2 weeks notice,expired lease and deposit.

[NJHawk]

I signed a lease on 6/1/02 which expired on 6/1/03 and now pay monthly without a lease. My absentee land(slum)lord moves shady characters in & out of the apt. upstairs. One of the tenants actually stole a box of checks and took $ from my account. He does not repair leaking pipes and constantly sends non-professional halfwits to fix things. Basically I have put up with a lot while leaving in a non-code, non-legal basement apt. The benefit was the cheaper rent in a "close to NYC" NJ town. Now, I have saved enough $ to purchase a home. I was not sure of the closing date but it looks like 9/30. I informed my slumlord on 9/16 that I was moving out. That is two weeks notice. There is absolutely NOTHING in my expired lease about 'extending the lease' or 'month to month' or 'providing written notice'. Here is what it says, "lease shall not exceed 6/1/03 unless mutually agreed upon". Ok, so here's my question. He has $1300 security which I will fight to get back. I have not damaged the place and really put up with some sh*t while here. I do not like or respect this man but I want my money back. Did I have to give 30 days? The lease says nothing, absolutely nothing about providing notice.

Thanks.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

You would likely have to provide prior notice of moving out but something tells me that you have leverage. If the rental is illegal then the landlord will have an impossible time trying to use the law to evict you. If the landlord brings the case to court, the illegal tenancy will become a matter of record, there will be fines and the landlord will have problems with current and future rentals.

Fighting for your security deposit with a landlord who is renting illegally seems to be a questionable thought as well since it would seem to be a given that this will happen. A lesson learned is usually that if you are doing business with characters that show a disregard for the law in one area then you shouldn't be surprised if they have a disregard for the law in other areas. Good luck with your new home.

I signed a lease on 6/1/02 which expired on 6/1/03 and now pay monthly without a lease. My absentee land(slum)lord moves shady characters in & out of the apt. upstairs. One of the tenants actually stole a box of checks and took $ from my account. He does not repair leaking pipes and constantly sends non-professional halfwits to fix things. Basically I have put up with a lot while leaving in a non-code, non-legal basement apt. The benefit was the cheaper rent in a "close to NYC" NJ town. Now, I have saved enough $ to purchase a home. I was not sure of the closing date but it looks like 9/30. I informed my slumlord on 9/16 that I was moving out. That is two weeks notice. There is absolutely NOTHING in my expired lease about 'extending the lease' or 'month to month' or 'providing written notice'. Here is what it says, "lease shall not exceed 6/1/03 unless mutually agreed upon". Ok, so here's my question. He has $1300 security which I will fight to get back. I have not damaged the place and really put up with some sh*t while here. I do not like or respect this man but I want my money back. Did I have to give 30 days? The lease says nothing, absolutely nothing about providing notice.

Thanks.