Key turn in time..
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Key turn in time..
Is a property management
company allowed to require me
to have the walk thru with
them and hand keys over at a
certain time of the day my
lease is up? Don’t I have
until midnight of that day
Friday 06/30 to move out
and clean house? I didn’t
find a specfic time noted in
my lease, but my husband
can’t start moving into the
house he is renting until
Thursday after 5pm. My prop
mgmt is stating this
The owner has vendors lined
up to go to the house on
Saturday to start some work
and get it listed to sell.
Am I in the right or do I
have to have the keys turned
in by 5 pm on Fri 6/30 and
not do a walk thru with them
or at 3pm Fri at the walk
thru
Please help
Brandy D
Asked on June 27, 2017 under Real Estate Law, Oklahoma
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
1) You do have possession until midnight that day--you paid for it. At least that's the technical answer. In real life, the law takes cognizance of the fact that offices, property managers, etc. do NOT work 24/7. If you hand over the keys after the office is closed so that they don't get the keys until 7/1 (or in practice, 7/3, since the 1st is a Saturday), you will have held over into July and they can hold you accountable for July rent. (I practice landlord-tenant law; I have seen this happen.) You have to make sure they get the keys and possession back *before* close of business 6/30.
2) It's a VERY good idea to do a walk through with them, to document it videographically or photographically and ideally, with an apartment condition checklist you both sign; however, you are not obligated to do this unless your lease specifically requires it. If you can't make their walk through time, they will have to do the walk through separately--which makes you more vulnerable to them trying to charge you for repairs, cleaning, etc., since you are not their to rebut their assertions.
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