My landlord died last night?

Question

My next door neighbor's mother lived with him for over a decade. Her mom died in March. My neighbor told me she isn't sure he had a will. The property has been paid for already. Who will I pay my rent to next month? Should I just keep the rent in a safe place until things smooth out? How long will it take to establish who now owns the property? Will my rent go up? There was no lease, month to month only. It's a huge place and the rent was cheap.... I hope I dont have to move.... Don't get me wrong, I feel bad about our landlord dieing, but we still need to keep a roof over our heads too:(

We NEVER had a lease. He was a really nice guy & he just didn't do anything professional like that. No credit checks, no background checks, NO LEASE. just month-to-month... verbal agreement.... ugghhhh.....

Answer 1

put the money in a savings account (must be interest bearing to prove that you have every intention of paying) contact the trustee of the will ask who will be taking over the place as the landlord. Im sure if you could be reasonable then they will let u continue living there, if things get too complicated, move! u will have a lot unecessary stress esp with new people in this equation.

Answer 2

An interesting question. Most likely somebody will inherit the house, even if he doesn't have a will. It may take some time for a court to decide who gets it. If he doesn't have any heirs, a court will have to decide what to do with the house. Eventually it will be sold. Either way you will have a new landlord. A new landlord could change the rent or require a lease. Meantime, the rent is still owed to the estate. You should hold onto it until somebody notifies you who to send it to. You probably won't have to wait long. Somebody out there has an interest in the house and the rent money.

Answer 3

Even without a will, the house will become the children's property. Usually this takes a while to sort out - there is at least 90 days before the title changes hands. At this point, if there is more than one heir, they will probably sell the property to split the asset.

As far as who gets the rent, you need to contact the heir that you are aware of. Make sure you keep receipts of the rent paid (cancelled checks). Since there was no will, there will be a notice printed in the classified section of the newspaper. Contact that lawyer if you can not get in touch with the heir and they would be able to advise you further as far as the rent is concerned.

As far as the lease and the rent amount, the new owner must give you at least 30 days to vacate or to raise your rent. There is no guarantee that your rent will stay the same or that you will be able to rent it at all!

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Have you ever had a lease? Because if you live month to month on a lease that has expired, the terms of the lease are extended each month, in effect. These things vary by state. I don't know about your other questions such as paying the rent, and I would rather not say than say something wrong.

Answer 5

Your rent checks should now be made payable to "The Estate of John Doe". Who is handling the estate for the deceased man? Has he any relatives living? You might check with the county agency which handles probates of such situations. In the absence of any living relatives or a last will, it's difficult to determine who has the right of heirship. However, your rent remains payable to the estate. Do your best to find out who is handling the estate, and forward the rents there.

Generally, those who handle such estates do not disturb existing rental agreements. However, the property will most probably end up being sold, and then you will need to deal with the future owners.

Good luck !

Answer 6

I would hold on to the rent money - put it in the bank and dont touch it. You can go to the bank and explain the situation and have a seperate account for the money until you are sure of whom you should pay the rent to.

I suggest you look for another place because usually if a landlord dies the heirs sell the place- or maybe you could buy it.

Answer 7

Pray that who ever takes over the property is as good and decent man as your landlord, because without a lease, your rent can be increased to any amount they wish it to be.

Answer 8

The best thing you can do: call the closest relative & ask (after giving proper condolences). Anything else will just be speculation!

Answer 9

I have noi idea what u can do... COntact some government agency like a rent board that will be able to sort this out.... who did u sign contract with? call that lawyer.

Answer 10

HI. I would check with your local rentalsman. He should be able to help you.