L
Lebo
Guest
There's some legalise in this I need help with... In late October I got a new job in a different city. I gave 30 days written notice to my landlord that I'd be breaking the lease at the end of November (term was up in July). At first the landlord told me it would cost $600-800 (I paid $530 in rent each month). A few days later I was told I'd receive a standard form letter informing me that I owed approx. $1000. At this point I asked for an itemized list of the expenses since they told me it included "marketing" and other costs associated with re-renting the property. These costs were being charged to me because of a clause in my lease saying that they could charge me for all the re-renting costs if I broke the lease(keep this in mind, it's important later). When I received the afore mentioned form letter it said I owed over $1100 ! There was a handwritten note at the bottom stating that the cost breakdown was to follow. I asked repeatedly for the cost breakdown and didn't get it. When I moved out at the end of November, the landlord told me he'd send the breakdown with the "move out reciept." This reciept was to include any damages to the apartment. (I moved in on a rent special and there's no security deposit.) This was the last I heard from my landlord. It's now the beginning of Feb and i'm starting to wonder what to do. I did research and found out that in Baltimore city where I was living, and this is strait from Maryland state law,"a liquidated damages clause or penalty clause in a residental lease is not enforceable. If a tenant... vacates the dwelling unit before the end of his term, the tenant is liable to the landlord for loss of rent caused by the termination or two month's rent, whichever is less, in addition to the cost of repairing damage to the premises." It goes on to say,"In determining the existence of a liquidated damages clause or a penalty clause, all provisions shall be strictly construed to be a liquidated damages clause or a penalty clause." Also it states "the provisions in this section may not be waived in any residental lease..." Does this mean the clause saying that they could charge me for 're-renting' the apartment is void ? When is it 'too late' for them to send me the move-out damages ? If the apartment was rented in December, just after I moved. does that mean I owe them nothing ? I just need a translator for the above phrasing and advice as to what's my next step.