Landlord Issue

[blahbleebloo]

What is the name of your state? California

Hello, I currently am renting a room in a 4 bedroom house in Rancho Cordova, CA. The landlord of this house is renting the house out room by room, it's not necessarily a rental share typing of situation.

Anyway, some kind of strange things have come up that I'm not altogether familiar with and was hoping someone could give me some advice.

First, it appears that the rents per room are not equal, in that there are 2 girls that have the same size bedrooms and share one bathroom. One girl pays $100 more then the second. This was not discovered until the 2nd girl moved in, and when questioned, the landlord said that it was because the 1st girl has 2 cats. No where on the lease does it say that there was $100 pet rent, plus there is a 3rd girl who has a dog that does not have to pay that $100. Also, there was a situation where an animal (it was never determined to be one of the cats or the dog) vomited in a bedroom. Girl #1 (the one with the cats) cleaned up the mess, just to avoid any conflict down the line. The landlord had the carpets cleaned anyway, and now is charging Girl #1 the money to have the carpets cleaned. My thought is that since she's paying that $100 a month pet rent (how ever sleazy that may seem in the first place), she should necessarily have to pay for the carpet cleaning too right? The landlord told her that he was charging her that because she was "condescending" when he talked to her about the mess. Also, there was a situation where Girl #1 & Girl #3 were both late on their rent (they mailed it in on the same day, in the same envelope even). Only Girl #1 was charged a late fee. It seems to me that Girl #1 is getting hosed, and since I sincerely like this girl, I just thought I could get some information for her, even though I'm actually Girl #4 and don't really have any issues to begin with. =)

I appreciate any help that anyone can offer. Thanks.

 

[Cvillecpm]

Rents don't have to be equal. Each tenant is being treated individually which appears to be what you object to.

 

[blahbleebloo]

Actually what I object to is the fact that the rules just seem to change midstream. If the $100 extra was for a pet fee, then shouldn't it say that on the lease agreement? And if it is, shouldn't the charge for the carpet cleaning be included in that? I mean, if it was just that the tenants were being treated individually, then whatever, but the landlord actually said that the $100 was for pet rent. Plus I don't see that one tenant should get charged a late fee when the other doesn't, especially when both rents were received at the same time (there were in the same envelope).

 

[Alaska landlord]

Actually what I object to is the fact that the rules just seem to change midstream. If the $100 extra was for a pet fee, then shouldn't it say that on the lease agreement? And if it is, shouldn't the charge for the carpet cleaning be included in that? I mean, if it was just that the tenants were being treated individually, then whatever, but the landlord actually said that the $100 was for pet rent. Plus I don't see that one tenant should get charged a late fee when the other doesn't, especially when both rents were received at the same time (there were in the same envelope).

Pet rent is for the privilege of having a pet. It is not a right for the pet to crap on the floor and the landlord to deduct for the cleaning. It does not matter what you think is fair. The landlord can charge whatever he or she wants for any room. When you own your home and rent, then you can worry about late fees. For now you worry about YOU and not the landlords business.

 

[blahbleebloo]

See that doesn't really answer my question. I mean, to listen to you, it would seem that we, as renters, have no rights whatsoever. So basically, because we don't actually own the property we live on, that gives a landlord the right to make up/change any rules as he goes along, and we just have to deal with it? What exactly is a lease for then? Oh, don't tell me. It's simply to protect the landlord from all of us deviant tenants.

I just would like to know what (if any) rights tenants have in situations like this. Not because it is affecting me personally at this point, but because it just as likely could've been me that he chose to single out.

 

[Alaska landlord]

What I am trying to convey is that this is none of your business at this point and putting yourself in the middle can have consequences. You do not know what other side deal was made with girl #1 regarding the late fee, or if he has a one-time forgiveness policy on late fees. You also don’t know what has transpired between girl#1, only what she has told you.

gotta go.

 

[Cvillecpm]

Tenant's pet did damage therefore tenant is responsible for correcting the damage TO THE LANDLORD'S PROPERTY OR paying for the correction......while this specific situation MAY NOT be not spelled out in the room leases, the RESPONSIBILITY comes with the role as tenant/pet owner is clear and the responsibility for correction is also.

 

[blahbleebloo]

Okay, well maybe I'm beating a dead horse at this point, but it's a slow Saturday and I already have my laundry done.

