My new landlord is a jerk

[MissMillie]

He bought the building in November and he raised the rent a lot--30%

So I wrote him a letter, and listed for him (on 3 pages) why the apartment isn't worth what he's asking for it (lotsa stuff wrong w/ this place) and offering to pay a modest increase (meaning about $100 more).

He tells me that he really can't afford to not collect what he's asking for.

Hey, I'm not stupid, I know he has kids to feed and stuff, so, I'm making plans to leave. (Mind you, I'm hoping to stay in this small town long enough for my son to graduate w/ his friends--in two years, but if I have to move I have to move and oh yeah, you know, no hard feelings. )

I found out yesterday that he's also buying another building of rental property on the same street.

Can't afford it?

This is his 3 apartment building.

You know, if some big corporation bought out the company he works for (yes, he works besides managing properties) and moved his jobs overseas, or cut his benefits or salary, he'd think that would be a bad thing to do.

But I suppose what he's doing to me is just "business" right?

I'm peeved!

[flamingyouth]

1. That's not right

Do you have a Tenants Union where you live? A 30% increase since Nov. is a huge amount.

My parents had a small apartment building when I was growing up. About 80% of the people lived there the whole time my parents had it - about 20 years. One guy STILL lives there. I grew up working in that yard, painting, etc., and my folks really cared about the people living there - they had a great relationship. So it really pisses me off when I read stories like this, which just illustrate the incredible greed of some people.

Has he made any amazing upgrades to the property with his rent increase? Probably not.

UGH! Oh, MissMillie, I really feel for you. You really don't need to deal with this right now. What a creep that landlord is. :grr:

[Systematic Chaos]

2. I know how you feel. Been there, done that.

My previous address was in one of the oldest (and poorest) parts of Las Vegas, in a small apartment complex that was built by the present owner's father. While the rent on my one bedroom apartment wasn't bad at all in and of itself ($400 a month) what sucked was the fact that the whole place was one big hazard. I have a very good friend who still lives in one of those units and who isn't likely to leave while he's alive, and that is the ONLY reason why I'm not filing formal complaints with every applicable agency and utility to get the buildings condemned. One of my favorite problems was a ceiling fan in the front room that caused the power throughout the whole apartment to surge and fuses to shut down every time you turned it on. Then there were dead outlets, old-style heaters mounted in the walls that didn't work or had busted thermostats. All this because the guy who runs the place now has a terrible video keno addiction. I remember ONE TIME in three years when I needed a couple of extra days to come up with the entire rent. I had more than half of it but was short for some reason. When I explained this to him out on the front porch, in front of my wife-to-be and my mother who was terminally ill with cancer, he went on this ballistic rant about how he was going to evict us and everything else. In the meantime, he's got so many other tenants who are doing (or dealing) drugs and creating problems, you'd think he'd have bent over backwards for us. Well, needless to say I don't miss that place one bit and I can only hope that when the old guy is gone his son will have a bit more decency and the brains to renovate those buildings.

Edited for typo

[Homer12]

3. Check renter-tennet laws in your State

It may be illegal for him to raise rent during your lease.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

4. It is illegal to raise rent more than 10% per year in Mass, Millie

I'm a landlord. I'm not sure if the law is different because he just bought the property. Here are some links:

http://www.masstenants.net/

http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/landlord.html