[justage]

I am renting a house in Florida. When we moved in, the home was a complete mess. The landlord was living there and moved to Idaho. We agreed that I would fix up the home and deduct expenses from the rent. Well now they don't "REMEMBER" that and they say that if anything is broken that I rented as-is and if I want it fixed then I have to pay for it! This all came about after a tree fell onto my car that was in the driveway. I called to ask if they could put it through homeowner insurance as recommended by the police. Then I found out the home is in foreclosure and they only want money ! What can I do?

[this8384]

Did you ever get anything in writing from your landlord stating that they agreed to allow you to deduct for any repairs you performed? Did they ever give you a receipt when you paid rent at a reduced rate, showing that they weren't contesting the deductions?

Did you take pictures to document anything(the condition of the home when you took occupancy, the damage to your vehicle, etc.)? If the home is in foreclosure, I doubt they were carrying insurance on the property but it's worth a try. You definitely should not have to pay for that damage.

Since the home is in foreclosure, I would send your landlord a certified letter stating that you will be depositing your rent money into an escrow account. Once the foreclosure issue is settled, you will pay the rent in full with that money whether it's to your landlord or to the bank.