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Originally Posted by rockinmommy  I don't disagree with you. It's just like any business.......there are good "____________" (fill in the blank) out there doing business, and there are bad "______________". Unfortunately, it's the bad scenarios that always get the attention and make everyone good get lumped into the rest.
There are landlords out there who routinely just think they can get away with keeping security deposits and tenants out there who don't take care of the property and then can't understand why they don't get their deposit back.
It's kind of like people who have children who have no idea what they're doing.
In this case I don't see that the landlord is abusing or manipulating the situation. Time to forward their mail.........eh, may be pushing it a little, but at the same time she shouldn't have to spend her time to do that............
ORIGINAL POSTER......for future reference........write "No longer at this address" on all mail that still comes to tenants who have moved out and leave it in the mailbox. It's not your job to forward their mail. |
I would like to clarify - I did NOT charge them for time to forward their mail, nor the cost of the postage. When I told them I would leave their mail out for pick up, one of them said I would be liable if anything was lost since he did not have time to pick it up on the days I designated. One of them did not have an address at the time so forwarding was an issue for him. I DID charge them for time I took to clean up after them. According to my read of the law, I am allowed to do this and I charged the standard rate.
Additionally, I was waiting for a final receipt before forwarding the full package. This I got yesterday afternoon and so am mailing the package today. Their letter does not ask for the receipts by the way, this is not the bad faith they are accusing me of, but yes I now know they should get copies.
The lease the three original tenants signed clearly states any disputes are to be resolved with mediation and that if they lose, they are liable for my attorney fees. It does not go the other way. However, in the US anyone can sue anyone for anything and again, because they are recent graduates, they may think this is easy to do.
My issue is not that I don't understand the law, it is that I live in a VERY tenant friendly city and am dealing with three junior lawyers who are not bright, and are unemployed and have no money so are coming after me with vengeance. My attorney will happily fight this, but it will cost me $500 out the door for the first letter, and another $500 to reply. There is no guarantee that his letters will stop these not very bright bulbs. The reason I asked the initial question was to figure out what other people's experience was. Now I have to figure out whether 1) I take the sure route out of hassle by paying the former tenants;2) fight now and potentially have to pay more; or 3) ignore them as was advised by this panel and then potentially have to pay later still.