What is the name of your state? Washington
Ok here's my problem... My aunt and I rented a house to use for a private preschool in July of this year. Before taking this house we had looked at a couple other buildings that this particular landlord owned so she knew our intentions. The buildings we looked at prior where actual commercial buildings but were kinda pricey for what we had in our budget to spend. So she offered us a house to use that was zoned commericial for 1/2 the price as the commercial buildings we were looking at. After looking a the hose we decided OK it will work, has the open concept and such we needed and such so we tell ehr we would take it. We then go to her office a couple days later to sign a lease. She gives us a Commercial lease, we didn't think anything of it other then that we were not going to be living in the house, just having the preschool business there. After signing the lease is when we filed for our business license (Something we couldn't do unless we had an address for the place of business to put down) About 5 days later is when the City code inspector person comes out and gives us this Big long list of stuff we needed to do to make the house COMMERCIAL READY!!
We then called our landlord and told her that the City was requiring us to change door handles, take out the tub in the bathroom, take doors off, cover heater vents, close off the fireplace, but up a fence outside, put up a ramp for handicapp assesability, smoke detectors, change outlit plug ins in bathroom and kitchen, take out the sink in bathroom and put in a pedastol sink along with a few other things. She tells us well "go ahead and by the stuff you need and I will have our men come over and do the work". Why is this our responsibility when she rented us a "Commercial property"??? The next day after this we get a call from teh City guy agian telling us he talked to his supervisor and they agree that since we will be open to the public that we need to put in a parking lot down the driveway and out the back of the house. We then call the landlord about this issue and tell her that this is something we can not afford to do, that it jsut was not in our budget to put in a parking lot for her property. She then says that if we buy all the stuff for the inside and do all the work she'll talk to her husband about putting in the parking lot. (Mind you this all was verbally agreed, nothing in writting.) Meanwhile we get what we need to get to convert everything inside the house spent over $1000.00 to do so not to mention all the working hors it took to do everything the City required. The landlord and her husband then took 6+ weeks to do the parking lot which delayed or starting date for preschool 3 different times because the city would not approve our license till that part was done. Our part on the inside was complete within 3 weeks. The landlord has since day one charged us first months and last months rent and deposit while doing all the things the city required to get our license. We paid for 2 months rent + deposit $2400 all together when we couldn't even have anyone in the house. Is this legal?? To charge rent before the premises is even "commercial ready" for business? On top of all this on Oct 3rd we called her over to talk about the situation of our business not being able to start when we wanted and that we had to turn people away due to our starting date being pushed out too many times and not having our license in a timely manner becuse of them and that buying all the things to convert the hosue to commercial property and paying rent on the house that we didn't even have an income for had broke us and we had no money to continue staying there. She accepted our key that day as October being our last month of residing in the premises and that she would bring us back the items to put back into the house to make it a "house agian". (Bathtub, doors etc.) Why should we have to do this? We signed a commercial lease that should have been commercial ready, which is what the lease says is that "the location of ___ is commercial ready as leasee accpets in it's present condition". Did we get screwed by signing this thing if we had to do all the changes yet is says we accepted in it's current condition?? Mind you this was our first time doing something like this and do not have the experience in checking things out before of what is right and what is wrong. This landlord owns 1/2 the property in this town and build houses and buildings for a living shouldn't they have known the legalities before she rented it to us of things that needed to be converted?? We even asked her when looking at another builing who was responsible for do all the repairs and upgrades if the city requires themand she told us she was. Anyways she is telling us now, 3 weeks later, that she changed her mind that we would owe her for Octobers rent and can't use it as our last months cause we signed the lease and it is for a whole year so we are obligated to pay another 8 months as well, and that we owed $100 for each day the rent has been late which equals to over $2400. In our lease it does not say anyting about giving notice, what happens if vacating early or how long before vacating to give notice. We are so stresed about this situation and don't know where to turn. Are we legally obligated to stay there on a house that we had to convert to commercial property. Even on our lease it says what business we were going to have in there. Please someone help us and fast. We are out of money and can not afford to pay her anymore.
