We I got screwed by a large rental property company in Halifax. After living in their building for almost two years, being quiet accommodating tenants and paying rent on time every single month, it was time to move out. We went to the rental office to give our notice and were told by the rental office that our notice, according to the rules laid out in the lease, was 9 hours too late (notice is supposed to be given by midnight on the last day of the month and it was 9 am on the first day of the new month).
After checking the lease we realized that we had made an error, apologized to the rental office and asked for an exception on the grounds that we were good tenants, had given notice only hours too late and did not have much cash. Too bad, they said – we would have to pay one full extra month’s rent even though we would not be occupying the unit and even though the building had a waiting list for new tenants.
This bitch is for the disgusting company and employee we were forced to deal with during the course of these events- they were manipulative, racist, illiterate, moral pygmies. To the very special person we had most of the trouble with – may you be stuck in that rental office for the rest of your sorry existence – I know you will, you spend all your earnings on cigarettes and lotto tickets.
—Anon
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2009.
Although I do not agree with the way this may have been handled, I have to side with the company on this one. The lease is a binding legal agreement you agreed upon.
If you knew you were moving out, you should have referred to the lease ahead of time. Or, you could have gave notice earlier. Even by your own admission, you did wait until (what you thought was) the last possible day to give notice.
Are you on a month to month lease? If not, you should be happy that they are letting you off with one months rent.
The point is, it’s nine fucking hours and the building has a waiting list. I can understand having that clause in a lease just in case the landlord can’t find a new tennant, then they don’t miss out on a month’s rent, but taking that money from someone when the apartment will be full is just a money crubbing asshole move.
Screw them back. When you sign the lease, tell them “in several years I will move out. this is my notice.”
abc123, if you are the OP, tell me “taking that money from someone when the apartment will be full” isn’t true.
There is NO WAY the company should be collecting double rent.
If that’s not the case, then if the building is so popular, maybe you could offer to let someone move into *your* apartment one month early, if they pay for that month. I would hope it would be that easy to solve this problem.
I think it was a dick move. They’ll probably rent that apt out for the month you are gone and collect 2 rents for it. I’d hang on to the key for that last month if I were you.
don’t pay that shit. refer to the dalhousie legal aid tenancy info. if you break your lease the renter has to do everything in their power to fill the apartment before charging you for the time you arent there.
http://tenantrights.legalaid.dal.ca/breaki…
chances are if you have a tenancy mediation and it comes out that this was a matter of hours and that they have a waiting list you should be off the hook…
(this bitch is about the horrifically managed botchery of towers on brunswick street for sure)
I want to know how they were “manipulative, racist, illiterate, moral pygmies” when they were only stating the LEGAL terms of the lease? How did they manipulate you? Did they use racial slurs when explaining the lease? Obviously they are not illiterate because they CAN read the lease because they showed you what you DIDN’T read.
Welcome to Halifax. Landlords here tend to be greedy little bastards that will screw you any chance they get. I still have yet to get a full damage deposit back, no matter how much I fix up or clean an apartment.
To Anon;
Here’s a link for you. It actually states here that you needed to give your landlord 3 months notice. Now if you know that your apartment has been rented out, I don’t think they are entitled to collect 2 rents. You’ll need to do some research on this. If you want monies reimbursed however, you will need to take it to arbitration…Fun stuff!
http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/forms/pdf/reste…
Gotta love someone who yells “racist” then uses “pygmies” in the same sentence.
For as many crappy landlords there are out there are as many or more tenants out there that make “midnight moves” after not paying two, three or more months worth of rent and leaving the place like a disaster area.
Be lucky you don’t have to pay a $1500 penalty like I did for terminating my one-year lease early and not being able to find subletters. One of the first apartments I rented and I wasn’t smart enough to read all the fine print though, so it was mostly my fault and a valuable, expensive lesson learned. Landlords were still dicks about it though and I’ll never rent from them again!
Yea keep the key for it for that month after all – its yours you rent it . Other then that – beside your obvious anger and disdain for realstar realty ( I rented off them and did give sufficent notice – but they tried to charge me carpet cleaning 80.00 buck and there was no carpet there – i actually left the shoe albiet clean mat there ) OH and they tried to charge me also for wall paper boarder removal when there wasn’t any took it off myself when i moved in – it was just in the kitchen two years prior ). Good thing I thought to take pictures when i went through with the lease person and signed the inspection report . which of course still had said same damages when i moved in – goes to show their willingness to fix stuff . But anyways enough about them – the course of a few hours negating the term of termination of lease is pretty petty – thou legally binding if thats the terms of the lease – I think anyone should get some slack on that if its just 12 hours – its not like a midnight night move
This is Universal Properties. No doubt in my mind. Or am I wrong OP?
Landlords, bah. I broke my back cleaning my apartment, and forgot to clean one tiny shelf that i didn’t use (dusty), and he charged me $40! It even said on the receipt: “Cleaning shelf – $40.00) Jerks.
Should’ve read your lease properly, OP.
If you were on month-to-month (which I’m assuming since you said you were there 2 years) you were obligated to give your notice by midnight on the last day of the month.
