[cantsleep]

this is not mine. i have pretty calm life compared to these people, my friends

anyways, here is a situation..

they are on a lease, 6month, on this particular house(more like fixed up garage) and one of them got bitten by the owner's dog. now that it is somewhat uncomfortable/not safe to live with those dogs around their garage(or a house), they want to move out.(it's been only about a month or two so they are breaking the contract) they told the owner about it and the owner is penaltizing them for deposit money+one month rental fee.

what can they do about it?

things to note:
-the owner once or twice broken in, to the house, without any notice for some reason.

she has the keys, too.
-she's somewhat threatening them by saying that she can always call a police as well as lawyer.

and the bite is nothing serious compared to his friend's

what?!??!

 

[wafflesomd]

Couldn't they like, sue for the dog bite?

 

[jmmtn4aj]

There must be some law against allowing ones pet to harm others, right? So just call the police and file a report for that

 

[plainsong]

By local law at least, if your dog bites someone, you're the one responsible for the medical bill and for making sure it doesn't happen again. There may also be a fine involved, I'm not sure.

Isn't there anything similar in the area in question? If the landlord isn't bothered, it's time to file the police report. I don't have time for people who have pets and shouldn't.

This shouldn't mean a death sentence for the dog, especially if a rescue group for the breed gets involved, or the SPCA tests him with a behavior specialist.

Or, the owner could simply make good and teach his dog some manners, and pay the medical bill if there is one.

But for all that, what did your friend do that getting bit would be an appropriate response?

 

[jpelg]

I'd say your friends are in a position to negotiate a mutally agreeable outcome.

 

[laxx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpelg /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd say your friends are in a position to negotiate a mutally agreeable outcome.

I agree. Your friends need to find out exactly how the county/state handles dog attacks. Most likely, they'll find exactly what they want to hear and should be able to use that as leverage to negotiate out of the lease.

 

[VicAjax]

and most rental agreements provide that the landlord must give 24-hour notice before entering the premises. i'm not sure if that's law or just standard contract language, but your friends should have gotten that provision unless they screwed themselves by not reading the contract.

 

[Todd R]

Go to the library.
Find the book on Landlord - Tennant relations for your state.
Every state has a set of rules in place for these situations.
This helped me a lot the last time I was renting and had a problem with the landlord.
TR

 

[cantsleep]

seems like the landlord keeps changing words. she first said it's okay to just move out but now she wants to get paid for deposit money and one month rental fee. she does not really want to negotiate or compromise

 

[nysulli]

check your local laws, but at least around me, the law states that if an event occurs that you no longer feel safe in your apartment, you can break the lease with no penalties.

I've had friends break leases in this manner do to being robbed, and one because they caught some really creepy guy trying to peep in their windows a few times(few girls i knew), so i think your friends have a good chance that they could break the lease with no issues

 

[gshan]

Is the fixed up garage approved by the city as a rental property? Your friend could check for any other violations on the unit as well.

---
I'd echo Todd R's recommendation on reading up on the local/state(?) tenant-landlord laws as well.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Yep, find out what the landlord/tenant laws are there. Sometimes you can break a lease, sometimes you can't. It depends on the state laws and the contract they entered into.

Also, you can sue for a dog bite. Maybe a call to animal control would be in order, as well. The neighbor down the street had a vicious dog that went after everyone, including me. I was lucky to avoid him, however, the mailman wasn't. The police eventually took care of the situation, since the neighbors didn't stop the dog from getting loose.

Anyhow, if there's a lawsuit for the bite, then they, presumably, would have some leverage in getting out of the lease.

 

[Pm@c]

I hate to hijack this thread, but I also have a situation. First time living on my own (18 years old), and my landlord has been driving me crazy. I just live in her basement (2 more months then Im gone) and using the toaster oven /hotplate she has down there. Its a really crappy place. Well just recently I came home to find the toaster oven gone and the hotplate as well, so I cant even cook my food. Ive been trying to get ahold of her but to no avail. Tonight when I get home from work I am gonna bang on the door and just walk in if I dont get an answer. Im freaking hungry and need that stuff to eat.

My question is, she has no right to take that away right? I have been paying rent on time and everything. I think its mostly because one time I left my food alone to go to the washroom and she came down knocking on the door telling me to never leave the food alone or It will burn the house down. Secondly there are a few dirty dishes in the sink that she always bitches about (its not the sink she uses, and theres like 2 dirty dishes that I have yet to clean, ive just been a little pre occupied). She has no right to take my essentials away (I cant eat without something to cook with), based only on the fact that there are a few dirty dishes to clean and she caught me once leaving my food alone (it was a chicken burger in a toaster oven, I just started it... its not gonna burn down the house, and if it did catch on fire, I highly doubt me being there would make a difference, since I wouldnt be looking at it the whole time..).

Im just fed up with the way im being treated by her. There are tons of other things she does that annoy me that I wont bother you with. The problem is I only have another 2 months left on my coop job (oh btw, my lease ISNT under contract) so moving out isnt an option since I will have to find a new place to live in like 5 days (because rents due today). And if I did move out, I would be at the new place for 2 months. I just want to live where I am right now, in peace, without her nagging me like a total bitch.

Any suggestions?

 

[3x331m]

I don't tolerate those kind of landlords. Get the law on your side. They might need to get a police report asap, for now, and for safety of others in the future.

 

[cantsleep]

just paid penalty, thinking of claiming the money after the move out. anyways, they are moving out tomoro and they would be less stressed for at least a while..

now, they have to file a police report and small claim after they are settled, out. \

thanks,