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Landlady is MIA

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chinabloo

Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? WA (landlady lives in CA)

Our landlady has been non-responsive since 2/20/09.

Original lease was from 8/1/06 to 7/31/07. Resigned for 8/1/07 to 7/31/08. After that we went month-to-month starting 8/1/08 (landlady wrote a letter at the time confirming this).

December - started to get calls and letters from her mortgage companies. Contacted her, she says everything is OK, just a misunderstanding. We give her the benefit of the doubt. This keeps happening so on 2/3/09 we renegotiated a new rent rate (lower) along with agreeing to a new 12 month lease (figuring it might protect us with a lender or potential buyer in the future). It was obvious she was having trouble paying her 1st and 2nd mortgages.

2/20/09 After several emails to her asking for a copy of the new lease to sign, she says she'll have it on Monday (2/23) and that's the last we've heard from her. We've sent emails (and received read reciepts on some) and left voicemails at her work, cell, and home. No replies.

3/10/09 (today) garage door broke. Sent her an email to home and work again. Got a delivery rejection so I had my mom call her work number and ask for her. Sure enough, she was let go last week.

So, technically we're still month-to-month tenants. We've found a new place to move into.

Do I wait to give her just 30 days or let her know now that we plan to be out by May 1st?

Also, if she doesn't respond to me about the garage door being broken, do I have any recourse?
 


HuAi

Member
Your two legal courses of action are to send her a 30 days notice by mail, certified, and move out at the end of the following month. Pay your rent in the meantime. Alternatly you can stick with your LL as a month-to-month tenant, and notify her in writing by certified mail of the garage door issue. You will have to move with or without a lease if she is foreclosed upon. In case of a sale (not a foreclosure) a lease will protect you.
 

chinabloo

Member
Thanks. Luckily my husband was able to fix the garage door last night. We just got approved for a new place and I'm in the process of drafting our notice letter to send CRRR.

Here's to getting out of someone else's mess!
 

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