My jurisdiction is: PA
so sorry for the super long post, but I don't want to start a fight unless I know I can win.
I moved into a house share last year with a girl my age, 32, who's mother owned the house we lived in. I was a very good tenant. Quiet, never late with rent, etc. In June I moved out as I found the mother/landlord almost impossible to deal with and I felt that she was crossing the line between landlord and "mother". We did not have a lease, we each had a separate rental agreement drawn up by mom. In hindsight if something like that should come up again I probably would not sign such an agreement and would go through this with a fine tooth comb. She also just states that the deposit is in escrow, but does not include the location.
The agreement was a month to month agreement stating either party could terminate the agreement at any time. Me providing 30 days, her at a moment's notice. It also included a refundable deposit for myself to be returned within 60 days of vacating the premises and a 250 non refundable deposit for my dog. There were 2 other dogs in the house at the time, plus numerous others that my roommate dog sat for.
my question is it has now been almost 90 days days since I moved out. I called her one month and again two weeks before I was to leave and asked her to meet me at the house to check everything and she never met me. I called again a couple of days before I left and asked her if the place was ok and she said she hadn't had a chance to go over there. I steamed the floor in my bedroom and left everything in as good of condition as a 35 year old house can be.
So today almost 90 days since I moved out after I sent a registered letter on 8/16, she sends half the deposit and a registered letter saying I can't sue her and a huge list of repairs that needed to be made, none of which were brought to my attention until now, including some estimated cost of plumbing repairs, cleaning of the bedroom, and other random around the house repairs. She does not have receipts for any of this, just estimates that it will cost 300.00. She did send a receipt for the carpet. I will agree to that as this came out of the 250.00 for the dog which she stated in the letter.
I have checked the PA state website and the law states that any repairs submitted by the landlord after 30 days are inconsequential. It also states that the law precludes any statement made in the agreement re: legal pursuit of the deposit. My gathering is that after 30 days, anything the agreement says is null and void.
My question is that I want to know if I am interpreting this law correctly.
Section 250.512. (a) Every landlord shall within thirty days of termination of a lease or upon surrender and acceptance of the leasehold premises, whichever first occurs, provide a tenant with a written list of any damages to the leasehold premises for which the landlord claims the tenant is liable. Delivery of the list shall be accompanied by payment of the difference between any sum deposited in escrow, including any unpaid interest thereon, for the payment of damages to the leasehold premises and the actual amount of damages to the leasehold premises caused by the tenant. Nothing in this section shall preclude the landlord from refusing to return the escrow fund, including any unpaid interest thereon, for nonpayment of rent or for the breach of any other condition in the lease by the ten
so sorry for the super long post, but I don't want to start a fight unless I know I can win.
I moved into a house share last year with a girl my age, 32, who's mother owned the house we lived in. I was a very good tenant. Quiet, never late with rent, etc. In June I moved out as I found the mother/landlord almost impossible to deal with and I felt that she was crossing the line between landlord and "mother". We did not have a lease, we each had a separate rental agreement drawn up by mom. In hindsight if something like that should come up again I probably would not sign such an agreement and would go through this with a fine tooth comb. She also just states that the deposit is in escrow, but does not include the location.
The agreement was a month to month agreement stating either party could terminate the agreement at any time. Me providing 30 days, her at a moment's notice. It also included a refundable deposit for myself to be returned within 60 days of vacating the premises and a 250 non refundable deposit for my dog. There were 2 other dogs in the house at the time, plus numerous others that my roommate dog sat for.
my question is it has now been almost 90 days days since I moved out. I called her one month and again two weeks before I was to leave and asked her to meet me at the house to check everything and she never met me. I called again a couple of days before I left and asked her if the place was ok and she said she hadn't had a chance to go over there. I steamed the floor in my bedroom and left everything in as good of condition as a 35 year old house can be.
So today almost 90 days since I moved out after I sent a registered letter on 8/16, she sends half the deposit and a registered letter saying I can't sue her and a huge list of repairs that needed to be made, none of which were brought to my attention until now, including some estimated cost of plumbing repairs, cleaning of the bedroom, and other random around the house repairs. She does not have receipts for any of this, just estimates that it will cost 300.00. She did send a receipt for the carpet. I will agree to that as this came out of the 250.00 for the dog which she stated in the letter.
I have checked the PA state website and the law states that any repairs submitted by the landlord after 30 days are inconsequential. It also states that the law precludes any statement made in the agreement re: legal pursuit of the deposit. My gathering is that after 30 days, anything the agreement says is null and void.
My question is that I want to know if I am interpreting this law correctly.
Section 250.512. (a) Every landlord shall within thirty days of termination of a lease or upon surrender and acceptance of the leasehold premises, whichever first occurs, provide a tenant with a written list of any damages to the leasehold premises for which the landlord claims the tenant is liable. Delivery of the list shall be accompanied by payment of the difference between any sum deposited in escrow, including any unpaid interest thereon, for the payment of damages to the leasehold premises and the actual amount of damages to the leasehold premises caused by the tenant. Nothing in this section shall preclude the landlord from refusing to return the escrow fund, including any unpaid interest thereon, for nonpayment of rent or for the breach of any other condition in the lease by the ten
