Santa Clara, CA asked in Contracts and Landlord - Tenant for Maryland

Q: i signed & sent in my new lease. They tell me it contained a mistake in the increase of rent.

If I don't agree to signing the corrected lease today they are going to treat me as a month to month & charge me a much higher amount. If it's their mistake shouldn't they have to honor their 1st offer which I submitted?

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1 Lawyer Answer
J. D. A.
J. D. A.
Answered
  • Landlord Tenant Lawyer
  • Hunt Valley, MD
  • Licensed in Maryland

A: The answer to this depends in part on what the lease says about when it becomes effective. If they made an offer (sent you the lease document with the rent per month), and you accepted the offer by signing and returning the lease, a binding contract was likely formed. But the lease or accompanying letter (stating how to accept their offer) may contain other language. Now, if the offer/lease referenced an amount that would obviously be a mistake (e.g. $2/mo. instead of $2k/mo.), then a potential tenant/offeree would reasonably have known that to be a mistake. You should speak with an attorney about the facts of your case, and to review the lease/other documents.

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