hat to do if I broke my lease 5 years ago and paid what was owed at that time but I just received a letter stating that I owe an aditional $790?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
hat to do if I broke my lease 5 years ago and paid what was owed at that time but I just received a letter stating that I owe an aditional $790?
This is the first contact with me since moving out. Why would anyone wait five years to collect $750 that is owed to them?
Asked on July 25, 2012 under Bankruptcy Law, Tennessee
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
The statute of limitations (SOL) is the time period during which someone may bring a lawsuit to enforce a debt or claim for money. In TN, the SOL for a contract, like a lease, is 6 years, and it's the same for both written and oral (unwritten) leases. Your landlord may sue you for money it claims you owe any time up to 6 years after you breached the lease; they are allowed to wait until near the end of the statutory period before taking action, if they like. It's not clear why they would choose to wait this long, but they are allowed to do so.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.