I live in Maryland and am still trying to figure out the laws here. I am one of four people renting a room in a townhouse. In Dec. it snowed on a Thursday during the day and stopped around 4pm. When I fell on Friday it was around 7:15pm when I was leaving to go out of town. I missed a week of work and as a result was unable to pay my last months rent. My landlord, unsympathetic to the injuries caused by their negligence, told me that if I pay the rent after the 10th I would be subject to a $ 35 late fee.
If my landlord sues me for unpaid rent after I move what will happen? Can they sue me for unpaid rent if the security deposit covers that amount?
Landlord
Yes, of course. You will be evicted for non-payment.
He can garnish the rent from your wages since this is stolen income, not an unpaid bill.
real estate guy
no. You owe the rent and if there was injury, then his insurance would pay you.
BIll Q
I am not sure of the law in Maryland, but where I live, snow must be removed within 24 hours after it stops snowing. I doubt the landlord could be considered negligent for not removing snow 3hours and 15 minutes after it stopped snowing.
I may add that landlords are always hearing excuses from their tenants as to why they can't pay their rent, and become unsympathetic over time. It is your responsibility to pay your rent on time. You need to establish an emergency fund so that you can pay your rent on time even if you miss a week of work. If you fail to pay your rent on time, you are going to have to pay the late fee.
loanmasterone
Your security deposit covers any possible damage in the rental once you have moved. This normally does not cover any rent not paid prior to moving out.
In some cases the landlord might deduct the amount of past due rent if there is sufficient funds
remaining after any possible damage to your unit been deducted.
You may be sued by your former landlord if there is insufficient funds left after paying for any possible damages to the rental when you depart.
Injuries are not a reason for not paying your rent, that is the reason for insurance to cover you in the event you are out of work due to injuries or illness.
The landlord is also within his rights to charge you a late fee in accordance with the laws of your state concerning late fees.
I hope this has been of some benefit to you, good luck.
"FIGHT ON"
chatsplas
Sure the LL can sue you for nonpayment and even evict you. Two separate issues.
And in many jurisdictions, failure to remove snow is NOT negligence and is NOT required of LLs. In fact LLs who remove snow poorly may be guilty of negligence, while those who do nothing are NOT guilty of negligence.
You, on the other hand have a duty of care. Seeing the conditions, you needed to take care to avoid injuries, and apparently did not do so.
neverwinter
you slipped over in the snow and as a result can't pay the rent? Don't you have sick pay?
unless someone cleared the path and left it icy, I would suggest that this is a higher power telling you to wear decent shoes and look where you are going in future.
pay the rent and be more careful in future. You can't expect the rest of the world to look after you.
acermill
Of course they can sue you for unpaid rents. If you expect to claim expenses against your landlord, you will need to prove your landlord negligent. That you fell down does NOT prove negligence. A landlord is NOT required to remove snow immediately. He is required to handle such when appropriate. You face a long uphill battle on this one.
Orignal From: Can my landlord sue me for not paying last month's rent due to injuries caused to me by their negligence?
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