A landlord that does not communicate with his/her tenant.
By cream97
@cream97 (29087)
United States
November 14, 2008 4:55am CST
If the tenant has paid the landlord rent and they are having a hard time trying to get into touch with the landlord. They are never home and the landlord never calls the tenant. The landlord does not even go by their house to tell them that they are behind on rent.. So, if the landlord was to receive any money, and that money gets lost, then whom fault is that? The tenant has been calling the landlord and leaving messages, and the landlord has not returned any of the phone calls back. What should a tenant do, if they owe their landlord rent money, but they are having a very hard time trying to reach their landlord. The tenant will go by the landlord's home and leave the money on the door, where only the landlord can see it. But, they are never home.. So, what does the landlord expect their tenant to do when they are attempting to pay rent and the landlord refuses to be home or make arrangements where they can meet so that rent can be paid to the landlord. So, if that money was to get lost by chance, whose fault is that? It is very hard to send a letter certified because the landlord is never home. The tenant can't just go by their job, because their job will not allow them to drop or leave money for the landlord. And the money can't be mailed because, of the landlord's mailbox.. So, what is a tenant to do when they are doing their best to pay rent, and it is very hard to reach their landlord?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
14 Nov 08
Hi cream! I wouldn't do anything! If the landlord isn't trying
to make himself available to collect the money they I wouldn't
worry about it. If they really were worried about the money
then they would get in touch with you. I wouldn't do anything
at all until they got in touch with you. I would just continue
to hold on to the money until they contacted you or came by
to collect the money and they I would ask for some kind of
a written receipt. Do you have a written lease agreement. I
hope you do. If you don't then you should get one. Everything
should be in writing for your sake so that the landlord can't
just tell you all of a sudden that you will have to leave.
1 person likes this
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
14 Nov 08
That is way that I kind of see it too. If the landlord knows that the tenant owes her money, then she will call, visit the home of the tenant, send letters specifying that the tenant is late on any rent payments.. It is her money that is owed to her, so why not does she not come looking for it.. The tenant is busting their behind to give the landlord some money.. So, why not does she make herself available so that she can receive her rent by hand.. Yes, the tenant has an lease agreement. That is signed by tenant and landlord..
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
14 Nov 08
I understand your part.. But, this situation is unlike yours... The tenant was not supposed to hand deliver any payment... It does not say so anywhere on the lease agreement.. When the judge looks at this case then the landlord will lose.. This landlord is not well established of being a landlord..
@relundad (2310)
• United States
14 Nov 08
Unless the lease says that the payment must be hand delivered, then tenant would be in default. That would be equivalent to saying that you didn't pay your utilities because you didn't get a bill. You still have to handle your part of the contract. If you lived in the place, then you owe rent, regardless of whether you speak to the landlord or not. I have many tenants that I never speak to except maybe twice a year when I call to set up an inspection to change filters and smoke detectors. Other than that the lease instructs them on how and when to make the payment, they don't need to speak to me to perform.
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@annjilena (5618)
• United States
14 Nov 08
my daughter landlord does the same thing she been trying to contact him and let him no the house is falling a part he will not return no phone calls and when she call he does not call her back not under any condition.she don,t know what else to do she keep sending money by money order but he do not response at all.i told her don,t send any money at all i bet he will get in touch with her then i wouldn,t send him a dime unless he come and get it i would be be in default because anything can happen.what if the police trying to contact him about something dealing with the house and they can,t contact him.
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
14 Nov 08
they need to get an arbitrator of some kind-either HUD or a lawyer-that way if there's no communication between the tenant and the landlord,they can withhold the money and put in escrow,so it can't be said an attempt to pay wasn't made.
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
14 Nov 08
This is more common than you would think. You take a lesson from this and always get a receipt for your rent, or write a check (you can document those and prove they cashed it). Don't depend on the landlord to tell tenants they are behind, that's not his or her responsibility, it's the tenants.
It sounds as if your landlord is trying to be unavailable so that he can collect late fees and evict people. Maybe not, but it sure sounds as if he's playing such a game. You can send a certified letter to him that he has to sign for and enclose the rent check in there. That way, if he ever takes you to court the judge will penalize him for lying and wasting the court's time!
1 person likes this
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
14 Nov 08
Yes, that is a good idea. The tenant has submitted payment as an money order. The tenant has the receipt.. I know that if this was me, i would have asked for my receipt when paying this type of fee.. The tenant has asked the landlord to accept a personal check but the landlord would not do it. Sending a certified letter is so out of the question, because the landlord and husband is never at their home to collect or sign anything.. iIt is so hard to catch up with the landlord..
@relundad (2310)
• United States
14 Nov 08
As a landlord, I am not sure why they wont return the phone calls, thats pretty rude. I also don't know why the tenant needs to contact the landlord to pay the rent. It should state in the lease how and where the payments should be made. And that is what both parties are governed by. It should not matter whether or not they speak to each other. The tenant should make sure that they can prove payment. If the payment gets lost prior to the landlord receiving it, its the tenants responsiblity to either track it or make good on it.
If an eviction has been filed then they will have the opportunity to prove their case to the judge. If the tenant can not prove that he has made the payments he is out of luck.
P.S. I didn't know that you could still find a place to rent that cheap, I would probally pay my rent up for years at a time...lol
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
14 Nov 08
It is not me renting! This is for someone else.. The tenant was not contacting the landlord about how and when rent should be paid.. They was contacting the landlord to ask them why was they charged $1,000 on their rent, when they had already submitted payment to their landlord.. If, the payment gets lost it is the landlords responsibility to contact the tenant to tell them if they have not received any payment from them.. This happens when rent is due and the landlord has not gotten any money. By calling the tenant, then the landlord can find out what is going on.. Now, the tenant will state that they have given the payment for rent.. If the landlord is very hard to reach, then what is the tenant to do.. The tenant is not going to sit on the doorstep of the landlords house waiting to issue them rent payment.. If the landlord is due payment, then the tenant and landlord should set up how they will issue payment to one another.. On the lease the tenant is supposed to submit rent payment to the landlord, at the landlord's home address. Which they have done.. Every time rent was due, the tenant went to the landlord's home to make the rent payment. Many times no one was home to take the payment.. So, one time the tenant left the money in the door, hidden only where the landlord could see it.. So, if gets lost then it is the landlord's fault.. If she knows that rent is due, she should be expecting it... That means if she knows that she will not be home, or no one else.. Then she needs to make arrangements with the tenant, somehow to collect her rent money.. The tenant is not going to just sit around all day at her house and wait on her to come home. The tenant has to go to work.. It is the landlord's fault for not proper communicating with their tenant.. The tenant is making every possible way to get into touch with the landlord, but the landlord is not contacting them back.. This is very odd.. If anything was to change in the rent or lease agreement, how will the tenant ever know if the landlord will not communicate with them.. A tenant cannot just guess at what could be wrong.. And if the tenant is late on their rent, then the landlord should send notices letting the tenant know how far behind that they are.. They must do their job as a landlord.. Because the tenant is, they are paying their rent like they should.. The landlord, is just not communicating effectively so that problems as this will not arise.. I am sure that next week the judge will see whom is at fault in this case..
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
14 Nov 08
Hi cream97,
It would deffinatley be the landlord fault, the best thing for the tenant to do is keep the money by in a safe place and wait for the landlord to call round, the landlord should really have a bank account for the tenants to pay into.
Tamara
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