Ok here's my problem... My aunt and I rented a house to use for a private preschool in July of this year. Before taking this house we had looked at a couple other buildings that this particular landlord owned so she knew our intentions. The buildings we looked at prior where actual commercial buildings but were kinda pricey for what we had in our budget to spend. So she offered us a house to use that was zoned commericial for 1/2 the price as the commercial buildings we were looking at. After looking a the hose we decided OK it will work, has the open concept and such we needed and such so we tell ehr we would take it. We then go to her office a couple days later to sign a lease. She gives us a Commercial lease, we didn't think anything of it other then that we were not going to be living in the house, just having the preschool business there. After signing the lease is when we filed for our business license (Something we couldn't do unless we had an address for the place of business to put down) About 5 days later is when the City code inspector person comes out and gives us this Big long list of stuff we needed to do to make the house COMMERCIAL READY!!
We then called our landlord and told her that the City was requiring us to change door handles, take out the tub in the bathroom, take doors off, cover heater vents, close off the fireplace, but up a fence outside, put up a ramp for handicapp assesability, smoke detectors, change outlit plug ins in bathroom and kitchen, take out the sink in bathroom and put in a pedastol sink along with a few other things. She tells us well "go ahead and by the stuff you need and I will have our men come over and do the work". Why is this our responsibility when she rented us a "Commercial property"??? The next day after this we get a call from teh City guy agian telling us he talked to his supervisor and they agree that since we will be open to the public that we need to put in a parking lot down the driveway and out the back of the house. We then call the landlord about this issue and tell her that this is something we can not afford to do, that it jsut was not in our budget to put in a parking lot for her property. She then says that if we buy all the stuff for the inside and do all the work she'll talk to her husband about putting in the parking lot. (Mind you this all was verbally agreed, nothing in writting.) Meanwhile we get what we need to get to convert everything inside the house spent over $1000.00 to do so not to mention all the working hors it took to do everything the City required. The landlord and her husband then took 6+ weeks to do the parking lot which delayed or starting date for preschool 3 different times because the city would not approve our license till that part was done. Our part on the inside was complete within 3 weeks. The landlord has since day one charged us first months and last months rent and deposit while doing all the things the city required to get our license. We paid for 2 months rent + deposit $2400 all together when we couldn't even have anyone in the house. Is this legal?? To charge rent before the premises is even "commercial ready" for business? On top of all this on Oct 3rd we called her over to talk about the situation of our business not being able to start when we wanted and that we had to turn people away due to our starting date being pushed out too many times and not having our license in a timely manner becuse of them and that buying all the things to convert the hosue to commercial property and paying rent on the house that we didn't even have an income for had broke us and we had no money to continue staying there. She accepted our key that day as October being our last month of residing in the premises and that she would bring us back the items to put back into the house to make it a "house agian". (Bathtub, doors etc.) Why should we have to do this? We signed a commercial lease that should have been commercial ready, which is what the lease says is that "the location of ___ is commercial ready as leasee accpets in it's present condition". Did we get screwed by signing this thing if we had to do all the changes yet is says we accepted in it's current condition?? Mind you this was our first time doing something like this and do not have the experience in checking things out before of what is right and what is wrong. This landlord owns 1/2 the property in this town and build houses and buildings for a living shouldn't they have known the legalities before she rented it to us of things that needed to be converted?? We even asked her when looking at another builing who was responsible for do all the repairs and upgrades if the city requires themand she told us she was. Anyways she is telling us now, 3 weeks later, that she changed her mind that we would owe her for Octobers rent and can't use it as our last months cause we signed the lease and it is for a whole year so we are obligated to pay another 8 months as well, and that we owed $100 for each day the rent has been late which equals to over $2400. In our lease it does not say anyting about giving notice, what happens if vacating early or how long before vacating to give notice. We are so stresed about this situation and don't know where to turn. Are we legally obligated to stay there on a house that we had to convert to commercial property. Even on our lease it says what business we were going to have in there. Please someone help us and fast. We are out of money and can not afford to pay her anymore.