Anyone have any experience with this?

Looking for info on format/templates, wording, method, expectations, etc.

Short of the long is that they just suddenly decided we're not allowed to have grills anymore, and gave us 5 days to remove them from the property or face a potential fine. Nothing has happened here, but they cited "the abundance of Raleigh/Cary apt. fires" as their reason. I should also mention they are very well insured, and require us to have rental insurance on top of our lease.

My issue is that I specifically asked before I signed a lease if I was allowed to keep a grill in my garage, and they said yes and I could use it as long as I kept it a certain distance from the building when in use and stored it inside. Now they're saying I have 5 days to get rid of my grill (sell it? trash it? hell no), which is a sweet portable/collapsible iron 2-burner. The lease says nothing about grills, so I'm assuming I don't have any legal footing. I want to put together a petition to take around to the many other residents that grill and see if we can't get them to relent.

Any suggestions?



SUMMARY:

They all like "WE TAKIN YO GRILLZ"


an' we all like



[Edited on October 21, 2010 at 7:57 PM. Reason : asdf]

10/21/2010 7:52:16 PM

Have you tried talking to the people in the leasing office? Are you sure the ordinance in your area didn't change?

10/21/2010 8:03:03 PM

Your petition has been received. You are hereby ordered to vacate the premises.

10/21/2010 8:04:15 PM

^ haha, thats what I was thinking. If they're serious about the rule then the best you could do is to get out of the lease early.

10/21/2010 8:06:17 PM

My apt complex has decided now to require all lease holders to have personal liability insurance as a requirement for signing or renewing a lease. I think it's pretty fucked up. If you wanna protect yo shit, just charge people a damn deposit. Don't make people buy extra insurance.

(Note, this isn't even renters insurance, this is personal liability, where if you damage someones stuff, they get paid for it.)

10/21/2010 8:20:09 PM

Quote :

"If you wanna protect yo shit, just charge people a damn deposit."

It makes sense. If you damage their property, why shouldn't you have to pay for it?

Quote :

"I want to put together a petition to take around to the many other residents that grill and see if we can't get them to relent. "

I'm not sure a petition is going to cut it. If you didn't have them include it in the lease, you are up a creek so to speak.

They can change their rules at anytime and your living there is voluntary.

[Edited on October 21, 2010 at 8:53 PM. Reason : f]

10/21/2010 8:51:39 PM

Not when they ALSO charge a deposit.

10/21/2010 9:51:03 PM

i have no experience with this but my take is that if your lease doesnt say anything about grills, then you are allowed to have them. if you are leasing the garage, then the terms are subject to the lease you signed, not some rule they make up afterward.

how do they have a legal right to fine you? couldn't you just fine them back, tell them you are fining them 2x for every time they fine you or threaten to fine you.



[Edited on October 21, 2010 at 11:02 PM. Reason : ...]

10/21/2010 10:57:16 PM

"The management reserves the right to modify the terms of this agreement at any time."

10/21/2010 11:22:42 PM

Yeah, if they have that statement in there, and I've seen it in every one, they can make changes to the lease, but from a legal standpoint, does that give him the right to get out of the lease if he wanted? Just out of curiosity. It seems like it would, otherwise they could just do all kinds of wacky shit once someone signed a lease without recourse.

10/22/2010 7:58:57 AM

But why would you have to get rid of it? I could understand if you're out there using it, then you deserve a fine, but if you're just storing it in your garage then what's their beef? It's like any legal personal property you could be storing in there.

I wonder if their insurance rates have increased recently because they allowed tenants to grill on the premises?

I think other than keeping it locked away and covered in the corner of your garage, you really have no leg to stand on. Creating a petition is silly. The best way to protest would be to move out as soon as you can, and then make sure at your new complex you get it in writing.

10/22/2010 9:05:44 AM

Quote :

"My apt complex has decided now to require all lease holders to have personal liability insurance as a requirement for signing or renewing a lease. I think it's pretty fucked up."

This also has me wondering about all the craziness that could happen. Just think after moving out, if they dispute the apartment's condition and want to replace all the carpet, paint, appliances, instead of paying it themselves or out of any deposit, they could sue your insurance and cause your rates to increase. No, I would move out as soon as could be possible.

10/22/2010 9:11:36 AM

^

10/22/2010 9:26:45 AM

Quote :

"My issue is that I specifically asked before I signed a lease if I was allowed to keep a grill in my garage, "

Put a cover on it and hide that shit in your garage until you can sell it or move it.

10/22/2010 11:15:49 AM

No apartment complaint beats the Lake Johnson Mews incident.

Management Bitch hands our notices the evening before they begin pavement work at 9am. I know mine did not reach my door until 8 pm, since I returned to my apartment at 8 pm after running a last minute errand for spring break. I originally was going to have my buddy pick me up earlier that evening and crash at his place so we could ride together to the airport at 5 am.

Many though were not so lucky. They returned from spring break or business trip (older people lived there) only to find their cars towed. So beyond just paying the towing fee they were also slapped with the storage fee. I do not see how this did not end with a class action lawsuit.

Hell I could have been sick or an old person who may have not left their apartment in the 13 hour window that they told tenants to move their vehicle.

[Edited on October 22, 2010 at 11:24 AM. Reason : a]

10/22/2010 11:23:06 AM

^

10/23/2010 10:41:49 PM

Shit, I remember that. God that was horrible. I'm pretty sure my friend lived there when that happened. I'd think that some of the students would have gotten Student Legal's help.

10/23/2010 10:58:08 PM

This will not work. They dont give a shit.

That said, you might be able to get around this as it wasn't on the lease when you signed it. That said again, it wasn't said you could have a grill.

Id also take that statement, go to the city fire marshal and say where this is true. Then sue them in court for false statements or impersonating a govt official (I know someone who did this before and they won)

For the record, which complex is it?

omgyouresexy, that is fucked up. I know Ive got some liability built into my renters insurance, but its at no extra cost and came default with the policy.

10/24/2010 12:06:16 AM

If lake johnson mews would have given two shits about their tenants, they would have said "ooops we forgot to hand pout the notices within a reasonable time frame. Lets just pay the towing company to move these cars across the parking lot. "

10/24/2010 12:07:41 AM

^^Mariner's Crossing.

I only remember his post about it cause I used to live there.

10/24/2010 12:38:57 AM

If that was around 2-3 years ago at Lake Johnson Mews, I was living there at the time. Something about having to repair a burst water main under the parking lot due to growing tree roots or something?

I got out lucky with LJM though, got my full deposit back and they actually gave me almost a month's rent back because they called me on a Wednesday and told me I had to be out on Friday (I was paying month-to-month at the time after my lease ended)...it sucked, but man, hush money works

as far as the place now, no updates as of yet...

10/24/2010 3:16:29 AM

LJM could have paid the tow trucks to move the cars out to the street or something, like crabtree does when its about to flood. Instead they said fuck our tenants, they can just pay the exorbitant towing fee even though they had no warning.

10/24/2010 3:30:59 PM

That while thing blew me away. Luckily my spring break trip did not start until monday. LJM's excuse was that you were supposed to notify the office if leaving more than three days.

10/24/2010 9:57:25 PM