Lease Violation



With so many renters in the country these days, it's no wonder that the lease violation is the number one complaint of landlords and apartment managers. There are many ways to violate a lease, which is essentially a contract. Some violations will result in a financial penalty, while others can result in immediate termination of the lease.



For instance, when Joe Schmo forgets to go to work one day and doesn't get paid, he gets behind on his rent. Most leases state that if the rent is late after so many days, frequently five, an additional sum of money will be due with the rent. It is not uncommon to charge $50 as the additional sum. On the other hand, using a rental for unlawful purposes is also usually covered in the lease, but with a much more serious penalty - termination. If a maintenance man goes into the apartment and find stolen merchandise from another tenant, or finds illegal drugs laying around, the manager, according to the lease, has the right to terminate the lease immediately (and probably will).

Smoking is a bad habit and leaves not only a smell in the carpet and draperies where it's conducted, but also leaves a brown film of tobacco resin on all interior surfaces. The smell can not be removed (except perhaps with a powerful ozonator), and the entire dwelling, carpets and drapes included, ends up damaged as future tenants who are non-smokers can smell the odor and will not live in it. If the smoking has been heavy, the film on the walls, ceilings, cabinets and glass will make the place noticeably dingy. Leases often include exceptions for smokers who want to move in stating that smoking is OK as long as it's done outdoors. Unfortunately, many smokers lie about it and smoke indoors, anyway. If a landlord doesn't catch them, chalk one up for the smoker.

Estimates are that more than 20 million illegal aliens have crossed our borders and are now living in the US. In Denver, Colorado, one census count put the population at around 35% Hispanic! That's a far cry from 30 years ago. In Dallas, apartment managers had a heck of a time with 20 to 30 illegal aliens living in one apartment at the same time. The problem was bad, and the year was only about 1985. The city board passed an ordinance to get the situation under control. The ordinance limited apartments to having one bedroom for each unmarried adult and each child. Now that really put a damper on single mothers who could barely afford rent. Since when did young children need to have their own room?