Hi. I was looking for a house to share, and I found a house with 4 bedrooms. The landlord, who is one of the roommates, showed me the house which included a dining room and living room and would be shared by 3 other people. I agreed to move in and gave one month security deposit. No lease was signed.
In the time between my looking at the place and moving, he lost his job. In order to make ends meet, he rented out every available living space, including the dining room. So, instead of sharing the house with 3 people, there are 5 (so a total of 6 of us trying to share one bathroom and one kitchen), and the dining room is no longer accessible.
The situation is impossible for me to live in and I have found somewhere else to move to at the end of the month. My question is: Do I owe him 30 days notice, and what can I do if he refuses to return my deposit? If feel I should be able to move out whenever I want since he broke our agreement with all these extra people.
Thanks for our advice...
Ali
Editor's Response
If you have no intention of moving in to the house, talk to the owner, explain your concerns and ask for the money back. If he refuses, try housing court. Assuming he made specific representations to you about the condition of the house and how many people would live there, you could certainly argue a breach of contract.
You also probably have arguments to make dealing with the habitability of the unit. For example, did the owner obtain the necessary certificates of occupancy for the rooms he is renting? Would the local inspector approve of the number of occupants? These are questions you can raise (with the landlord and with the court) if the landlord refuses to return your money. Good luck.