What is the name of your state?-New Jersey
I moved in a condo on 8-16-2004 and signed a month-to-month lease. The landlord failed to provide me in the lease or in any other form of writing a mailing address to sent rent payments to, or how the rent was going to be paid. He also failed to provide me with (and as required by New Jersey law) with the location and amount of my security deposit even though I asked him for this information during the day of the lease signing. The landlord told me he would contact me later with that information. The following week, I still had not heard from him and I called him. I received no answer from him so I contacted his brother to find out where I could mail my September rent to and that I was giving my notice to vacate the apartment in October, because they were not fixing anything in the condo and I wanted to end it before it got too far into my living there. His brother said that he would contact his brother and then call me back to let me know the information. He called me back and told me that they did not want to give out their mailing address so he would arrange a time to pick up the rent. This was on 9-6-04, and the rent was already due. I did not hear from him for the 1st couple of days into the following week so I called him and asked him when was he coming to pick up the rent. He asked me my days off and I told him I was off on Sundays and Mondays. He said no problem, I'll come by on Sunday evening/afternoon to pick up your check. Sunday came, and no one showed and although I called, still no one answered or called me back. I receive a phone call the following Tuesday and he asked me if he could come by on Friday to pick up the check which was 9-17-04. I told him I had to work that day but if he could come by before 12 that afternoon I would be there. Again, no one showed. Several attempts were made by me through the next couple of weeks to contact him to no avail. Finally, on 9-27-04 in the evening, he shows up with NO prior notice to pick up my rent check. He takes the rent check and I tell him again about my prior verbal notice on 8-26-04 to vacate the unit in October. I also told him since he didn't let me know where my security deposit was being held, I would just use it to pay the remaining rent that I would owe for whatever days I stayed on October (because my new apartment was not ready). He agreed, and said it was fine to do so and left. On the day of the move out 10-17-04, the landlord was late trying to get around doing the move out inspection. My sister was there to help me move and I ended up having to contact the police to come out there as a witness of the run around I'd been going through with the landlord from the start. The officer was there during the move out inspection in which both he and the landlord stated was immaculate from the mess I moved into. He was also there to witness the landlord giving me back part of my security deposit, receipts, etc. The landlord had a paper for me to sign saying that he was charging me for the full months rent of October (even though he had said otherwise) because I did not give him proper written notice (when I had no address to send it to) and 50.00 late fee from rent in September(which he came to pick up late) I did not sign the paper, because I disputed those charges. I have filed a smalls claims case that will occur on 1-14-05. I just wanted to know if my case is strong, and what else may I need to do to prove my case even stronger next week in court? Thanks a lot for anything you can help me with!
I moved in a condo on 8-16-2004 and signed a month-to-month lease. The landlord failed to provide me in the lease or in any other form of writing a mailing address to sent rent payments to, or how the rent was going to be paid. He also failed to provide me with (and as required by New Jersey law) with the location and amount of my security deposit even though I asked him for this information during the day of the lease signing. The landlord told me he would contact me later with that information. The following week, I still had not heard from him and I called him. I received no answer from him so I contacted his brother to find out where I could mail my September rent to and that I was giving my notice to vacate the apartment in October, because they were not fixing anything in the condo and I wanted to end it before it got too far into my living there. His brother said that he would contact his brother and then call me back to let me know the information. He called me back and told me that they did not want to give out their mailing address so he would arrange a time to pick up the rent. This was on 9-6-04, and the rent was already due. I did not hear from him for the 1st couple of days into the following week so I called him and asked him when was he coming to pick up the rent. He asked me my days off and I told him I was off on Sundays and Mondays. He said no problem, I'll come by on Sunday evening/afternoon to pick up your check. Sunday came, and no one showed and although I called, still no one answered or called me back. I receive a phone call the following Tuesday and he asked me if he could come by on Friday to pick up the check which was 9-17-04. I told him I had to work that day but if he could come by before 12 that afternoon I would be there. Again, no one showed. Several attempts were made by me through the next couple of weeks to contact him to no avail. Finally, on 9-27-04 in the evening, he shows up with NO prior notice to pick up my rent check. He takes the rent check and I tell him again about my prior verbal notice on 8-26-04 to vacate the unit in October. I also told him since he didn't let me know where my security deposit was being held, I would just use it to pay the remaining rent that I would owe for whatever days I stayed on October (because my new apartment was not ready). He agreed, and said it was fine to do so and left. On the day of the move out 10-17-04, the landlord was late trying to get around doing the move out inspection. My sister was there to help me move and I ended up having to contact the police to come out there as a witness of the run around I'd been going through with the landlord from the start. The officer was there during the move out inspection in which both he and the landlord stated was immaculate from the mess I moved into. He was also there to witness the landlord giving me back part of my security deposit, receipts, etc. The landlord had a paper for me to sign saying that he was charging me for the full months rent of October (even though he had said otherwise) because I did not give him proper written notice (when I had no address to send it to) and 50.00 late fee from rent in September(which he came to pick up late) I did not sign the paper, because I disputed those charges. I have filed a smalls claims case that will occur on 1-14-05. I just wanted to know if my case is strong, and what else may I need to do to prove my case even stronger next week in court? Thanks a lot for anything you can help me with!