Oh my God. What a lease. What's happening here?

[alex468]

What is the name of your state? Massachusetts

I live with three other people in a single family home, and one of the people is the property manager. I found out a few weeks ago that, in addition to signing the lease as a tenant and property manager, he also signed for the landlord with power-of-attorney. Also, there's a lease rider that says, "The Tenants will do their own internal bookkeeping and agree to send only one rent check in the full amount to the Property Manager on or before the first day of each month."

This property-manager/roommate/POA-landlord has also been dropping hints lately that he's married to one of the other tenants, and he's also the roommate from hell. He hogs space and blames me for his messes. I've simply been handing this guy my rent checks made out to the landlord, and God knows what he's doing with them or what he's telling the landlord. When I've asked to get out of the lease early, he's said I can if I find a replacement, but I don't want to be responsible for bringing a new person into this situation.

The landlord's phone number and address on the lease are given as the property manager's phone number and P.O. Box number. The landlord is a real estate lawyer in a different state, and when I call his phone number that I found from google, a secretary says I've gotten the wrong number. Also, the roommate who he may or may not be married to is getting SSI checks for a mental disability.

Could this all be a scheme to evict the roommate with the mental disability? She was the one who first told me to hand rent checks to him that were made out to the landlord. Does my lease sound illegal to people here? This one man has far too much power over my living arrangements. Do I have a legal or ethical obligation to do everything I can to contact the landlord?

 

[Alaska landlord]

Except for being overly paranoid and a bit nosey I don’t see a problem here. I have property in another state and my manager has limited power of attorney. There is nothing wrong with that.

 

[alex468]

Do you have a lease rider like that on your out-of-state property?

I certainly am formulating schemes about what this combination of POA+rider might be intended to do, so you may be right that I am both paranoid and nosey. The fact that he has POA for the landlord doesn't concern me by itself. The lease rider alone didn't concern me much either when I signed the lease. But the two in combination seem to make me supremely vulnerable to mischief by people I no longer trust, and my knowledge of this vulnerability is interfering with my ability to enjoy the house.

What's that rider for? Has anyone else heard of a rider like that?

 

[HomeGuru]

What is the name of your state? Massachusetts

I live with three other people in a single family home, and one of the people is the property manager. I found out a few weeks ago that, in addition to signing the lease as a tenant and property manager, he also signed for the landlord with power-of-attorney. Also, there's a lease rider that says, "The Tenants will do their own internal bookkeeping and agree to send only one rent check in the full amount to the Property Manager on or before the first day of each month."

This property-manager/roommate/POA-landlord has also been dropping hints lately that he's married to one of the other tenants, and he's also the roommate from hell. He hogs space and blames me for his messes. I've simply been handing this guy my rent checks made out to the landlord, and God knows what he's doing with them or what he's telling the landlord. When I've asked to get out of the lease early, he's said I can if I find a replacement, but I don't want to be responsible for bringing a new person into this situation.

The landlord's phone number and address on the lease are given as the property manager's phone number and P.O. Box number. The landlord is a real estate lawyer in a different state, and when I call his phone number that I found from google, a secretary says I've gotten the wrong number. Also, the roommate who he may or may not be married to is getting SSI checks for a mental disability.

Could this all be a scheme to evict the roommate with the mental disability? She was the one who first told me to hand rent checks to him that were made out to the landlord. Does my lease sound illegal to people here? This one man has far too much power over my living arrangements. Do I have a legal or ethical obligation to do everything I can to contact the landlord?

**A: I see nothing wrong on L's part.

 

[alex468]

Why are you people answering questions that I didn't ask?

I asked "Do I have a legal or ethical obligation to do everything I can to contact the landlord?" and "Whats that rider for?" I think my property manager/roommate is abusing his POA from the landlord and maybe withholding funds from the landlord or encouraging a mentally disabled tenant to engage in social security fraud or trying to get her or me evicted illegally and the answers I get are "I don't see a problem" and "I see nothing wrong on the landlord's part."

What's the hell is wrong with you people? Can't you even read? Are you so used to disputes between landlords and tenants that the possibility of unethical or illegal activity by a property manager with POA can't fit into your dunce-capped pin-headed one-track minds? Now I will spell it out in all-caps: THIS IS NOT A DISPUTE BETWEEN THE LANDLORD AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND MYSELF AS A TENANT. THIS MAY BE A POA ABUSE ISSUE. IS IT ANY OF MY BUSINESS? IF I MAKE IT MY BUSINESS AND INFORM THE LANDLORD, COULD I BE BE FOUND GUILTY OF LIBEL? SHOULD I DO ANYTHING?

 

[HomeGuru]

I asked "Do I have a legal or ethical obligation to do everything I can to contact the landlord?" and "Whats that rider for?" I think my property manager/roommate is abusing his POA from the landlord and maybe withholding funds from the landlord or encouraging a mentally disabled tenant to engage in social security fraud or trying to get her or me evicted illegally and the answers I get are "I don't see a problem" and "I see nothing wrong on the landlord's part."

What's the hell is wrong with you people? Can't you even read? Are you so used to disputes between landlords and tenants that the possibility of unethical or illegal activity by a property manager with POA can't fit into your dunce-capped pin-headed one-track minds? Now I will spell it out in all-caps: THIS IS NOT A DISPUTE BETWEEN THE LANDLORD AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND MYSELF AS A TENANT. THIS MAY BE A POA ABUSE ISSUE. IS IT ANY OF MY BUSINESS? IF I MAKE IT MY BUSINESS AND INFORM THE LANDLORD, COULD I BE BE FOUND GUILTY OF LIBEL? SHOULD I DO ANYTHING?

**A: this is too funny man. I will address your concerns if you apologize.

 

[Zigner]

SHOULD I DO ANYTHING?

Yes, stay out of it!

 

[Alaska landlord]

.

What's the hell is wrong with you people? Can't you even read? Are you so used to disputes between landlords and tenants that the possibility of unethical or illegal activity by a property manager with POA can't fit into your dunce-capped pin-headed one-track minds? Now I will spell it out in all-caps: THIS IS NOT A DISPUTE BETWEEN THE LANDLORD AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND MYSELF AS A TENANT. THIS MAY BE A POA ABUSE ISSUE. IS IT ANY OF MY BUSINESS? IF I MAKE IT MY BUSINESS AND INFORM THE LANDLORD, COULD I BE BE FOUND GUILTY OF LIBEL? SHOULD I DO ANYTHING?

Does mind your own business or stay out of other peoples affairs mean anything to you?
The rider means that he is only concerned with getting the full rent! How you both agree share the responsibility is not his business and both of you will be held responsible for the full amount of the rent. The POA is none of your business keep it that way and maybe you can remain as a tenant. Is there nothing more important in your life that you have to be concerned about how the LL runs his business?