moved into a house that i knew was illegal, but landlord said was legal. Now, nine months house was inspected by city and found to be illegal. does he have to return money I paid for rent?
2006-06-13 14:17:23 · 4 answers · asked by yo_macthis 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Government
landlord assured me that it was house was legal, because he had just purchased from bank.
2006-06-13 14:39:28 · update #1
NO. But check the laws in your state or City to make sure. If you want, you could call a lawyer, just ask them if you have a case, and see what they say. It won't cost you a dime. If the lawyer thinks you have a case, then he'll take it and sue for you. You probably won't ever even have to go to court. It'll be free for you because the lawyer will just keep a portion of the winnings as his fee. That's why lawyers won't take cases that they can't win. Usually a lawyer keeps 20-33% as their legal fees. But like I said, if you don't win your case, you get nothing, and he gets nothing. Either way, suing your landlord won't cost you a dime and it probably won't cost you any time or effort either. Call or visit a lawyer to find out if you have a case.
By the way, not all lawyers do these kinds of cases, so I'd just pick up the phone book and call a few, explain to whoever answers the phone that it is a case where you wonder if you can sue your landlord for an illegal lease. They'll tell you if they handle those kinds of cases or not over the phone. They'll usually tell you what percentage they keep for fees over the phone as well. I sure hope this helps you out!
Oh.. one more thing... IF you ever want to win anything in court, or if you are even planning on suing, DON'T tell anyone (except your lawyer) that you KNEW it was illegal ahead of time. If the court finds out you knowingly entered an illegal contract, you won't have a leg to stand on.
2006-06-13 14:28:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well it depends on the state you live in but in most cases the land lord does not have to give the money back because you as a buyer are responsible fro the inspection of your home before you make an offer buy. To be completely accurate check the state in which you live because I have personally gone through this and I was held responsible.
2006-06-13 14:32:12 · answer #2 · answered by siobhan f 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you mean the house is condemned and unfit to live in? If s no he does not he just has to fix the things which make it illegal.
2006-06-13 14:22:06 · answer #3 · answered by Abs 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO, unless you can prove IN COURT that he knew that he was renting illegally!
2006-06-13 14:21:56 · answer #4 · answered by Pobept 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