Q: I live in California and i’m month to month on my lease
I live in California and i’m month to month on my lease, have been for the past year. Today I get a note on my door, printed out from Microsoft word (in broken English) saying I need to add $30 to my rent every month for pet rent. Is this allowed? Do they need to give me proper documentation?
A:
Assuming you have a written month-to-month rental agreement, a landlord can change the terms of the agreement (e.g. increase the rent) upon giving you 30 days notice. You can either accept the additional $30/month in rent, and continue living where you live, or you can leave within 30 days and find a new place to live. I have not seen the exact wording of the note that the landlord left on your door, but if it does not give you proper Notice, then you can ignore it. 30-day notices must be worded correctly to be enforceable. It seems pretty obvious that the landlord is disguising his desire to increase your monthly rent by thirty dollars with the "pet" excuse. Usually a separate "pet" deposit is included in your rental agreement as part of a security deposit when you first signed the rental agreement.
Nonetheless, you can accept the increase or leave within 30 days.
Since I have not seen the 30-day notice, I cannot give you exact details of where you stand. My advice is based only on what I have gleaned from your question. Good Luck.
David J. O'Connell agrees with this answer
1 user found this answer helpful
A:
I agree with Mr. Grossman. Your landlord is entitled to give you notice of increase of rent, for whatever reason, if that notice is in writing. And, unless a pet provision is included in the rental agreement, the landlord may assess additional rents to anticipate the damage a pet might cause.
You may not ignore the notice simply because you find the drafting language ungrammatical. Your remedy, if you are certain this notice came from your landlord, is to pay the increased rent or move.
Good luck to you.
1 user found this answer helpful
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