Renting nightmare continues... need your help:

[Zeze]

1. Few months ago, we moved into a place that used a realtor (with us paying her fee, which is $$).

2. The landlord is in west coast, so we had to sign the lease in turns over mail.

3. We signed what we understood as the final version of the lease and the realtor mailed it to the landlord- waiting for LL's sig.

4. We received the lease back from the realtor and moved in. All was seemingly good.

Now the realtor royally fvcked it up between #3 & #4. When the landlord received our signed lease, she made BUNCH of changes, signed it herself and sent it back for our review.

That never got back to us. The realtor just gave us the first copy. What appeared as LL's signature was just realtor's crappy handwriting print of LL's name (pending real signature).

So this new revised copy crossed out no pets are allowed. WTF, the only reason we moved in was because pets were allowed.

Now LL can grab us by the balls as she has OUR signed copy of the lease which we never agreed to after her corrections.

What to do next?
1. Call up the realtor and have them correct it.

2. Reach out to LL about this situation.

 

[manimal]

Realtor should refund commission and pay for your relocation fees. You may also seek for damages if things turn really south. Talk to a Lawyer not ATOT.

 

[cyclohexane]

judge judy?

 

[feralkid]

1

So this new revised copy crossed out no pets are allowed. WTF, the only reason we moved in was because pets were allowed.
.

Say what?

Crossing out "no pets allowed" means that pets ARE allowed.

 

[Zeze]

Say what?

Crossing out "no pets allowed" means that pets ARE allowed.

Sorry for crappy grammar. I meant no longer pets are allowed.

 

[brianmanahan]

did you make a copy of the original lease?

 

[manimal]

did you make a copy of the original lease?

If you have original copies of everything you can accuse the realtor and the landlord of attempted fraud.

Landlords can be fairly scummy about stuff like this. They do things like this so they can sue you after the lease is over. If you havent initialed and or signed the revisions your basically squatting right now. You dont have a valid lease do you ?

 

[Zeze]

By the way, I'm in NJ.

 

[mrjminer]

*Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer.

I'd check with the realtor, then a lawyer. I wouldn't contact the landlord without contacting the lawyer. This sounds like it has the potential to be costly if it doesn't get resolved; a lawyer's consultation fee would probably be the best money you've ever spent. I wouldn't take the realtor's word for it, I'd check with a lawyer regardless.

 

[JManInPhoenix]

Talk to a Lawyer not ATOT.

X2

 

[NetWareHead]

If you paid the realtor a fee, that meant she had a fiduciary duty to you and your interests. IMO, your interests were not well represented here and by altering the lease without your consent. Not to mention that she signed the lease for you and let you find out later.

I'd reach out to the LL and ask what he wants to do in this situation. He doesn't want pets but you do. You have a few options. One is you forgo the option to have a pet and live out the rest of the stay in the lease. The other option is to convince the LL to allow you to have pets. Or allow you to break the lease. Both of these last two options are not likely to have the LL's approval.

Since both you and the LL acted in good faith, I think you have a good case in court against the realtor. I'm not a lawyer

 

[UglyCasanova]

I would say the realtor could be sued for fraud for signing a document in someone else's name.

 

[dmcowen674]

Renting nightmare continues... need your help:

1. Few months ago, we moved into a place that used a realtor (with us paying her fee, which is $$).

2. The landlord is in west coast, so we had to sign the lease in turns over mail.

3. We signed what we understood as the final version of the lease and the realtor mailed it to the landlord- waiting for LL's sig.

4. We received the lease back from the realtor and moved in. All was seemingly good.

Now the realtor royally fvcked it up between #3 & #4. When the landlord received our signed lease, she made BUNCH of changes, signed it herself and sent it back for our review.

That never got back to us. The realtor just gave us the first copy. What appeared as LL's signature was just realtor's crappy handwriting print of LL's name (pending real signature).

So this new revised copy crossed out no pets are allowed. WTF, the only reason we moved in was because pets were allowed.

Now LL can grab us by the balls as she has OUR signed copy of the lease which we never agreed to after her corrections.

