Renting a new apartment or room is an exciting occasion, but it’s important to be cautious. Rather than rushing through the process, you should make sure to carefully read your lease so that you know what you’re agreeing too. It also helps to have a tenant lawyer in New York read over the lease so that they can help you negotiate a better deal. This article introduces important information that you should know about your lease, as well as your rights as a tenant. (Related topics: real estate lawyer NYC, landlord-tenant law NYC)
Start and End Dates
Once you and your landlord have decided on a start and end date for the apartment, those dates should be respected. That means that the property should be ready by the decided start date; if not, your landlord should pay any additional costs that you received while waiting for the property to be ready. In addition, your landlord can’t make you leave until the last day of your lease unless they have a legitimate reason to evict.
Leases Always Favor the Landlord
Leases are written to protect the landlord in the case that you and your landlord go to court. Because of this, you should make sure to carefully review the lease before signing it and see if there are any areas where you can negotiate. With the help of our tenant lawyer in New York, we can try to negotiate with the landlord and add extra protection for you.
Security Deposit
Most apartments require a security deposit, but many people never receive it back from their landlord. Your landlord is allowed to take money out of your deposit for things such as serious damage or repairs, but not for small things considered “wear and tear”. If your landlord is deducting money from your deposit, they must provide a statement explaining the reason; they also must return your security deposit in a timely fashion, usually between 30 to 60 days. If you feel like your landlord is unfairly keeping your security deposit, a tenant lawyer in New York will help you and your landlord work through the situation.
Eviction Policies
If your landlord is trying to evict you, they must have evidence that you broke the lease. Sometimes landlords try to evict their tenants because of unfair reasons such as discrimination or retaliation. If your landlord is trying to evict you, we can help you fight the case.
These are four of the common ways that landlords take advantage of their tenants. To better understand your rights as a tenant, contact your tenant lawyer in New York.
