Anon
Miami,#2Consumer Comment
Fri, February 21, 2003
Is your landlord suing you for breaking a lease? If so, they are obligated to "mitigate damages", which means as soon as they knew you were going to break your lease (notify them in writing), they are supposed to make efforts to re-rent the unit and find another qualified rent-paying tenant. Once that happens, you are off the hook, they cannot collect double rent. You should do everything you can to re-rent the unit as well. If there is a 20 year history of abuses at this complex, there must be other unsatisfied current and former tenants. See if you can round up a few and talk to a lawyer as a group. Mold is a "hot" topic in landlord litigation right now, some landlords are getting sued for millions, insurance rates are skyrocketing for liability claims against landlords. What kind of flooding was it? Plumbing or mother nature? Some damages would be covered under your renter's insurance, not the landlord. $5,000 is a lot of money. It might be time to hire legal help to protect your credit and help you through this. Good luck!