PRTB/ Contract

Hunter S

Hey guys i wonder if you could help me out it pretty much needs to be answered before tomorrow

I just had a friend ask me to help them out with a legal problem they are having but alas i have no books with me right now and i'm not sure the PRTB Act will answer this question.

She signed a lease yesterday to start tomorrow with a landlord and in the mean time got laid off today. Now the landlord is saying he is going to keep the deposit in full if she pulls out. I'm wondering if there is anything she can do at all to help her manouver

I'd apprecaite any imput

Ste.phen

She can terminate the lease and get her deposit back if she can find someone else to take over the lease.
If she finds someone suitable and the landlord refuses, that's grounds to cancel a fixed term lease with the minimum notice under the RTA (Residential tenancies act)

The first option is best, but requires some work. The landlord is legally entitled to chase her for the full year's rent, not just the deposit, but thankfully not many of them seem to be willing to go to the hassle of trying to extract cash from unwilling tenants in this way, so it's likely just the deposit on the line

Ste.phen

As an aside to this, any landlord who's not a complete ass would at the very least just readvertise the property, and charge your friend a bare minimum rent to cover the time it was empty between tenants.

Hunter S

Ya thats what i've told her but i was hoping someone would come out with some amazing contractual get out clause that i hadn't thought of Tough times all round i think.

Bluebluesky

That landlord ever heard of Karma.....assh*le