Landlord trying to charge my guest…

By Sue

This is kind of complicated.  The apartment my friend just left is trying to charge her over a  years worth of fees for an unsigned lease.  They are charging her not becasue she did not sign her lease but becasue her roommate’s former roommate did not sign her lease the last year she renewed it.  She was renter1 of this apartment.  She then roomed with another girl renter2 who had her own lease with the complex.  Renter 1 moved out and my friend moved in with renter2 becoming renter3 in December of 2007.  Well renter 2 moved out and now my freind renter3 is moving out.  The complex charged her damages above the deposit which she paid because she knew when she moved in that she would absorb any damages previously there since the apartment had gone from roommate to roommate.  However they are also trying to charge her for an unsigned lease from the dates  3-1-07 to 2-28-09 = to over $700.

I went with her to talk to managment to understand this since she herself never had an unsigned lease.  They said when she moved in she absorbed all fees and damages.  The damages she understood but the complex admits that this rule is no where in the lease she signed.  Yet they are threatining to ruin her credit if she doesn’t pay the balance.  They said she could sue and they would win!  I understand that if she had damages but it is for fees from a previous renter.  Both renters 1 and 2 are no longer even living in this country.  I think they are just trying to bully my friend because she is foreign and young and an easy target.  They also know she is moving out of state in a week.

Is this legal?  Does she have to pay for a previous renter’s fees?  Does she have any recorse?

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