

Who is right?

Thanks.

The landlord has a right to enter the apartment to show it to perspective tenants; however, the landlord must be reasonable in doing so. You did not specify the state; therefore, we can not give you the exact rights the landlord has in this because each state is somewhat different.

The State is Indiana. I forgot that.

I dont understand this. It seems that I have to pay full rent, and then my house can be used for her own purposes. This law seems crazy.

You have said the same thing that most have been telling me. The landlord has the right, but must be reasonable. This too is crazy.

What is reasonable? It seems that the definition of reasonable is left up to the landlord's discretion. To me, showing this apartment 5 months before I leave is not reasonable. Showing it so often is not either. It has been shown over 10 times now in a week. I feel that my house has become a museum as strangers are brought through regularly and I cant say a thing about it. This is ridiculous.

Stangers can be brought into my house at any time the landlord pleases, and I cant say a thing, yet I am still expected to pay full rent ? A few times I was given no notice at all. I came home from work and my landlord was bringing a girl into my house. That was the first I knew of that showing. I have heard so many landlords complain that their tenant bailed on them with no notice. hmm. I wonder why ?

There are several ways that the landlord can rent this house out without showing. Today, he can have a website with the most recent pictures of every room on it. He can show another empty house, which is similar. By doing this he would have it weeded down to the more serious possible tenants. He would probably still have to show it to rent it, but this would create far fewer showings. I wouldnt have minded 2 or 3.

Even he tells me that people looking 5 months are mainly just "looking", not going to rent now. So I have to deal with this for the final 5 months ??? It will only get worse to as the date get closer.

I have a place I can sub lease for 4 months before moving into my new place in May. It would just be a huge inconvienence to move everything twice in 4 months. I am beginning to consider it, I will not put up with this for the next 5 months. To me, this is a valid reason to break my lease. No where in my lease did I say it was OK for him to be strangers through my house anytime he pleases. I didnt agree to this. Now everyone says he has the right. Well there should be some serious restrictions on that. He should be limited in number allowed, should have to let me know, and it should be within only certain times.

I have been looking for state law on this and cant seem to find anything on the internet. To be honest, I dont see paying a Lawyer $1000 or more to tell me there is nothing I can do about it. If there are some restrictions on his ability to show my house, he has broken them all. I think my response will be to break this lease. He knows of my disapproval, and just keeps blowing it off. As soon as I get it rented It will all be done. Which to me is the same as telling me to F*** Off.

I feel so helpless in this instance, and my response is getting close to keeping his rent. I am educated, even a little bit in Law. A very little bit. I know one thing though. I know that a tenant can really screw his landlord over by refusing to pay rent. It is not as easy as people think for the landlord to evict either ( even when the tenant refuses to pay rent) . That would be 100% wrong, as I have never refuse to pay my rent. It seems that he is looking more at what he can get away with, rather than what is right. Maybe the law says he can get away with this, but it sure isnt right. If he wants to play that way, maybe I will just see what I can get away with and ignore what is right.

I am that upset about this.

Wht is reasonable for the landlord to do is what a reasonable landlord in similar situations would do to rent the place. If you were to take this to court, the jury would decide whether the landord is acting reasonable in your situation. If you feel strongly that the landlord is not acting reasonably, you can withhold the rent on the basis of the landlord's interfering with your right to quiet possession.

IF you are wrong, the landlord can evict you for withholding the rent. If you are right, you win. The court will make him stop entering so much and you probably wonlt have to pay the back rent.