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Landlord/Tenant Law

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J

JulieC

Guest
I have been renting half of a duplex for 7 months. I have a month to month lease for myself, my 11 year old daughter and 1 cat. I put down $1000.00 as a security deposit when I moved in.My rent in my lease is $750.00. My landlord has tried to increase my monthly rent at least 3 times in the last 7 months. The second month I was there she wanted an automatic increase of $50.00 a month because I am a smoker even though she knew this before I moved in. She said this is because the wallpaper is fabric and this would protect her interest. I explained to her that the wallpaper is already filthy from all the years that they lived there and is peeling off the wall already. There are metal bolts all over it which I am not to remove because she said that the dry wall underneath the paper would crumble. I did not see how bad it was when I signed the contract because they had their pictures up. They were supposed to look into getting something to clean the fabric but they never have so far. I have dirt marks that outline where every picture was hung.

While I was out of town on business, they came in to patch a gaping hole in my closet that was there when I moved in. Of course they left the clean up of the patching for me to clean. They then set my stove to automatic self cleaning with a latch that locked the oven door now I cannot even open the oven door. They said they tried for about 45 min. and couldn't open it either. They told me they cannot afford to replace the oven at least until spring or summer. All I can use is the stovetop.

My fiancee has been staying over at my place several nights a week and now I am told I have to pay an additional $250.00 per month security for him to stay there. They said they don't mind if he stays over night but he cannot everynight. His belongings are not in the house except for some clothes. Am I allowed to have overnight house guests? Is there any definition of this?

She had wanted me to pay her $75.00 every 2 weeks for her to clean the house, because she cleans other houses in the area. I told her that I could not really afford it right now and she said that she would have to come over every Thursday to verify that the house is being maintained. This has caused unbelievable stress because I have to rush from work to be there when she comes over.
Even though she pointed out that she has keys to get in anytime she wants, I prefer that I am there when she comes over. Does she have the right to do this?

The worst is that I am now supposed to pay $1000.00 ($750.00rent + $250.00sec dep) every month beginning Feb. 1st. She has not giving me anything in writing regarding an increase just verbally. She said she can evict me at any time because of my fiancee sleeping over but if I pay this increase every month from now on my fiancee can sleep over any time he wants. Do I have any rights regarding this? I feel she has me exactly where she wants, my daughter being in school and having to find a new home during the winter.

Either one of us has to give a 60 day written notice to terminate the lease. I explained that I have no intention of living at the residence beyond June anyway. (when school is out) She confided in me early on that they are hoping to sell the place before they have to replace the fabric wallpaper because it would be extremely expensive and they hope it would be someone else's headache. I believe they are doing this so that they can collect additional money for them to do remodeling after I leave. I really don't believe I will ever see a penny of my security deposit when I do leave.

Please help me and let me know if I have ANY rights. I can't afford a lawyer right now let alone $1000.00 in monthly rent, and am hoping for any help at all.
 



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