Changed the rental price on my lease

[Dee2471]

My current apartment lease is $650/month inclusive of mandatory water, trash, sewer, washer,dryer,and liability insurance. My lease is ending October 31. I have been given 2notices in writing from the property manager to come to the office and sign a renewal at a rate of $630 inclusive.
I spoke to the property manager and she said she would have it ready for me to sign anytime before the 31st at my new rate, and she even called me back to verify the length of 13 months.
I went to the office today, after work to sign. She has it filled out for $660 inclusive. I brought this to her attention and she said the girl in the office must have made a mistake on my notice because the lease has the correct price. I refused to sign it, and told her that they need to honor the price provided to me in writing. I also told her that the reduced price was the key factor in not moving because I had found another apartment for $625 but it just didn't seem worth moving over $5. She told me maybe I should move.
What can I do? Are they legally required to honor the written price? It is one week away from the end of my lease now, and if I don't re sign, there is an additional $50 month to month fee, or alternatively, I am free to move but I cannot afford the costs associated with that currently.

 

[army judge]

My current apartment lease is $650/month inclusive of mandatory water, trash, sewer, washer,dryer,and liability insurance. My lease is ending October 31. I have been given 2notices in writing from the property manager to come to the office and sign a renewal at a rate of $630 inclusive.
I spoke to the property manager and she said she would have it ready for me to sign anytime before the 31st at my new rate, and she even called me back to verify the length of 13 months.
I went to the office today, after work to sign. She has it filled out for $660 inclusive. I brought this to her attention and she said the girl in the office must have made a mistake on my notice because the lease has the correct price. I refused to sign it, and told her that they need to honor the price provided to me in writing. I also told her that the reduced price was the key factor in not moving because I had found another apartment for $625 but it just didn't seem worth moving over $5. She told me maybe I should move.
What can I do? Are they legally required to honor the written price? It is one week away from the end of my lease now, and if I don't re sign, there is an additional $50 month to month fee, or alternatively, I am free to move but I cannot afford the costs associated with that currently.

The lease is the ONLY thing they must honor.

If $5.00 wasn't worth moving over, is $10.00 over your current rate enough to motivate you to move?

If you're smart, you sign the lease and enjoy another year of your life.

In my mind, $10.00 more a month isn't the hill I'd want to die on, its simply an additional $120.00 over 12 months, or $130.00 over 13 months of staying put.

There is no way you could move across the street for $100.00, even if you didn't rent a truck, your time, effort, and sweat is worth way more than that.

 

[Dee2471]

The lease is the ONLY thing they must honor.

If $5.00 wasn't worth moving over, is $10.00 over your current rate enough to motivate you to move?

If you're smart, you sign the lease and enjoy another year of your life.

In my mind, $10.00 more a month isn't the hill I'd want to die on, its simply an additional $120.00 over 12 months, or $130.00 over 13 months of staying put.

There is no way you could move across the street for $100.00, even if you didn't rent a truck, your time, effort, and sweat is worth way more than that.

Why do they not have to honor the price they have me in writing? And it is not a difference of $10/month, it is a $30/month difference. Over the course of the 13 months is $390 not $130. Maybe that doesn't seem like a lot but $30 a month could actually do a lot for me. I cannot move now anyway, as I stated earlier, because I didn't plan on moving, therefore have not saved money to spend on moving costs.
I just want to know how it is legal to basically pull a bait and switch?

 

[army judge]

Why do they not have to honor the price they have me in writing? And it is not a difference of $10/month, it is a $30/month difference. Over the course of the 13 months is $390 not $130. Maybe that doesn't seem like a lot but $30 a month could actually do a lot for me. I cannot move now anyway, as I stated earlier, because I didn't plan on moving, therefore have not saved money to spend on moving costs.
I just want to know how it is legal to basically pull a bait and switch?

Because it isn't in the lease.

The letter was simply an offer, they withdrew it, reduced it to writing in a contract, your potential lease.

You can sign, go month to month, argue the point, negotiate, or move.

Or, HIRE a lawyer and fight.

No one HAS to do anything, UNLESS a judge orders them to do so, and they still can choose defy the order, perhaps suffering other consequences.

They likely got wind of your search for a cheaper deal.

That's probably why they changed their mind.

Who knows?

It doesn't matter.

They changed their mind because they could, like you investigated OTHER options, too.

Bottom line, no one cares.

 

[Dee2471]

Fine, I will fight it. When they made the "offer" as you put it, and I agreed verbally, that constitutes a contract as well, in my opinion. The fact that they switched out the pricing when turning the verbal agreement into writing is wrong.
Thank you for your "opinion" but I will take my chances fighting it. If I went into a store and the price marked on an item was one price, but the cashier rang it up for $30 more, I would certainly get the item for the price it was marked, and not the price the cashier chose to charge.

 

[disagreeable]

As AJ noted, you will lose. A contract is comprised of basics such as offer, acceptance, meeting of the minds and consideration. You did not have the four elements present at the same time.

 

[army judge]

As AJ noted, you will lose. A contract is comprised of basics such as offer, acceptance, meeting of the minds and consideration. You did not have the four elements present at the same time.

As usual, an excellent analysis and summarization.

Those four elements must ALL be reduced to writing within the FOUR CORNERS of ONE DOCUMENT, the CONTRACT; which doesn't become a contract until signed by all parties!!!!

 

[Betty3]

You have to ask yourself if it is really worth fighting & possibly losing - if so, you certainly can try.

 

[mightymoose]

The landlord can not raise your rent without giving proper notice. It appears your rent should remain the same until they give you that new written notice of the increase. That would only delay things a couple months.
Your refusal to sign the new lease keeps you at the current rate on a month to month basis. The landlord can either serve you a correct notice to increase the rent or can serve you a notice to vacate. You have absolutely no chance of forcing them to honor the reduced rate given in error.

 

[Dee2471]

Apparently, the property management company agreed that they needed to honor the rate provided on the written notice that was posted on my door.

I just signed my new lease at the rate quoted!

 

[Betty3]

I'm glad to hear they went with rate quoted.

 

[army judge]

Apparently, the property management company agreed that they needed to honor the rate provided on the written notice that was posted on my door.

I just signed my new lease at the rate quoted!

Of course they did, cough, cough, choke, choke, sneeze, sneeze.......