QUESTION
Lease ended. Landlord occupying the basement of the house
Asked on Jun 30th, 2017 on Landlord and Tenant Law - New Jersey
More details to this question:
Landlord provided notice not to renew my lease which ended June 30th 2017. Notice was given last March. I responded that I will vacate provided that I find a place. I found a place to own but the closing was delayed to July 14th. I found out about the delay on June 15th. I immediately notified my landlord that I cannot vacate the place as of June 30th 2017 to the unfortunate circumstances. The Landlord sent me texts messages asking that I leave the property. As of June 30th 2017, the Landlord sent me a text message notifying me that I can no longer access the basement which have the washer/dryer and second bathroom The Landlord daughter and son in law are occupying the basement. They have placed locks to prevent me access to the basement. They have removed few items I left in the basement and put them outside. what are my rights?
1 ANSWER
Anthony Van Zwaren
In order to know what your rights are, you have to look at your existing lease. Did it give you access to the basement and use of the washer/dryer and second bathroom? You may also need to see if the basement is a legal apartment, especially if they have put locks on the basement. Check with your town or city's building department. When you are a holdover tenant, and have not signed a renewal lease, you and the landlord are bound by the terms of the existing lease agreement. They also may be responsible if your property is damaged that they placed outside, again, did you have storage rights?
Answered on Jul 03rd, 2017 at 8:39 AM