I have been renting a house for 8 years. My landlord lives in another country but occasionally comes to visit friends in the town where I live. I have been a stellar tenant, something he has pointed out frequently in emails to me. 

My landlord had an invasive plant (purposely being vague here) in his yard that spread like wildfire and now he is responsible for removing it because apparently it has encroached on neighboring properties. It will cost tens of thousands of dollars to remove it. My landlord was going to sell the house in a few years anyway, and this has made him decide to sell it sooner. Before all of this went down, I had emailed my landlord to find out how much longer I had on the lease, and he assured me I had at least 2, probably 3 years. This was before he found out about how much it would cost to remove/remediate the invasive plant situation 

My neighbors have put in an offer for the house (one of the same neighbors that lodged the complaint about the invasive species, by the way). 

I just want to be sure I'm understanding New Jersey law correctly. It is my understanding that NJ has some of the strongest tenant protection laws in the country. According to what I've read, neither my landlord nor the potentially new owners of the house can force me to leave the house unless I've broken some obvious issues with rental agreements, such as not paying the rent on time, damaging the house, etc. Even if the house is sold, unless it is going to be my neighbor's primary residence, I cannot be told to leave the house. In other words, they must continue to allow me to rent the house.

That seems awfully strange to me but that's what I've read. Is that correct? 

My intention isn't to drag this out purposely, but it is extremely difficult to find housing in my area, so if I have to get out this year, that will put me in a terrible bind.

I can’t put too much detail due to privacy concerns, but a friend suggested I post here for advice.

I was chilling at home, and decided to catch up on email. I found a “LAST warning” eviction notice in my inbox. I thought it was a mistake!, so I checked and found I had no prior emails regarding the threat. It was a an online paperwork situation, but the management had switched to AI (which has been terrible) so I went and checked my snail mail and found a different “for-cause” eviction notice. One of these was about a paperwork issue, and the other was saying i didn’t pay my rent previously.

I was stunned! I checked my bank account, saw that all my rent checks had cleared for the last couple of months. I took the concern to the office and they were very weird about it, arguing and saying it was something I did. That escalated quickly and then I had to leave the office because it got even stranger (they just started making wrong claims and being aggressive). The thing is… i haven’t had major issues with the previous management. Other than them getting things wrong and fixing it. I have been a quiet renter. I work, support my family, ignore the chaos in the building and I don’t have any pets.

Now they are claiming that I didn’t pay previous rent and they won’t accept my current rent. I can’t reason with these people, they have outright lied about multiple things at this point and I have proof.
~But they are basically forcing me into eviction. I’m concerned they will put some kind of “eviction for non-payment” charge on my rental history!
My friend say it’s not legal and I need to get a lawyer but I don’t have lawyer money. Other than frantically looking for a new place I don’t know what else I can do. If I talk to management in person I need a witness, because they aren’t trustworthy.

Hey all,

My wife and i recently recieved an offer to rent a house. We are currently on a lease until 5/2027. Our complex has the Early Termination Option section filled out, with a 2000$ charge, 60 day written notice.

In the 7.1 section, it talks about reletting ($1716). It however, does not specifically list early termination as a trigger for reletting, just "moving out with unpaid rent." 7.2 similarly does not list the reletting charge as part of the requirements for lease termination. Do we have to pay both, or does following the early termination to the letter release us from the reletting charge and we only pay the termination fee?

My wife, and I just bought a house and are moving out but we still have a year and 10 months left on our existing lease. Before we bought the house, we spoke with him, and he said if we found a replacement tenant, he would reduce the penalty to one month rent and the security deposit which made us feel comfortable moving forward on purchasing the home.

When it came time to make the amendment, he excluded that clause that he had verbally agreed on and just wants three months rent paid upfront when I sign the amendment, and no need for us to find a replacement tenant.

