apartment damages???

Question

I rented an apartment 3 months ago in pennsylvania. I have been a good tenant except that my two dogs have done some damage to the house(carpet damage, chewed window sills) My landlord recently visited and flipped out over the damage and said she is increasing my rent by 700 dollars per month to cover the damages. Am i liable for this? Shouldnt I atleast see how much teh damages are going to actually cost before agreeing to this large hike in rent? Does anyone know anything about this topic?

Answer 1

You are responsible for the damages caused by your dogs. However, the hike in rent may not be the best approach for your landlord to collect.

Answer 2

Speaking on very loose laws (trying to encompass all fifty states), the bottom line is yes: you are liable. I hate to tell you, but you are. Because your dogs are your responsibility (like your kids, or your guest to the apartment) you are liable for any and all damages they would incur to the rental property.

700 a month seems a little steep, but I don't know how much you pay in rent, the extent of the damage, and (and most importantly) I am not a lawyer. You might try to calmly talk to your landlord to see if you can work this out, if there's a way BOTH of you could look for a method to to repair the damage, or if you could just do it out of pocket.

I'd assume the hike in rent is in part because your landlord believes that if your dogs can do this much damage in 3 months, they will do FOUR TIMES the damage in a year.

If all else fails, check on arbitration and/or mediation in your area. Many areas offer it for free.

Oh, and the no-brainer is look at your lease to see if this is within the purview of your landlord; I'm assuming it is, but some leases do have limitation provisions that say the landlord can raise rent x amount or y amount, but that's kind of rare.

Good luck!

Answer 3

They can charge you whatever they want pretty much. They should have a moving out list which lists all costs and how much it costs you when you move out to replace things. Even if things aren't clean they can charge you 15 dollars or so if you dont clean them when you move out. You are liable but if you get the stuff fixed they shouldn't be able to charge you. I knocked a HUGE hole in my wall and I fixed it and they never said anything. You should get your dogs some chew toys or something and offer to replace the stuff when you move out. But you have to understand that if the place is trashed then they have to spend even more money to get it fixed when you leave. I am surprised they are not making you get rid of your dogs, or you. They can evict you for that but, i wouldn't pay that much extra a month. I think apartments should have carpet replaced after every tenent that has animals because urine soaks into the pad and the floor and it is nasty, and the hair and dander stays there too. As far as them charging you, read your lease and see or fix the damages because they will giveyou a really bad reference if you ever decide to rent again. Good Luck, and get your dogs some toys!

Answer 4

I don't think he can raise the rent in mid lease. How long was your original rental agreement? If the lease allowed for pets then he can't come back and charge you extra after a few months. But you will be liable for the damage that your dogs did. You might want to fix it yourself before you move out that way you can get your security deposit back.

Answer 5

she could easily raise your rent for pet rent if that isn't already included. she can also include a non refundable pet deposit.

if those weren't put in then she can raise the rent to cover the damage in increments over the course of the loan.

remember, new window sills are not cheap. sure its just a piece of wood but most likely it will take a window company coming out, removing most of the window to replace the sill. then have it primed, painted, etc. could easily be $500 a window.

Carpet, depending on the size, quality, etc.....could be $500 to $2000 to replace it due to the damage caused by YOUR PET.

remember....you are renting...its not yours....you are in agreement to return the property in the same condition. doesn't matter if a friend, neighbor, animal, pet, mom, sister, gf, bf causes damage of any type of any amount.....it comes back on you, period.

this is why many don't have dogs in apartments to begin with....as dogs need room to run, play, etc. to confine them all day to an apartment they will begin to tear up the place.

Answer 6

They can NOT increase your rent like that. Did you sign a clear lease outlining your rent and the dates of your lease term? They can replace the rugs and fix the window and show you the receipt and you would be responsible for this. They could take it out of your security deposit or ask for damages to be paid within a month or something like that but No, thay can't increase your rent like that. $700? You'll be paying for new carpet in the whole building.

Answer 7

Unless you live in a city where there is a law for Rent Control, or you have a signed lease for so many years at that rate, she can raise the rent to whatever she wants. Yes you are liable for the damages and I am surprised that she didn't collect a security deposit up front along with a cleaning deposit. If you donb't agree to the raise and leave, you are astill iable for the damages!

Answer 8

Please restore the challenge, those are the reason why it truly is so troublesome to locate an area to stay which will enable pets. call a carpet restore organization and note what might want to be performed, if this is unable to be kept, hide it with a throw rug, once you've corrected the canines chewing conduct then, in case you may locate the money for to, replace it. The very last decision for the carpet, i imagine i might want to tell the owner after I giving note that i'd be transferring and forfeit the deposit. she will be able to proceed to bite the position she began at if not repaired. Crate or confine her once you go away the abode. perhaps try a kong full of food to occupy her. also tire her out earlier you'd be leaving her abode, a lengthy walk or chasing a ball. If achievable slowly adjust her to the era of time she's on my own. strong success!!

Answer 9

If you are in a contract or lease, for a specified amount of time, they cannot raise your rent in the middle of your tenancy. They can however recover all the damage costs once your lease is up for renewal or you terminate the lease. Then can also access damages while you live there if you made it unsafe or unclean, but they need to go to court to do that, they cannot just raise your rent.
If you have no active lease agreement, they can do whatever they want.

Answer 10

Different cities/states have different rules regarding rental increases; some only allow a certain percentage increase.

However, the landlord could demand a large security deposit so she could be assured of being able to repair the damage once you move.

Contact your local tenant board for info.