mjmpheonix
Junior Member
What is the name of your state? MN
I was renting a room in a house from a woman for two months. The amount was $600 a month, my girlfriend and I stayed in one room and were allowed access to all of the house. I had previously thought I was going to stay for three months and she was aware of this, we did not sign anything saying how long I was going to stay but the idea was three months, but after continuous breaches in privacy (going into the room while we were not present, walking into the room while we were sleeping, going through our trash and recycling on a regular basis, etc.) we had had enough and gave one weeks notice of our intent to leave (this was one week before the end of the last month I had paid for). She informed me that the lease I signed said I had to give one month notice before leaving or she keeps my security deposit ($300). I said I did not sign one and after looking through all her legal papers, she could not find a lease that I had signed (because I didn't sign one). She then informed me that she MUST have verbally informed me of this one month notice and that I must have stolen the lease (she keeps all her renting papers, leases, etc. in an unlocked drawer in the kitchen, and I DID NOT steal it). She says that she also informed me of the one month notice in the add that I responded to. I believed I was renting on a monthly basis, as I was only going to be staying for the possibility of three months.
My questions are thus: is it MN law that I had to give one month notice? Does it matter that she may have informed me verbally of the notice (I do not remember this verbal agreement)? She continously brings up things that do not matter (i.e. our cat peed/pooped in house, I broke a plate, the electrical bill was high, we never cleaned the room while we were there, I had too much alcohol in the room), do any of these matter or will the judge just ask where the lease is and then give me my money? Should I try to sue her for each breach in privacy (as I understand it's something like $100/breach) or do the previous mentions of privacy issues not count because, as she claims, "I own the house and thus can go anywhere I please"? Thanks for any help you can give me.
p.s. She is diagnosed as having the following disorders: bipolar, paranoied-schizophrenic, and ADD; she is always horribly confused, losses her train of thought, reads into others actions as much more than they are, and aggressive. My girlfriend and I were model tenants and she never had a thing against us until I told her we were leaving, now you would think we were constantly at eachother's throats from what she says. Will the judge listen to her rants about dishes, poop, and liquor or will it be cut and dry "where is the signed lease?"What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?
I was renting a room in a house from a woman for two months. The amount was $600 a month, my girlfriend and I stayed in one room and were allowed access to all of the house. I had previously thought I was going to stay for three months and she was aware of this, we did not sign anything saying how long I was going to stay but the idea was three months, but after continuous breaches in privacy (going into the room while we were not present, walking into the room while we were sleeping, going through our trash and recycling on a regular basis, etc.) we had had enough and gave one weeks notice of our intent to leave (this was one week before the end of the last month I had paid for). She informed me that the lease I signed said I had to give one month notice before leaving or she keeps my security deposit ($300). I said I did not sign one and after looking through all her legal papers, she could not find a lease that I had signed (because I didn't sign one). She then informed me that she MUST have verbally informed me of this one month notice and that I must have stolen the lease (she keeps all her renting papers, leases, etc. in an unlocked drawer in the kitchen, and I DID NOT steal it). She says that she also informed me of the one month notice in the add that I responded to. I believed I was renting on a monthly basis, as I was only going to be staying for the possibility of three months.
My questions are thus: is it MN law that I had to give one month notice? Does it matter that she may have informed me verbally of the notice (I do not remember this verbal agreement)? She continously brings up things that do not matter (i.e. our cat peed/pooped in house, I broke a plate, the electrical bill was high, we never cleaned the room while we were there, I had too much alcohol in the room), do any of these matter or will the judge just ask where the lease is and then give me my money? Should I try to sue her for each breach in privacy (as I understand it's something like $100/breach) or do the previous mentions of privacy issues not count because, as she claims, "I own the house and thus can go anywhere I please"? Thanks for any help you can give me.
p.s. She is diagnosed as having the following disorders: bipolar, paranoied-schizophrenic, and ADD; she is always horribly confused, losses her train of thought, reads into others actions as much more than they are, and aggressive. My girlfriend and I were model tenants and she never had a thing against us until I told her we were leaving, now you would think we were constantly at eachother's throats from what she says. Will the judge listen to her rants about dishes, poop, and liquor or will it be cut and dry "where is the signed lease?"What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?
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