ULPT: Wooden floor repair lifehack
Posted by EasternReindeer4918@reddit | UnethicalLifeProTips | View on Reddit | 6 comments
Context: My landlord is a complete bitch with enormous ego issues, every single time there's some minor issue in the house she reads the law and sends us our responsibilities. And her husband is a lawyer and helps her in that. All tenants hate her. I finally found a way to move out and she said that by law I must pay for the rent the next 6 months even if I don't live there. She always finds a way to show her power and threaten everyone.
Long story short: I’m trying to find some poor soul to take over my lease so I can get my deposit back. The light wood floors are damaged but my inner artist found that a bit of yellow, white, and orange kids’ paint makes it look much less noticeable. For the dark floors use walnuts. You’re welcome.
Cuneus-Maximus@reddit
Well if you have a lease that's still valid for 6 more months, you moving out doesn't remove your responsibility to pay...
YoMammasKitchen@reddit
It does if they can find a replacement tenant
Cuneus-Maximus@reddit
If the landlord agrees.
YoMammasKitchen@reddit
Not in my state. As long as the tenant is reasonable and can pay the rent, your obligation is fulfilled. If the landlord unreasonably rejects the tenant, they failed to mitigate their losses and are out of luck.
Icanthinkofaname25@reddit
Does the law state what makes a tenant reasonable and unreasonable?
YoMammasKitchen@reddit
No, reasonableness is basically a question of common sense based on the circumstances. Basically, does the person have decent credit, is willing/able comply with terms of lease (eg no pets etc), doesn’t have other disqualifying characteristics, etc. Where this idea comes from is the legal duty of a landlord to mitigate (limit) their damages. Just because you broke a lease doesn’t mean they can just sit back and collect from you without trying to find a new tenant. If they could get a reasonable replacement tenant, but failed to do so, they can come after you for their failure. Built in is usually some time to allow them to find a new tenant, vet them, etc. so you could be liable for a few months of lost rent and the cost of advertising/vetting new tenants. But if you provide them with a reasonable replacement tenant, it just helps show that they failed to mitigate their damages.
I’ll also add that usually the replacement tenant doesn’t have to pay the same rent you did. They could pay more or less, depending on market conditions. So if rents went down in your community between when you signed the lease and when you broke it, the reasonable replacement tenant might still be reasonable even if they are only willing to pay a lower amount than you previously did (but you might be liable for the difference).
Not legal advice. Most states have landlord tenant codes or handbooks that explain this stuff in semi easy to understand language. You could also contact legal aid or a similar non profit legal provider for assistance.