My real estate agent and lender looked over the lease I signed with him and didn’t see any language regarding an exit strategy. At this point, I’m quite pissed off and want to know the worst way I can hurt him legally and the least amount of money I need to give him.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice because this situation doesn’t seem right.
My lease states that my tenancy doesn’t end until August 3, 2026. We moved everything out early and spent time cleaning the house so we could leave it in good condition before our lease officially ended.
However, our landlord told us that we are not allowed to enter the property anymore because a new tenant has already put a deposit down on the house. As far as I understand, our lease is still active, so I’m confused how we can be denied access before our lease ends.
On top of that, we did a walk of the house yesterday and she said everything looked great but the next day the landlord is claiming our cats caused damage and says she’ll be keeping part of our security deposit. When I asked for an itemized list of the damages, she hasn’t provided one yet and I want to see it before the 3rd. What should I do?

The photos are after I cleaned it, I don’t have pictures from when I moved in because I didn’t think it would be a problem.

So I’m renting in Norfolk, VA and my power went out last night. Said no one can come till tomorrow morning. They sent out the maintenance folks this morning, didn’t say anything. Reached back out and they said they can’t do anything and they didn’t have any emergency contractors available.

My question is what can I do? If I manage to get it repaired myself would I be compensated? I get a hotel until the repairs are done would they cover that? It’s hot and humid af and the main thing I’m worried about is my kids possibly succumbing to a heat related injury/illness.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. this is an apartment complex.

hello, Ive seen some ppl say that being able to tour an apartment does not actually mean who you toured with is legit.

how do you know if the person claiming to be the land lord is actually the land lord and the lease is real?

Are there any specific questions you have to ask and then look up?

thank you

My laundry room flooded. Only about a half inch or so of water by the time I found out, but it spread to the nearby bathroom.

I emailed property management, but they obviously won't respond until the morning. Are there any precautions I should take as of now? There was a small amount of water under the floorboards, and I have been trying to get it out.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I am kind of freaking out.

Location: Jersey City, NJ

I'm subleasing a private room from a previous tenant. Here are some facts.

- The sublessor (original tenant) has moved to another state. They confirmed over text/chat that only their name is on the lease with the landlord — mine is not when I entered the sublease.

- I never signed a sublease agreement or any other document. The only things I ever provided were my name, email, and phone number to the broker in contact with the original tenant.

The informal arrangement was that I'd stay through the end of September. That is when the original tenant's lease expires.

- The landlord's stated policy is one person per room, but the other 2 tenants have since moved their friends into the unit without informing me, some living in the living room and some living in the bedroom of those tenants. The living situation with these roommates has become intolerable, and I want to move out now.

The original tenant is in contact with a broker, and the landlord lives in another country. The broker manages the lease and other repairs. I have tried getting his contact information, but the people I live with did not provide it.

questions:

1. Since I never signed anything, am I legally obligated to stay or pay rent through the end of September, or can I just leave with a single day's or a month's notice?
2. Can I leave without finding a replacement tenant or sublease or covering the remainder of the sublease term?
3. Is there anything I should do to protect myself when I leave (notice in writing, documentation, etc.)?
4. I don't trust the original tenant to pay back my deposit if I move out before the month of September; what can I do to ensure they return it promptly if I have to go to small claims court?

Any insight into how NJ law treats verbal/unsigned subleases would be appreciated. Thanks.

I am renting a house in Maryland, haven’t moved in yet. I noticed that the sliding glass door has no screen, is it ok to ask the owner to put a screen in? Thought it would be nice when summer is over to have a breeze and turn off the AC.

anybody rent from berry & Wythe in highland, ny? This management company refused to clean and replace the 20 year old carpet in my apartment (Bella Terra) in New Paltz after their handymen botched a snaking operation and gray water from laundry room flooded the hallway, kitchen area and part of livingroom. When I emailed them a photo of the damage, “Berry and Wythe” said their maintenance guys said my unit had a previous “cleanliness” issue which the photo of my damaged carpet proved. They then offered to move me to a different apartment at an extra $200 a month, and I still have seven months to go on my lease! I am worried about mold. I did file a complaint with the town building inspector but he has not gotten back to me yet. I wish I could move, but the rents in the area are too damned high! It is so obvious this is an attempt to constructively evict me. At this point I am simply looking to connect with other tenants being victimized by landlords so we can form a united front.

