nzdaniewicz
New Member
I rented a property in Pennsylvania starting March 1, 2008 and vacated on February 28, 2009 after the year lease expired. We had problems with the property, particularly the bathroom, from the time we moved in, including stripped faucets, leaks and mold. The landlord hired multiple plumbers to address the problems, but the work was never completed until October. In December, the water, which was in the landlords name, was shut off for non-payment, and then in January, the roof leaked on the bed and damaged the mattress. The landlord advised in several discussions that the mold in the bathroom and the leaky roof had been issues prior to our moving in, and that she had a lawsuit filed against the contractor for his shoddy work.
Pennsylvania state laws requires, as well as the lease, that the security deposit is returned in 30 days or the tenant is entitled to double. I received a letter today, April 1 outlining problems she found after our move out, some of which I take responsibility for and some of which I dispute. She is also implying in the letter that the work that had to be done to the bathroom was my fault. My intention was to file in small claims court for the security deposit as well as the cost of a new mattress. Would it be more appropriate to write her a letter of dispute with a time frame of 7 days to have the problem rectified and am I entitled to the money to replace my mattress because of the damage caused by her property?
Also, included in the envelope was a copy of a move in/move out checklist that I never saw before, with the name of the real estate agent forged (her name is spelled wrong and it is in the same handwriting as my landlord) as well as my partner's signature written in with a "signed by landlord" in parenthesis. Can we also bring this up in small claims court?
Pennsylvania state laws requires, as well as the lease, that the security deposit is returned in 30 days or the tenant is entitled to double. I received a letter today, April 1 outlining problems she found after our move out, some of which I take responsibility for and some of which I dispute. She is also implying in the letter that the work that had to be done to the bathroom was my fault. My intention was to file in small claims court for the security deposit as well as the cost of a new mattress. Would it be more appropriate to write her a letter of dispute with a time frame of 7 days to have the problem rectified and am I entitled to the money to replace my mattress because of the damage caused by her property?
Also, included in the envelope was a copy of a move in/move out checklist that I never saw before, with the name of the real estate agent forged (her name is spelled wrong and it is in the same handwriting as my landlord) as well as my partner's signature written in with a "signed by landlord" in parenthesis. Can we also bring this up in small claims court?
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