Is it legal for my landlord to charge me more than my neighbour for sewage removal?
Is it legal for my landlord to charge me more than my neighbour for sewage removal?Your landlord can charge you whatever your lease says he can charge you. You agreed to it. Period.I’ve never heard of a “sewage removal” charge, but I’m going to assume it’s simply the sewer fee the landlord has to pay, and is passing it directly on to you.There can be numerous reasons why one tenant is charged more, or less, than another.For instance, if the neighbor signed his lease before there was a “sewage removal” rate increase. He’s got a lower rate and anyone signing after that would have a higher rate.Family size - a family of 4 is going to cause more sewage than a single adult.Dwelling type - a single family home is going to have a higher per unit sewer rate than a duplex or an apartment complex.
Can landlord charge more than my security deposit?
Of course they can. Do you expect that, if you trashed the place and caused $10,000 worth of damage, your $99 security deposit would cover everything ? Not the way it works. A security deposit is simply a down payment against the total amount of damages incurred. You get to pay anything over and above that amount. Incidentally, those 'two tiny stains' are not normal wear and tear. If you caused the stains and they do not shampoo out, you get to pay for new carpets. I'm in the midst of a similar scenario with a vacating tenant right now. He put two cigarette burns in brand new carpeting, and he thinks I should let that go. I'm not letting it go. He WILL pay to replace that carpet.
Can landlord charge daily late fees on rent?
The only "unexpected expense" that I could ever imagine why I wouldn't pay my rent.....Is to stay out of jail. What other expense could more important than your rent. You should have thought of the consequences before you went out and spent your rent money. Regardless if you've never been late before.. There's a due date on the rent, and anyone that you pay late will usually charge you a late fee.. I bet you'll think twice before you go out party with your rent money next time. Shame on you !!
Can a landlord charge me for new paint when I lived there for 10 years?
Not really. From Lawyers, Legal Forms, Law Books & Software, Free Legal Information - Can I Sue My Landlord For Keeping My Security Deposit For Normal Wear And Tear?‘Legally, landlords may charge for any cleaning or repairs necessary to restore the rental unit to its condition when you moved in. So, if your dog stained the living room carpet, you broke a hanging light fixture, or you left a filthy bathtub or stove top, you can expect the landlord to deduct the costs of cleaning and repair of these items from your deposit. But if the carpet, bathtub, and stove in your apartment were dirty and stained when you moved in, your landlord does not have the legal right to use your deposit to hire a professional cleaning crew to clean them after you move out. If you broke a light fixture, however, you can expect your landlord to use your deposit to cover the cost of replacing the fixture.Landlords may not use tenant security deposits to cover ordinary wear and tear in the rental unit, such as a few spots on the carpet or missing or bent mini-blind slats. And the longer you’ve lived in your apartment or rental (assuming you took reasonable care of the place), the more wear and tear can be expected, especially on carpets, floors, and walls.’However -Did you ask the landlord to paint your rental unit? Are you still living there? In other words, why is the landlord painting the unit?
Can my landlord legally charge me a fee at the end of my tenancy for smoking in the apartment?
The landlord has every reason to expect an apartment to be in the same shape (minus normal wear and tear) when a tenant moves out as it was when the tenant moved in. Most of the time a landlord knows they’ll have to paint the apartment between tenants and handle touch-ups. The reason for a pet fee is because if a pet was in there, pet damage is a given and that adds to the cost.I’ve had tenants move out and leave an apartment in like-new condition. I’ve also had tenants move out and leave a mess that costs thousands of dollars to repair and to bring the house or apartment back to rentable condition. I represented one owner that was extremely picky. If you rented one of her places, you could count on losing 3/4 or more of the security deposit. She made detailed lists of every mark on the wall, every nail hole, and every little thing you can imagine that could be found that was different when a tenant moved out from when they moved in.If you’ve been smoking in the apartment, especially if you’re a heavy smoker, in order to return the apartment to rentable condition, they’ll have to paint it and may even have to get an ozone treatment to eliminate the smell. Without that, they’re limited in how they can rent it to in the future. A person with tobacco smoke allergies, for instance, could never rent that apartment.A landlord could easily justify, on paper, or in court, the cost to return an apartment to the “not been smoked in” smell before a tenant moved in. Also, I mentioned someone with allergies. Imagine the issues that would be involved if someone with smoke allergies didn’t smell it in there when they looked it over, rented it, moved in, and after a few days, starting having issues due to lingering smoke. That’s just one of the more extreme issues, but the landlord needs to be able to return it to “normal” condition and if a tenant’s behavior makes that cost more, then the landlord can justify charging them for it.
