What doI do if a landlord has filed a collections claim on a broken lease agreement for a property thatI never lived at?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What doI do if a landlord has filed a collections claim on a broken lease agreement for a property thatI never lived at?
I was going to live with a friend and when she found a house she had me sign a paper that the management company said was to check if we would qualify to rent the house. I never signed a leasenor did I receive copies of what I did sign. A short while later I found out that the had gone ahead with the lease and given her the keys. She and I had an argument about it and I told her I wasn’t going to live there. She agreed to rent the house on her own and I thought that was the end of it. This was over a year ago. She was eventually kicked out of the house and now they expect me to pay for it.
Asked on November 29, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Arizona
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
From what I understand about the situation you are writing about is that you apparently never signed the lease to live in the property that you are being sued over and that you never lived in it. You only signed an an application to live in the property.
If this is the true state of the facts, then there seems to be no factual or legal basis for you to be sued with respect to the rental that your friend lived in. As such, you would have a good defense to the claim against you for unpaid rent.
I would write the person claiming that you owe money to him or her stating your position. Keep a copy of the letter for future reference and need. If you are actually sued for unpaid rent, it would be wise for you to retain a landlord tenant attorney to represent you.
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.