Q: Lease only signed by tenant, not approved or signed by landlord. Is this a legal contract since not signed by both?
I signed a lease online for the time of August 2020 to move in. This particular landlord had told me my lease was not approved and signed by them and that I needed to sign another paper and give my proof of income. I called a couple weeks later due to the hardship of this COVID19 and told them we may have to move elsewhere, and confirm that the lease is not finalized because they have not signed it or approved it yet. They stated that it doesn’t matter if they signed it or approved it yet or not, I am stuck to pay the whole amount of the lease no matter what. I have sent them emails and have called them asking to void my paperwork but they will no longer speak to me because I told them I would get a lawyer involved. Is there anything else I can do as to I have not moved in yet and not given them consent to screen me in order for them to approve my lease?
Thank you so much for your advice.
A:
If the Landlord told you that it was not yet approved that there was something else you had to do in order to get it approved, then your "offer" to lease was not "accepted" yet. You can withdraw your offer at any time prior to "acceptance".
The burden of proof will be on them to prove that they accepted your offer prior to your withdrawal. It does matter if they have approved or accepted it. Without their acceptance, there is no contract.
I hope this helps.
Wes
1 user found this answer helpful
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