What to do next?
1. Call up the realtor and have them correct it.

2. Reach out to LL about this situation.

Obviously move out.

http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/codes/publications/pdf_lti/lease.pdf

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
Division of Codes and Standards
Landlord-Tenant Information Service

The landlord may not unilaterally change the terms of the lease
agreement while there is a written lease in effect.


Reviewing the Lease
Before signing a lease, tenants should read it th
oroughly to be sure they
understand it and agree
with the terms of the lease. There is an atto
rney review period allowed for leases that are
prepared by Real Estate Brokers or Salesper
sons licensed by the New Jersey Real Estate
Commission. Either party may have an attorney
review the lease. The
attorney review period
must be completed within three business days from the delivery of the lease to the tenant and
landlord. Unless an attorney disapproves of the
lease it will become legally binding after the
attorney review period. N.J. Bar Asso
c. v. N.J. Assoc. of Realtor Boards
, 93 N.J
. 470

 

[dmcowen674]

By the way, I'm in NJ.

N.J. is very Pro-Landlord.

Good luck

 

[Markbnj]

The landlord may not unilaterally change the terms of the lease
agreement while there is a written lease in effect.

However, it sounds like there was never a written lease in effect, as it appears there is no copy of the document with all parties having executed the signature page. I agree with others that the realtor has a big problem here. Lawyers are expensive, so you might just want to start with him or her, or whoever owns the agency he or she works for. Realtors are licensed and regulated, and ethical behavior is mandated, as is diligence in looking after the client's interest.

 

[drnickriviera]

Now LL can grab us by the balls as she has OUR signed copy of the lease which we never agreed to after her corrections.

IANAL, but anytime I make changes on a lease agreement, both parties initial by each change

 

[Soundmanred]

This really does sound like

 

[Soundmanred]

a nightmare.

 

[KeithP]

If you never signed the revised lease the LL sent back then a valid lease doesn't exist. How is it you were able to move in? Does the landlord think there is a valid signed lease in play? Did the realtor forge your signature on the final marked up lease and sent that to LL?

If the realtor forged your signature and the LL's signature and you have evidence of that, report it to law enforcement, a crime has been committed. Let the district attorney be your lawyer.

-KeithP

 

[UglyCasanova]

IANAL, but anytime I make changes on a lease agreement, both parties initial by each change

Right. To me it seems like there was actually a lease in place, and the realtor can more than likely be held liable to both parties for any damages as a result.

 

[Markbnj]

IANAL, but anytime I make changes on a lease agreement, both parties initial by each change

That's true. If there are hand-written changes on the lease and they aren't initialed that's a big red flag.

 

[mrjminer]

That's true. If there are hand-written changes on the lease and they aren't initialed that's a big red flag.

Yea, and this does give some credence to the possibility that the realtor and the landlord are in on some kind of a scam or that the realtor forged (or signed with authorization but without consulting the OP, depending on the OP's agreement with the realtor) something in the OP's name. Just because I've never known a landlord that didn't at least understand the basics of what contractual changes typically entail, at least.

 

[Paratus]

Sorry for crappy grammar. I meant no longer pets are allowed.

So shorter animals are allowed?



Sorry about your predicament. What kind of animals are we talking about?

 

[Jodell88]

So shorter animals are allowed?



Sorry about your predicament. What kind of animals are we talking about?

Dogs, I think. Corgis in particular.

 

[Puppies04]

So shorter animals are allowed?

You are fine unless you have snakes.

Now LL can grab us by the balls as she has OUR signed copy of the lease which we never agreed to after her corrections.

You can't "correct" a signed document after someone has signed it. Come on you aren't that stupid. You were given the keys and a verbal instruction from the realtor that you could move in, any legal dispute is between the realtor and the landlord.

You can try and help the realtor out by speaking to the landlord but TBH why bother? They fucked up big style, let them sort it out. Would be very easy to argue in court that the realtor set this whole thing up to earn commision because they knew you wouldn't move in with out your pets.