They’ve got you on the hook, OP, I’m sorry. But you are entitled to keep the apartment for that extra month — make sure you do so they can’t collect two rents (and legally it’s yours for that month anyway so they can’t rent to someone else. If they do you can sue them).
It sucks, OP, but there’s nothing you can do, legally.
And hali — it’s not universal: it’s a reel star company this OP’s talking about. We almost rented from them. glad we didn’t because they inflate their rents like mad.
but they WILL let you sublet, OP. you just have to pay a 200 fee….so maybe you could get someone on their waiting list to sublet. that way you’re off the hook and just have to pay 200 as opposed to a buttload more.
Bitch, Please! – you realise that the moment you give that early notice you also also give permission for the landlord to enter your apartment daily to show prospective tenants without any notice and I believe between 9am-9pm (or something like that). If your lease says 30 days required then I’d give 31, not 60+ where your landlord could invade your space every day even though you are paying full price.
Luckily, my landlords have been good about not putting me out by showing people my apartment when I have given notice. However, even my current landlord (large toronto-based company), as great as they are, are sticky about that 31 days notice: when I was moving from a two bed to a three bed one came up (they never do) on a higher floor. I loved it, but since it was the 2nd day of the month, they wouldn’t bend the rules and let me give my notice then. Kind of a piss off because I requested a tour of the apt the previous week but what can you do? Luckily something came up a few months later and I managed to get my current unit (ground floor, shaded foresty area. feels like a house, really), and they were very good about showing tenants our apt, although there’s a long waiting list for my building so the first people to tour took the apt (they’re a really nice older couple who still ask how my cats are when I see them in the hallway).
Big companies don’t always suck, but you gotta follow the rulez, man.
Fuck that, OP. Move. Don’t pay more than 50% of your current month’s rent ensuring you get all you are owed. Better, don’t pay at all and let them evict you with 2 weeks notice. Let them explain why 9 hours should cost you a months worth of rent to the Tribunal after THEY file a complaint. They ARE a property mismanagement company. If they advertise the unit and fail to rent it in a month, I dare say, an additional 9 hours would not have made a difference. Keep your money. Let them file a complaint if they don’t like it.
that’s why i like the place i’m in,no increases in 5 years,and only 25 bucks when it did go up.things fixed,if need be,in a very timely manner,and the place is nice,clean,quiet,and we all get along.other than a graveyard,you will have trouble finding a better place to live.the guy who owns the place is also a very nice person,and respectful.
Point *is,* Kay, when you sign a contract you are legally bound to that contract. OP signed a contract with this rental company agreeing to give 30+1 day’s notice while vacating the unit on a month-to-month lease. The OP did not. Doesn’t matter if it’s 9 minutes or 9 hours: they’re still in violation of their lease agreement.
COULD the rental company’ve bent the rules? Sure. Do they have to? No. And no tribunal or court is going to side with the OP when the rental company has the LAW on their side.
OP should’ve read and understood their lease agreement a bit better. It’s their own fault they’re up shit creek.
Fuck sakes, why doesn’t anyone take any personal fucking responsibility these days? You fuck up and no one accommodates your fuck up and everyone but YOU ends up being the fuck up piece of shit. Grow up!
I guess the PRACTICAL person would look at those 9 hours and have a little giggle.
I once sued for my deposit because when I was cleaning the place before moving in I found evidence of vermin. A lot of it. I was disgusted, said living with mice was not part of the deal, give me my money back. The LL thought he had the law on his side and kept my deposit. The standing contract (landlord tenant act) had been violated by me since I didn’t take possession of the residence but the vermin issue was addressed in court as a relevant circumstance. The judge awarded me my deposit back plus interest plus minimum wage for the hours I spent cleaning the place less new advertising costs (less than $200) the LL put out to rent it again. Those advertising costs are likely NOT worth half a month’s rent so if it all went to court these are the numbers the Tribunal would be interested in. If ther LL had missed a mortgage payment or something like that the cost to make him whole would have been greater than his advertising. It wasn’t.
It’s also noteworthy the NS Landlord Tenant Act empowers the tenant with the right to sublet. Perhaps this would be a better approach for the OP but my way saves them money and headache placing the onus of filing a complaint and proving “damages” on the property rental company.
Remember, suing somebody is about being “made whole”. Like I said, if the rental company can’t find a new tenant for that property given 9 hours less than what the law affords them to do so they’ve got much bigger problems than this tenant.
I don’t think this bitch is about people shirking responsibility. I think this bitch is a fine demonstration of people rolling with the punches and doing what they have to do to mitigate their own circumstances (the landlord who has received notice has this same responsibility). Nothin’ wrong with that.
What’s funny about this, from a common sense perspective, not a legal one, is if you have until midnight to LEGALLY give notice but you don’t actually give it until 9am the next day how is the landlord possibly set back any? What’s he going to do start advertising the old apt at 2am? The landlord would have lost ZERO time accepting a notice to quit at the end of the workday on 30th or 9 am on the 1st. It was a dick move. Legal, but dickish.
