What are our rights if we’re are living with friends and pay rent but they said that we were late in paying so changed the locks and took our stuff?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What are our rights if we’re are living with friends and pay rent but they said that we were late in paying so changed the locks and took our stuff?
We have a verbal agreement that we can pay at any time as long as we pay rent during the month. However, 3 days ago they said we were late on rent and they changed the locks and started packing our stuff, even putting our TV on the curb. They are drunk 24/7 and there is no reasoning with them. What can we do?
Asked on June 14, 2015 under Real Estate Law, Florida
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 9 years ago | Contributor
If you were paying rent, then you were a tenant (even though you apparently were also friends with the landlord). If you are a tenant, the landlord may NOT evict you by simply changing the locks, but first has to give you an eviction notice and then, if you did not leave, go to court and get a court judgment allowing them to evict. If they evict without doing this, they committed an illegal eviction and you can bring your own legal action seeking to be let back in and also seeking compensation. In addition no landlord may EVER take the tenant's belongings like this--doing so is theft, and you could sue them for theft and possibly also press charges.
You have rights and legal claims. If possible, hire an attorney to help you. If you can't afford an attorney or don't want to hire one, go to your country court, speak to the clerk, and ask for instructions as to what you may file to seek re-entry, compensation for the eviction, and compensation for anything the landlord took or destroyed. You will be filing one or more lawsuits (sometimes you have to file claims for compensation separately from getting put back in the unit), but can do so yourself (though again, an attorney is recommended) if you need to. Good luck.
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.