Damages to apt.
This is a follow-up to the question I posted earlier this afternoon. My fiance left me and I never signed the lease to the apt. She stuck me with the bills and the landlord is trying to get back-rent from me (could not pay full rent and bills at the time.) I am also being charged for a large amount of damages due to her dog defacating on the carpet and chewing things. Am I responsible for the damages? Again, my planned defense is that since I never signed the lease I should not be held responsible for damages to the place. Any ideas, I saw where they said to use ‘month to month’ tenant as my defense, what would that do for damages? Thanks for the great advice!!!
Re: Damages to apt.
Please do not confuse general guidance designed merely for informational purposes only as specific legal advice. I only provide legal advice to clients of the firm, and you are not a client of my firm. If I were you, I would not use the “month-to-month” defense. Arguing month-to-month might be a viable alternate position to take to limit your exposure if the landlord were to file a lawsuit against you, but I would stay away from that at this point in time. You want to argue from the outset that you are not responsible for any unpaid rent or damages to the property because you are not a party to the lease. You are nothing more than a guest, a roommate of sorts, with no legal obligation under the lease agreement. The landlord’s real claim rests with the person who signed the lease, not with the person who happened to share the space with the real tenant. Otherwise, all landlords would try to go after any and all persons who occupied the premises, whether or not they were the actual tenant. Reject any notion that you owe any money. If you wish to speak about this matter, please call my office. Good luck.
Peter Gonzalez
Sanchez-Medina, Gonzalez, Quesada, Lage, Crespo, Gomez & MachadoLLP
2333 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Suite 302
Coral Gables, FL 33134