Landlord Pwnage
Sooo, long story short, a landlord who has been a douchebag all year asked us to vacate our apartment two weeks early so that the new tenants could move in early. Since we could reasonably accomodate it, we agreed.
Fast forward to this week, and we've received numerous phone calls asking where "the rest" of the rent is.
I just wrote this email:
Quote:
08-13-08
Dear Mr Douche,
This email is in response to your voicemail(s) of 08-13-08.
While we certainly appreciate that you feel we are trying to "pull a fast one" on you, we have some trepidation about your treatment of your tenants. For example, as a landlord in Madison who owns multiple properties, we would certainly hope you were aware of Wis. Stats. 704.29 (2) which states that in the event of a tenant breaking a lease it is the landlord's responsibility to mitigate damages, i.e., advertise and show the apartment and that the landlord may not pass the cost of time-spent in this endeavor to the tenants. Furthermore, the same Wisconsin statute states that unless a landlord performs these duties, the tenant is no longer obliged to pay rent. We assisted you in the search to find a tenant out of a sense of congeniality and a desire to attract a new tenant as quickly as possible, mitigating both our losses. We do not feel we "owe you anything" for showing the apartment and performing your obligations as landlord.
Regarding pet rent, we did indeed offer to pay pent rent back in November before we acquired Clyde. However, you never agreed or responded to our repeated requests for information regarding these charges. As such, we never signed anything agreeing to pay pet rent. You may find attached a copy of our lease, where pet prohibition is left ambiguous (lines 59,60). We were given no further attachments detailing our obligations to you re: pets.
Finally, please find attached a copy of the email you sent us in July, affirming that the new tenants wished to move into our apartment as of 1 Aug 2008. Please note it cost us considerable effort to remove ourselves from the property prior to our original lease end date. Should you feel the need to pursue this matter with a court, we would be happy to come to Madison and provide a copy of our lease and this email to a judge. While in Madison, we would certainly also be compelled to use the opportunity to speak with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection regarding the lack of heat for several weeks during the winter, the damages left by prior tenants that went unrepaired, the ignored faulty light fixture in the hallway, and the presence throughout the year of multiple insect pests in the apartment.
Thank you for your attention to this matter,
attachments (2) : Copy of Tenant's Lease
Copy of email regarding move-out date
Hoping he leaves us alone after this. This entire thing has been so much bullshit.
Fast forward to this week, and we've received numerous phone calls asking where "the rest" of the rent is.
I just wrote this email:
Quote:
08-13-08
Dear Mr Douche,
This email is in response to your voicemail(s) of 08-13-08.
While we certainly appreciate that you feel we are trying to "pull a fast one" on you, we have some trepidation about your treatment of your tenants. For example, as a landlord in Madison who owns multiple properties, we would certainly hope you were aware of Wis. Stats. 704.29 (2) which states that in the event of a tenant breaking a lease it is the landlord's responsibility to mitigate damages, i.e., advertise and show the apartment and that the landlord may not pass the cost of time-spent in this endeavor to the tenants. Furthermore, the same Wisconsin statute states that unless a landlord performs these duties, the tenant is no longer obliged to pay rent. We assisted you in the search to find a tenant out of a sense of congeniality and a desire to attract a new tenant as quickly as possible, mitigating both our losses. We do not feel we "owe you anything" for showing the apartment and performing your obligations as landlord.
Regarding pet rent, we did indeed offer to pay pent rent back in November before we acquired Clyde. However, you never agreed or responded to our repeated requests for information regarding these charges. As such, we never signed anything agreeing to pay pet rent. You may find attached a copy of our lease, where pet prohibition is left ambiguous (lines 59,60). We were given no further attachments detailing our obligations to you re: pets.
Finally, please find attached a copy of the email you sent us in July, affirming that the new tenants wished to move into our apartment as of 1 Aug 2008. Please note it cost us considerable effort to remove ourselves from the property prior to our original lease end date. Should you feel the need to pursue this matter with a court, we would be happy to come to Madison and provide a copy of our lease and this email to a judge. While in Madison, we would certainly also be compelled to use the opportunity to speak with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection regarding the lack of heat for several weeks during the winter, the damages left by prior tenants that went unrepaired, the ignored faulty light fixture in the hallway, and the presence throughout the year of multiple insect pests in the apartment.
Thank you for your attention to this matter,
attachments (2) : Copy of Tenant's Lease
Copy of email regarding move-out date
Hoping he leaves us alone after this. This entire thing has been so much bullshit.