ok. so here's the story, i'll try to keep it short:

i live in an old place off canterbury. one day i'm in my room, door closed. i try to open the door... the place is so old, the doorknob breaks and i'm locked in my room on the second floor, no way to get out. luckily my roomate was outside the room, and after 30 minutes of trying to fix the door, we decide the only way to get out is to knock off the doorknob. we do, and i get out.

so now we're moving out, and the landlord is trying to make me pay for replacing the door. the EXACT same thing happened on the other side of our duplex, same building, and i've talked to the neighboring tenant who said that my landlord DID NOT make her pay for hole in the wall she had to create to get out of the room. the landlord says she's making me pay because i did not report the incident in a 'timely fashion'.

should i have to pay for this?

5/25/2006 5:42:51 PM

seems to me you should have reported it in a timely fashion.

5/25/2006 5:44:02 PM

you shoulda reported it

it's your word against hers and you didn't bitch about it, so youre SOL

sowwy

5/25/2006 5:44:05 PM

yeah, you probably should have reported it. the problem the landlord can throw at ya is if someone is planning on moving in right after you, they might change their mind or majorly bitch at the lack of the doorknob. if you had reported it, they could've fixed it sooner, or let it be their problem if they waited to replace it.

5/25/2006 5:45:51 PM

we actually have the place for another month, we're moving out early... i gave her over a month and a half notice about it

5/25/2006 6:04:09 PM

did you tell her like the day it happened?

5/25/2006 6:07:10 PM

no... that shouldnt matter... the lease says nothing about claiming responsibility if you don't report it within a certain time... the only thing it mensions is, like we talked about before, having the place ready in a timely fashion when the lease is up


wait, i dont want any advice from you or smath

[Edited on May 25, 2006 at 6:11 PM. Reason : asd]

5/25/2006 6:09:30 PM

Springing problems on the landlord at the last minute in the "oh yea this is broken too" fashion doesn't sit with them too well. I'd try to work something out meeting him half way with respect to the cost of the door, but understand your landlord is in control, and he could make you pay in full, so courtesy from here on out would be your best option with regards to anything else with the apt.

5/25/2006 6:10:33 PM

you are misunderstanding... this isn't the 'last minute' at all. she knew at least a month and a half in advance

5/25/2006 6:12:31 PM

gotcha, I'm guessing that the landlord thinks something is up if you didn't report it when it happened, because if you're as blamesless as you claim, then the landlord prolly thinks you should have told him when it happened. But like I said, I'd try to meet him half way or figure out anotehr compromise if he's denied you.

5/25/2006 7:28:08 PM

i dont know about you

but if the fucking doorknobs in my apartment had to be knocked off so i could get out, the first thing i'd do would be to march downstairs and go bitch to the landlord about what just happened

5/25/2006 7:30:25 PM

if the landlord is determined to charge you then go get a new door know from lowes and put it in yourself. interior doorknobs cost like $15 at most.

5/25/2006 8:31:23 PM

^ no reason to replace the entire door if you can just put a new doorknob in at all.

5/26/2006 2:46:16 PM

Better kiss that landlords ass.

5/26/2006 2:48:49 PM

Have your attorney send her a letter threatening to sue for the emotional torment of being trapped in a room for thirty minutes. (sarcasm)

This happened to me in a motel bathroom once. It would have been funny except I just took a dump. It was prior to the everyone having cell phones era and pretty much I waited and fucked with it until someone else came in the room like 20 mins later (church trip) then they broke me out with a coat hanger.


[Edited on May 26, 2006 at 3:01 PM. Reason : ]

5/26/2006 3:00:21 PM

Quote :

"^ no reason to replace the entire door if you can just put a new doorknob in at all."

i made a type. new door know should have been new door knob
replace the door knob yourself if the landlord wants to charge you for it. you'll save the labor cost have them having someone else do it atleast and will save you a lot of headaches.

5/26/2006 3:06:34 PM

Short answer: Should you be liable...no. Will you be liable... probably.

5/26/2006 4:07:09 PM

why didn't you just tell the landlord the doorknob broke recently?

5/26/2006 4:20:47 PM

just break the fucking door down next time. most of these apartment doors arent going to keep you locked in (unless its one of those 4br/ba with bolt locks.

5/26/2006 4:31:30 PM

whether you should or should not have reported it in a timely fashion does not seem to be relevant. If it's their fault, they have to pay. Go to Student Legal Services.

5/26/2006 4:32:44 PM

Quote :

"no... that shouldnt matter... the lease says nothing about claiming responsibility if you don't report it within a certain time..."

you still should have told them right after it happened re-re

5/26/2006 6:27:23 PM