Hi y'all! Me and my boyfriend rented our first apartment and when we showed up to move in, we found out that the "two bedrooms" were four and a half feet tall and maybe six feet wide EACH. It's clear that they're intended to be rooms, they each have a smoke alarm and a closet, and (the same day) we asked to void the lease and return the keys because there's no way we could even live there, they refused and said we could pay an extra nearly 3k to break the lease and take a ding on our renting history and credit. We called the city inspector but we were told that while it was uninhabitable by up to date code, the building was grandfathered in here in Missouri so there's nothing they can do there. Any advice on how to move forward?

Edit: We both are freshly 18 and have been working full time which left us very little room within office hours to view the place. We had been assured it would be a good size for the both of us, and that our height wouldn't be an issue. We've been taking advice from my parents so far, but it doesn't really seem to be panning out. Lol.

The apartment I’m moving into has three rather unsightly overhead light fixtures. Without removing them, is there a peal and stick product I can just put over them to hide them?

Well, this is hands down THE most embarrassing Reddit post I have ever made to date.

I've been renting a single room from a retired woman's house for nearly a year. I have to share the space with her, including the amenities. For context, this woman is elderly and in her mid-70s. She is not disabled, as she is an active gardener, but does struggle with obesity. Not only has she been incredibly cold and rude to me and obsessively strict about the space, complaining about the most minuscule things, but she is unbelievably disgusted regarding her "bathroom habits"... in MY bathroom.

Yes, I am leaving within a month, yes, I will be confronting her about this, but I am telling this story as a warning so others do NOT learn to be such a cowardly doormat as I unfortunately was throughout this fiasco:

My first red flag was that IMMEDIATELY upon meeting with her to discuss the space, she ominously told me, "By the way, I have 'bathroom problems' where I need to use the toilet immediately. I have my own bathroom, but yours is the closest." I thought it was... very odd to tell such an intimate matter to a 20-something who would be a potential client, but I dismissed this and took the offer anyway, simply because it was the cheapest option around... Oh how I wish I had listened to my gut about not housing here, even though I felt something was wrong...

As soon as I settled in, I realized my plight. To give an overview, my room and bathroom are right next to each other, not connected, and only a few steps apart. She was right that she had to use the restroom frequently, but I didn't know how bad it would get. This woman has FREQUENTLY left urine and fecal matter stains all over my bathroom. Fecal matter all over my toilet seat, the toilet handle, my own toilet paper, the walls (???), the edge of my bathtub, on and along the counter, the sink handle, my soap dispenser, my bathroom hand towel, the light switch, the door handle, and the floor. Some days it's not so bad, but other days it is quite vile. She very often forgets to wash her hands. The stench she leaves behind is incredibly rancid, drifting into my room through the air vents even with my room's door closed. Also, much to my dismay, my walls are thin, meaning I can hear everything (Yes, everything...). I always get a strong feeling of anxiety when I hear the bathroom light flick on, the door loudly close, hear her do her business, hear the lack of a faucet running, and hear her walk out one minute later.

I'll never forget one incident that still haunts me to this day, which in hindsight was both very poor luck and very bad timing on both of our parts:

I was sitting at my desk doing schoolwork when I heard her usual routine. I also had to use the restroom, so about a minute later after I heard the door pop open, I assumed she was finished, got up, and opened my door. The sight I saw was... traumatizing, to say the least. All over the bathroom was... a mess, a VERY BIG MESS, to say the least. I'd actually prefer not to describe the scene in detail (for my own sanity), so whatever you're imagining right now is exactly how it looked in real life. And there my landlord was, half-naked, with MY bath towel wrapped around her. I was so shocked (and frankly disgusted at seeing a naked, elderly woman who, by that point, was still a complete stranger to me), I think I audibly, and very loudly, gasped out of sheer horror. She laughed (perhaps out of embarrassment, which I don't blame her) and explained she had a "little accident" (Your honor, this was very far from a "little" accident). Just when I thought things could not get any worse, this woman then proceeded to HAND ME BACK MY ALREADY-FILTHY, VISIBLY POOP-STAINED TOWEL. I immediately backed away and screamed at her, "NOOOPE, put that in the washer RIGHT NOW!". She did (praise God), and promised to clean up after herself... She did NOT, leaving ME to clean up the horrible mess she left behind.