Can a landlord charge an $80 rekey fee at the time of signing the lease to change the locks? Shouldn't the landlord be responsible financially?
It depends on the jurisdiction and the lease.For example, in California a landlord may not charge more than 3x the monthly rent at move-in, and that would be for one month’s rent plus a security deposit of up to 2x the monthly rent. It can be more if you have a waterbed or if the apartment is rented with furnishings included. (The landlord may also charge an ‘application processing fee’ but this is not part of move-in costs, as the landlord can potentially collect this fee and not rent to you at all.)In Massachusetts, a landlord my charge first & last month’s rent, security deposit, and the actual cost only of re-keying the locks. ($80 sounds high considering I can do this myself in 20 minutes, and a decent deadbolt, keys and all, is under $30.)You need to research local laws where you live and read your lease closely. Just because the lease says you owe the re-keying cost doesn’t make it legal if the local laws say otherwise. If, after doing this research, you still think this fee is illegal, then contact a lawyer.
Can a landlord charge me twice for rent in less than a month?
I just moved in my new apartment on 8/20/09. Landlord told me it would be $1,390 deposit to move in (2 months rent). I paid them the $1,390 deposit in the form of a money order. A few days later, I was told that I had to come pick up my keys, sign the lease, and pay them another $340.00. I went to pick up my keys, sign the lease, but I didn't understand why they were asking for an additional $340.00 besides the deposit. To make a long story short, yesterday 8/27/09, I went to their office. The boss told me that besides the $1,390 deposit, they charged me for $35 access card, $35 cable connection fee (which I wasn't told about at the beginning), $19 cable fee (I still haven't seen any cable on my tv), and $269 for rent from 8/20-8/31. That's over $1,700 in less than a month. Keep in mind that the deposit was only supposed to be $1,390 and the rent is $695 per month. I have only been there since 8/20 until now 8/28. The next rent is due on 9/1 which is 4 days from now. The owner says I have to pay a full months rent on 9/1 in the amount of $743. I have paid $1,390. So, my balance is $358 that I have to pay today plus $743 (4 days later). Is it legal for them to charge me for all of those other things besides the $1,390 deposit and ask for $743.00 four days later? I don't think it's right.
Can my landlord charge me to replace entire carpet because of a stain once I move? Deposit + Some?
I just moved out of an apartment and there was a stain in the carpet left behind. My security deposit was only $250 and the landlord is now telling me that they want around $1,000 to replace the ENTIRE carpet because the stain wouldn't come out. The unit didn't have new carpet when I moved in. Am I responsible to replace the entire carpet? Does the landlord have an obligation to allow me to try and handle the stain? They're hustling me telling me the next tenant moves in on Saturday so they have an appointment for tomorrow morning to get the carpet replaced already! They only called me today! (Thursday)
In Alabama, is it legal for landlords to charge more for damages than it would cost them to fix those damages?
illegal is not the right word for it. It's against the contract that is your lease.The landlord is the landlord is supposed to charge you for whatever it takes to fix the damage that you caused.bringing this to the ultimate end, if the landlord charged you $600 for fixing a closet that you think only cost $500 to fix, and he brought out a receipt for $500 from a contractor, and said added $100 for his own time to coordinate the contractor let him in approve the work and make sure everything goes properly, I can see the judge agreeing with the landlord.