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In this case the the tenant signed an application and a 12-month lease at $1,150 per month in rent. This management company does not take security deposits.
Later that night, the tenant decided she didn't want to rent the apartment. She asked the management to release her from her lease in writing, which they refused to do. The tenant never moved in.
The tenant called us, and we terminated her lease legally. Our investigation also disclosed that there had been code violations cited against the apartment building in the previous 12 months. The tenant's lease termination was found valid, and the tenant was also awarded one month's rent as damages under RLTO § 100. The trial court remarked that this result is "crazy". But, we think it is unfair for a landlord to not disclose that the building has recently been cited for code violations by the City before a tenant signs a lease for the place, at least when the law specifically requires this disclosure in writing. All of the landlord's competitors who follow the law are disclosing the code violations on their buildings to prospective tenants. Thus, compliant landlords are disadvantaged compared to the violation-hiding landlord. Besides, some tenants might think recent code violations against the building are relevant when deciding to enter into a lease, or not. |
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