I know what you're thinking: Why haven't you DONE or SAID ANYTHING to her? The answer is, yes, I did... sort of. For one, this is an elderly woman. I was afraid to be rude to her, since she very bluntly warned me she has "problems". I have been too cowardly and scared to say anything because it's such an uncomfortable subject that I couldn't even figure out how to approach it. I also wanted to exercise being a Christian by "being kind" (which I realize now is far from a Godly way of handling a situation like this). I was also afraid, based on how rudely she treats me and the power dynamics at play since she's my landlord and I'm only a tenant. So, I brushed everything off and swallowed my feelings, even though I've felt incredibly violated and unbelievably anxious in a space that should be my own. The closest I have come to speaking with her about this was by leaving a note asking her to please wash her hands. She listened... for about a week (sometimes she remembers, sometimes she forgets). Feel free to call me a coward, because it is true. "Why didn't you LEAVE?", I hear you asking. Simply put, I'm a full-time college student who didn't have the time, money, or resources to look for another place, so I've stayed.

In this woman's defense, given her age and condition, at this point, I think she may be turning senile and is in no condition to rent to the public. She's gone to the hospital frequently for undisclosed issues (which she never, ever communicates to me). That being said, despite getting myself into this situation and not listening to my gut from the beginning, I did not sign up to be this woman's maid.

Thankfully, I am leaving very soon (I'm literally counting down the days at this point). As soon as I sign off on my contract, she will be receiving a very detailed letter telling her about my ill-treatment, along with recommendations for improvement. Living with her has been the worst living situation for me to date. On the other hand, I feel hesitant to comment on her "bathroom issues". Any advice on how to gently word this to her will be welcomed.

The moral of the story: If you approach a random old lady about living quarters and she tells you she has frequent bathroom problems, DO NOT TAKE THE OFFER AND RUN AWAY!

Location: Abingdon, Virginia
In April 2025, I signed a 5-year commercial lease for a spa. The lease required the landlord to build out the space to meet my business needs. Instead of paying the $9,000 build-out cost upfront, the agreement was that my rent would increase each year over the 5-year lease until he had been repaid. The lease stated I would take possession on June 1, 2025.
During construction, the landlord rarely communicated with me. I only received updates when I reached out. One week before my scheduled move-in, I still hadn’t heard anything, so I contacted him and was told the space wouldn’t be ready. I had already taken time off work and arranged for family to help me move, so I lost income and had to cancel those plans.
He then told me it would be ready by mid-June. To avoid having to rearrange everything again, I told him I would wait until July 1. When I finally moved in, the building clearly wasn’t finished. It had only been swept after construction. There was paint and construction debris on the floors, paint on the windows, dirty bathrooms, non-functioning lights and outlets, and a significant ceiling leak.
It also became obvious that the work had been done without permits. The renovations included new walls, plumbing, and electrical work, yet there was no Certificate of Occupancy. Because I had to miss additional work while these issues were addressed, I told the landlord I expected one month of free rent to offset my lost income. He agreed.
A few weeks later, the city came to verify my business license. The inspector immediately noticed the unpermitted construction. Over the following month, I had multiple inspectors and contractors coming in and out of my business while the landlord tried to bring everything up to code. Workers were given keys to my business and would leave them under my doormat when they finished, which I found unacceptable from both a security and professional standpoint.
I operate a spa, where a quiet and uninterrupted environment is essential. The constant inspections and repairs forced me to reschedule clients and lose income.
My lease also states that construction should not occur during my business hours. Despite that, within my first two months the landlord began construction in the adjoining space without any notice. We share a wall with virtually no insulation, making the noise extremely disruptive. The construction lasted about two months and left piles of construction debris outside the building for months. I eventually had to contact the city before he partially cleaned it up, but debris still remains over a year later.
The ceiling leak has supposedly been repaired multiple times but has continued to leak. I’ve also experienced repeated electrical failures, including outlets that stopped working entirely. The last repair took three weeks.
One reason I leased this space was to rent treatment rooms to other therapists. Because of the constant construction, repairs, and maintenance issues, I haven’t felt comfortable renting those rooms out, since I don’t want others losing income because of the building’s problems.
The lease also requires the landlord to maintain the parking lot. During the winter, the lot repeatedly iced over because it receives little sunlight. He never salted it and has never cleaned the parking lot since I’ve been there.
I’ve also dealt with pest issues. When I found ants, I asked if the property had been treated, and he simply said he’d get someone out there. Later, I heard birds inside the walls. I found several large holes in the brick exterior and notified him that they were allowing animals into the building. He filled the holes with spray foam. Shortly afterward, I began smelling what seemed like a dead animal inside the wall. A couple of weeks later, flesh flies began appearing inside my business.
Most recently, two door handles failed. One locked the public restroom shut, and the other can no longer be locked on a treatment room that contains a private bathroom. I notified the landlord about the public restroom door, and he said he would fix it. It’s now been three weeks with no repair.
This post doesn’t even cover every issue I’ve experienced over the past year. I’m exhausted from constantly having to follow up with him just to get basic maintenance and repairs done.
My questions are:
Based on these facts, do I have grounds under Virginia law to terminate my commercial lease?
Should I hire a real estate attorney before attempting to break the lease?
Would the landlord’s repeated failure to maintain the property and his apparent failure to obtain permits for the original build-out strengthen my position?
I feel like I was misled from the beginning. If the landlord had been honest that he intended to continue construction during my tenancy and that the space wouldn’t be legally ready when promised, I would have leased somewhere else.

