What to do if my landlord is trying to evict me for something that I didn’t do?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What to do if my landlord is trying to evict me for something that I didn’t do?
My patio glass door has little cracks all through it. I did not touch or hit it. He’s telling me i have to pay for it and I told him im not because i didnt break it. I went online to see how this glass cracked so randomly and i came acrosss somethiing called spontaneous glass breakage. My glass door looks exactly what these articles and pictures are describing. He came over yesterday to fix my lock and asked me what are we going to do about the window. I told him that I’m not paying for the window because I didn’t break it and he said that he will file for eviction at the end of the month.
Asked on November 19, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
If the landlord believes you have deliberately or grossly negligently (very carelessly) damaged his property, or that you have breached or violated any lease terms in regard to damage and paying for it, he can try to evict. To succeed, he will have to prove in court that you did in fact cause the damage and/or breach the lease. He will have to do this by a "preponderance of the evidence," or that it is more likely than not that you did this. You can try to refute his evidence and/or provide your own. Warning: make sure you do not miss the court appearance, since if you do, you will lose by default (like forfeiting a ball game by not showing up).
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.