Our daughter signed a lease with option to buy. They moved into the home about one month ago.?

Question

Can the owners start to make them get a survey done, an appraisal done, and a home inspection done this soon? I thought they would have a year to decide if they wanted to purchase the home. The owner states that her son really needs to get the house sold now because he needs the money. Our daughter doesn't want to be continually told to have to get this done now or get that done now, but wants to make sure that the home and area is where they want to be for a long time. Our daughter is a very easy going and kind person and wants to make sure that she keeps a good relationship with the owner. How can she handle this? She lives in Houston Texas. Thanks!

Answer 1

Assuming that this is a one year lease, now is too early for any of that to start. The agreement should specify when these things should be approached. If the agreement is silent on those issues, they only need to serve notice that they are exercising their option prior to the expiration of the option agreement. At that point the deal would go into escrow with the usual "time is of the essence" stipulations and such things as surveys, inspections, and mortgage applications would be submitted.

The woman's claims don't make sense. Either she is the owner or her son is. At any rate, they can't be pushed to exercise the option early. She should tell the owner that she will let them know if and when they are ready to exercise it and to please leave them alone until they do so.

Answer 2

We are going thru the same situation, but we own the property and we are leasing it with option to buy.
Option to buy, means just that. There is a said amount asked for the property, the renter pays rent until the said amount is paid. At that time, the renter has the option of owning the home, or continuing to rent. And the owner can not sell the house now, if a monthly payment agreement was made, such as rent. Unless your daughter is applying for a mortgage, why does she need an appraisal? She may want to contact an attorney. Some of them will answer questions over the phone. Good luck.

Answer 3

You are bound to the lease you signed. None of what you mention is a valid reason to break the lease. All of the issues can be cured by the landlord. You should have demanded to see the actual apartment before signing the lease. Landlords are not required to change the carpet unless it is a serious health or safety hazard. The carpet may be old, but is newly cleaned, so the chemical smell should go away once it has been dried and the rental aired out. Your biggest issue is actually a non-issue. The toilet seat is an easy fix. Request that it be changed or buy one a Home Depot or Lowes. Toilet seats can be purchased for $10-25. So, there was pee in the toilet, someone forgot to flush. Request that the glass be cleaned up. Request that the ceiling fan be repaired or replaced. A wobbly fan can end up falling.

Answer 4

Yes, I can imagine the son "really needs to get the house sold now." However I don't think your daughter needs to do those steps that lead to ownership now, Unless her lease says she does. If I were her, I'd read the fine print, and between the lines, too! That will tell her what really must be done now or later, and what the owner can say about it.
One thing in her favor is the very poor market for the purchase of houses. The owners should be relieved they have a leasor (leaser?) with option to buy, in my opinion. The house could easily be standing empty. A whole lot of them are.

Answer 5

This is what happens when you don't have a Realtor to look over the contract and to consult with, and now weird things are starting to happen, and your daughter has no idea of what to do...or probably, what she signed.

Now your daughter needs to pay a Real Estate attorney to review things and find out first, if the landlord can do what he's doing.

I have no idea of what your daughter signed, and no one else does either b/c Realtors use standard forms that have been approved by an attorney or the Bar Association of their state.