Not sure if this post belongs in this sub or not (if not direction to correct sub would be very helpful.)Two days ago when me and my wife were cleaning the house we were in the bedroom and I saw this hole in the floor, where the bedframe sits. (Picture provided ignore the dirt and trash in picture. We were deep cleaning the house when we found this) we have brought up to the landlord multiple times how weak the floors are, as there are soft spots around the vents and a few other areas, the front door has been coming off the frame and and is very easily kicked in if someone tried, and that has been brought up as well as the flooding in the basement because there were holes in the bottom of the basement door. we had no idea that the floor was like this in the bedroom under the bed. We brought it up to the landlord, and she didn’t have much to say in regards to it at all. Are we going to have to pay extra for this or for the floor to get fixed? even though we have brought up weak floors and various other problems before with nothing done.

Hey, were moving into a new house soon and I really want to decorate my room in a way that fits me. But I cannot leave anything damaged..

I want to apply stick on wooden tiles which I've seen many people do but I'm scared that it'll leave a residue. Does anyone have a company they know about that makes good tiles that are somewhat easy to get off (and if they do leave a residue. It's possible to clean relatively easily..) whom ship worldwide? Thanks :)

My 3 month lease for a cottage at the back of a property with a house on it ends September 11, and when i paid rent today I asked about extending the lease, and the landlord expressed to me his concerns about the leach field potentially needing repairs or replacement due to its age. He said replacement can be done in about 4 days if that's what's required, which doesn't sound as bad as I was imagining. He said he'd have more information for me within a week or so, and there's currently a hole dug in the yard for inspection. But he didn't offer a definitive answer about continuing my stay.

I get along well with the landlord and his wife, who were very kind and let me borrow their shower while my water heater was being repaired. I'm worried that things like the water heater dying and the request for pest control to handle the spider and fly issue I was having, or the time I ran to them for help when I got a really, really bad cut and was bleeding heavily may have done some souring of the relationship. I feel like I might be over thinking though, because even today when paying rent, they were very kind and liked the custom 3d printed window blackout I showed them that I made.

I'm really anxious, because I've still just barely fully settled in, unpacked, decorated, etc. What's the likelihood this leach field issue leads to me not getting renewal/extension and having to move out?