I'm renting a 2 bedroom unit (duplex) in Atlanta Georgia (West Point). My lease has 2 months remaining on it (it ends on November 30th). My lease is through a property management agency we'll call Sterling, and stipulates that all payments must be made directly to them. The owner of the property is not mentioned anywhere in the lease.
The owner of the property (whom I had never met or known existed, outside of the management company) contacted me recently to tell me she had changed management agencies. This brings me to question 1.
1: My lease has no provision regarding the transferrance of said lease to a third party, owner of the property or otherwise. If they change management companies, does the management agency cease to be the Owner's agent, thereby rendering my lease null and void at the time of the change in companies?
Further, the owner of the property is requesting that I stop paying the Sterling company, and start paying her directly. This is strictly forbidden in my lease, as it says that all payments are to be made directly to Sterling. I am not being offered a new lease by the property owner, or the new property management agency (which, as far as I know, may not even be taking payments - she may have decided to do all that herself).
Despite the best assurances of the property management agency, ceasing payment to them and paying the owner would, as far as I know, constitute a breach of contract and make me liable for the amounts unpaid to them in a civil suit. And if I refuse to comply with the wishes of the property owner, and continue to pay the Sterling company, I may find myself in eviction proceedings. The management agency may assure me that no ill effects would come from not paying them, they have not offered such in writing or as an addendum to my lease, and they refuse to release me from my lease with them; so anything they say at this point is verbal and not worth risking my money/civil liability on.
Which brings me to question 2:
2: In a situation like mine, wherein the company specified in your lease is no longer managing the property and is no longer requesting payment, should I not receive either a new lease from the owner's new agent, or at least a notice of termination of my previous lease? I have received neither, and all involved seem to have no inclination to provide me with such, though they still expect money to flow.
My lease has a specific clause specifying that an amount equal to (the monthly rent) * (the number of months remaining on the lease) is to be paid if I terminate the lease early. This all brings me to my 3rd question.
3: In a situation like mine, does my lease still hold any force of law? I am inclined to walk out on the last 2 months of my lease, given the unfolding drama between the owner and management agencies. But I don't want to do that if my lease is still in force, because I'll be liable for a couple of thousand dollars in a civil suit. And obviously I can't just ignore the property owner's wishes to be paid directly, as that will surely result in premature eviction.
I have plans to leave at the end of my lease, but this is too sudden, and I feel like I'm being setup for civil suits on both sides. I have tried contacting legal advice in my area (the GA landlord-tenant hotline, a number of Atlanta attorneys, and the Georgia Bar Association), but have either been ran through phone tag, or my calls have not been returned. What do I do?
The owner of the property (whom I had never met or known existed, outside of the management company) contacted me recently to tell me she had changed management agencies. This brings me to question 1.
1: My lease has no provision regarding the transferrance of said lease to a third party, owner of the property or otherwise. If they change management companies, does the management agency cease to be the Owner's agent, thereby rendering my lease null and void at the time of the change in companies?
Further, the owner of the property is requesting that I stop paying the Sterling company, and start paying her directly. This is strictly forbidden in my lease, as it says that all payments are to be made directly to Sterling. I am not being offered a new lease by the property owner, or the new property management agency (which, as far as I know, may not even be taking payments - she may have decided to do all that herself).
Despite the best assurances of the property management agency, ceasing payment to them and paying the owner would, as far as I know, constitute a breach of contract and make me liable for the amounts unpaid to them in a civil suit. And if I refuse to comply with the wishes of the property owner, and continue to pay the Sterling company, I may find myself in eviction proceedings. The management agency may assure me that no ill effects would come from not paying them, they have not offered such in writing or as an addendum to my lease, and they refuse to release me from my lease with them; so anything they say at this point is verbal and not worth risking my money/civil liability on.
Which brings me to question 2:
2: In a situation like mine, wherein the company specified in your lease is no longer managing the property and is no longer requesting payment, should I not receive either a new lease from the owner's new agent, or at least a notice of termination of my previous lease? I have received neither, and all involved seem to have no inclination to provide me with such, though they still expect money to flow.
My lease has a specific clause specifying that an amount equal to (the monthly rent) * (the number of months remaining on the lease) is to be paid if I terminate the lease early. This all brings me to my 3rd question.
3: In a situation like mine, does my lease still hold any force of law? I am inclined to walk out on the last 2 months of my lease, given the unfolding drama between the owner and management agencies. But I don't want to do that if my lease is still in force, because I'll be liable for a couple of thousand dollars in a civil suit. And obviously I can't just ignore the property owner's wishes to be paid directly, as that will surely result in premature eviction.
I have plans to leave at the end of my lease, but this is too sudden, and I feel like I'm being setup for civil suits on both sides. I have tried contacting legal advice in my area (the GA landlord-tenant hotline, a number of Atlanta attorneys, and the Georgia Bar Association), but have either been ran through phone tag, or my calls have not been returned. What do I do?
