Landlord Disclosure Construction before move in...

[jeffp]

What is the name of your state? California

We signed a lease and 10 days before we we're going to move in, we noticed that the building next door was going be demolished and condo build so 1.5 years of construction. We're expecting our 1st child so we wanted out. The management company made us pay until from our move in date (we never moved in) until they found another tenant which was almost 1 months rent.

Shouldn't they have disclosed it to us? At the minimum, the owner must have known as it's my understanding it's CA law that the construction has to notify the surrounding properties...

We paid about $2,500.

Do we have any recourse?

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[FarmerJ]

Assuming that the other building was owned by someone else yes it might have been more fair if the new LL warned you but until such a time where state laws require a LL to tell prospective tenants of ANY near by construction projects then a LL just doesn't have to , and even at that if a construction project meets local zoning rules and there was no variance needed or no public notices needed even the new LL may not have known. BUT anyway it only cost you one months rent since you did take the unit off the market . Your free to explore suing that LL in small claims court but personally I don't think you would have great odds of winning ( see in theory you could have called your city planning offices to learn if any major construction projects had been given permits to be done in that apartment buildings area including road or water, sewer projects that would have torn up the streets the same way a potential buyer might if they were to check out a area before buying.

 

[reenzz]

JEFFP...Please post the statute that requires the landlord to notify tenants of constuction in the area.

 

[jeffp]

Thank you for quick reply. I was mostly curious.. I look at it as it was cheap to pay not to be next to that for 18 months with a newborn... Thanks again.

 

[FarmerJ]

Yes you were lucky the LL found another customer so fast.