Anyway, the main issue I have with the carpet cleaning charge was that he wasn't originally going to charge her for the cleaning (I was there when he said that), and then changed his mind because he thought she was being "condescending" to him about it (I heard him say this also). I just don't like that he just can just change the rules like that without any kind of forewarning. I mean, this is a fairly innocuous situation, but I just want to make sure that if I run into this type of thing with him, that I know what rights I have to question it. I mean, just because I'm renting from him, doesn't make him the Ruler of my Universe does it?

 

[FarmerJ]

If you run into a problem with your LL , your own rights will be what your states laws say and your lease . If your LL violates either there are some set penaltys for some of his actions. ANY actions he takes wich are not covered by a state or local law can be decided by a court. keep your communications with your LL in writting , keep your your records in a safe place INC your copy of the lease. Send all letters at the very least via certificate of mailiing or next step up certified. use a camera to take pics of conditions of the common areas of the home and damages that occur for your own record even if the damage was not caused by you. have whom ever you take the film to for proccess to date them.

 

[Cvillecpm]

"No good deed goes unpunished"....your landlord was going to be nice and then your co-tenant became condescending and your landlord CHANGED HIS MIND.....be nicer to your landlord is the lesson to be learned.

 

[Caveman]

Shiot! this sounds like who stole my granola bar or where is my red bull. HELLO. Proof is in the pudding gals Too many Chef's in the kitten if you get my driftch... Put too many women it a sitch and well I am not the best to judge

I am so watching Bravo Waaay tooo much Or chanel. OH!!! or " Girls gone Wild"

Proof proof proof. Or a sllimy lawyer, it is let it go or he say she say

 

[sdgirl]

Ok. I'm not a lawyer or anything but here's my opinion. Each girl had a seperate lease with the landlord, correct? Girl 1 agreed to pet deposit by signing lease. The fact that the other girl was not charged a pet deposit is irrelevent, no matter how unfair. It IS this guy's house so he can make the rules, which by moving in and signing a lease, all of you have agreed to. There also may be something is girl 1's lease about late fees and not the other girl's. Again, it may not be fair but it is legal. It is all about what is in each of your leases seperately. I have found that many landlords would rather have dogs in their rentals than cats, as cat boxes can sometimes really stink up a place, which may have been why he wanted a deposit for the cats. I think what others on here are trying to say is pay close attention to your own lease so you'll know what YOU agreed to.

 

[Alaska landlord]

Ok. I'm not a lawyer or anything but here's my opinion. Each girl had a seperate lease with the landlord, correct? Girl 1 agreed to pet deposit by signing lease. The fact that the other girl was not charged a pet deposit is irrelevent, no matter how unfair. It IS this guy's house so he can make the rules, which by moving in and signing a lease, all of you have agreed to. There also may be something is girl 1's lease about late fees and not the other girl's. Again, it may not be fair but it is legal. It is all about what is in each of your leases seperately. I have found that many landlords would rather have dogs in their rentals than cats, as cat boxes can sometimes really stink up a place, which may have been why he wanted a deposit for the cats. I think what others on here are trying to say is pay close attention to your own lease so you'll know what YOU agreed to.

You got it!

 

[blahbleebloo]

Except that a) late fees are illegal in California on Residential Lease Agreements. b) there was nothing about a pet deposit/fee in ANYONE's lease, and now all of a sudden that's what he's saying it is. He has even said that every one of us signed an identical lease (which may or may not have been true) and c) my real issue here is not that he can't make up rules in his house, only that he keeps changing the rules midstream. If it was for a pet deposit, that should've been said up front. If he was going to only charge some people late fees, then I'm sorry we have a right to question it. Just because he owns the property, doesn't make him God. We are paying him to live in this house, and he is taking the money in lieu of possession of the property. That is what California law says.

 

[blahbleebloo]

"No good deed goes unpunished"....your landlord was going to be nice and then your co-tenant became condescending and your landlord CHANGED HIS MIND.....be nicer to your landlord is the lesson to be learned.

Okay, so I looked over my lease agreement (and admittedly I haven't looked over the other girls for this), and saw nothing about a Smart Ass Clause, to where if we weren't nice, or hurt the poor landlord's feelings that we were then in violation of part of the lease agreement.