What can I expect at a forthcoming rent determination hearing.
I had sent my Landlord a Termination Of Lease letter on July 7th 2010 due to the debilitating state of repairs of the property. The roof was leaking, rodents, clogged kitchen sink etc. On July 10th I contacted code enforcement and my landlord was cited for numerous code violations. My landlord started to repair the property and on July 31st he informed me that all the repairs would be completed on the property and I would be allowed to stay there until they were complete and upon my satisfaction and completion of the repair work we would negotiate a new 12 month lease. I paid him the rent for August and on August 10th I was served a letter of termination of my month to month lease. This lease had a stipulation that after September 1st I would be considered an unlawful tenant and I would be liable for double rent until I vacated the premises. I sent him a check for September rent which was returned by his attorney. On September 11th I was served with eviction papers which I filed an answer to within the 5 days allowed by the notice. The court has scheduled a rent determination hearing on October 13th 2010. I vacated the residence on October 1st 2010 and I am unsure what the legal process is at this point. My defense to the eviction is that the landlord is retaliating against me for contacting a government agency. I reside in Broward County, Florida. My rent payment was $1,200 per month. I surrendered the residence to my landlord on 10/01/2010. He is still in possession of my security deposit which has been held since 02/2008.
|