Dishonest landlord

[mybday]

Me and three girls rent have a monthly rental agreement at our current place of living. For about two months now we have been getting letters for the landlord from the loan company and now we got a document taped tto our door that said our house would be auctioned off. We asked our land lord and he said everything is fine and not to worry he is just trying to get a better loan. We googled the house today and he is selling it over the internet and I also saw that it is up for auction. He hasn't paid on the loan since March and we don't want to pay him another cent if somebody else is going to buy it and kick us out. How long can we live there with out paying rent? Will this be illegal? What happens with our security deposit?

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

If you guys have a monthly rental agreement, you can terminate this type of lease (in most states) with a 30 day written notice.

In the meantime, the place hasn't sold yet (and there's no evidence that anyone is putting a bid in or, if they do, if this will be the winning bid) and thus by witholding rent to the landlord (the CURRENT owner), you run the risk of facing eviction proceedings.

Since we're nearing the end of August, it would be a good idea for you to sent a written notice before the first of September, tendering your termination in 30 days. This will give you three a chance to find a new residence and terminate the lease legally without the file of an eviction or lawsuit being filed against you.

If you had a yearly lease, the new owner would have to accept this as it remaining in place until it would naturally expire.

Gail