For fuck sakes, Kay. If you are going to refer to an Act, at least refer to it by the real name (Nova Scotia Residential Tenancies Act). Moron!
And, Pretty Kitty is dead on. This is just reflecitve of the prevailing attitude that no one wants to take responsibility for anything these days. Fail a class, has to be the prof’s fault. Get a parking ticket, has to be the officer’s fault. Don’t pay your bills and the power company wants money, well, obviously it is the power company’s fault. Grow up, people.
I say all of this, because I have been there. Seven years of bad credit. I park where I want and accept the ticket (most of the time I don’t get one). And, I have failed my share of university classes. But, in all of this I recognized one thing: It was / is my fault and I took the steps to not let it happen again (except the parking tickets)
was thinking the same thing miles…. were they itching to start dailing to call in an ad @ 12:01 but then didn’t hear from you so they didn’t bother… and lo and behold, 8:59 mins later you come strolling in asking for a handout.
Problem is if Start Of Day the 1st of the month is acceptable, then when during that day isn’t? and if not that time, then when the next day?
you have to define the time and it was defined quite clearly (not that you would have had any luck if you’d called and left a message at 11:59 on the 31st)
or would you?
I’d put Celine Dion’s entire collection on a stereo, press repeat, and leave for 29 days.
I don’t think it was a dickish move at all. OP didn’t follow the rules, plain and simple.
If the rental company bends the rules for this person, what about the next who’s a little more late, and another who’s a little more than that….where do we draw the line? We draw the line at following the terms of the contract that OP SIGNED upon picking up his/her keys to the apartment. Ignorance of a rule/law/term of a contract YOU SIGNED, does not exempt you from it.
Bring in a rental car an hour late. I’ll guarantee you the chances are they will charge you for it (either by the hour or day).
Legalities and all that aside all which are correct – the point is the difference between nine hours and paying another months rent . Dick move forsure !!!! They could have cut a break to OP just because they could and I agree they weren’t put out . Sometimes just being decent to someone overrides all the legalities of that lease – 9 hrs? Come on really?
If 9 hours is really OMG NOT THAT LONG, why did the OP wait to the very last moment? No reason why they couldn’t’ve gotten it in on the last day of the month — I doubt their decision to move was made at 11:59pm on the last day of the month.
OP agreed to the terms and conditions set out under the lease when they signed said lease. It’s more of a dick move on the OP’s part to expect the other party (who’s only abiding by their end of the deal) to accommodate their lack of foresight.
It’s even MORE of a dick move (on the OP’s part) to get all pissy at the other party and name call because they couldn’t get their own shit together (and couldn’t follow procedures they agreed to follow when they signed the contract). It takes what? 5 minutes to put your written notice together? Fuuuck.
Guyute has had the best idea yet LOL (thanks for that!) but I still say stiff the bitch for being a anal bitch who forgot she’s also supposed to be a human being (there aren’t enough of them around these parts). Now that you have a place to go and don’t need the reference leave it up to her to find you and to serve you to MAYBE win in Tribunal much much later. Most rental companies wouldn’t bother. They’d just get the dam thing rented and forget all about you.
hey educated kay damn is spelled with a “N” on the end jeeeessssss lol
I’m sure you’ll get over it if you try really really hard. Maybe spin those babies a little looser, eh?
not all landlords are money sucking slumlords. some landlords who are trying to keep their propety clean and safe still get screwed by rent skippers. go to the tenants board they are all about the tenants anyway.
The tenants board isn’t going to do anything because HAY they can’t just arbitrarily bend the rules for someone because they DIDN’T FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE TERMS OF A LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT THEY ENTERED INTO WHEN THEY SIGNED THE FUCKING LEASE.
The time period is irrelevant. The landlord had the right of refusing notice for the forthcoming month once the clock struck 12:00am on the first day of the month.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it takes maybe 5 whole minutes to put together a notice to terminate a lease, so WHY did OP wait until the last minute? When you fart around and don’t familiarize yourself with the terms of a contract you entered into, you have to deal with the consequences. And hay, sometimes those consequences suck (i.e.: having to pay an extra month’s rent you weren’t counting on). But you know what that’s called? It’s called being a grown up and accepting responsibility for your OWN fuck up.
Hell, Notice To Quit forms are online.
HA! Guyute… the only downside I see to that is that you must first own her entire collection.
*shudder*
kay thats how i figured out your misspelling – I did spin it a little looser this time !!!
then get some better weed and chill out. Nobody likes a grammar/spelling nazi. Did you get the point even though a word may be misspelled? Good. Shut up and smoke.
Looks to me like you need the weed – It wasn’t grammer policing – It was a personal thing directed towards your so called intelligence lol Which from your statement shows me the lack off
“…your so called intelligence lol Which from your statement shows me the lack off”…
uh…kettle, meet pot. (and not the good pot, the black pot that boils snails and frog eyes…)
Bitches comparing brain pans under a cloud of pot smoke.
I save that sort of thing for a weeknight.
Have a good weekend, bitches.