Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in California

Renter's Rights

If a renter was told that their bill was paid in full. Can the manager then inform the renter a month later that he made a mistake on the past bill and the renter now has a delinquent balance that needs to be paid? Does the renter have to pay that balance?


Asked on 10/08/08, 1:44 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys

Robert F. Cohen Law Office of Robert F. Cohen

Re: Renter's Rights

If the renter owes the money according to the rental agreement, yes, the renter should pay the balance.

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Answered on 10/08/08, 3:35 pm
David Gibbs The Gibbs Law Firm, APC

Re: Renter's Rights

It depends upon who's accounting is correct, and it depends upon what the manager "made a mistake" on. If you are only paying rent each month, its pretty clear if you paid it all or not, and if you didn't pay it all, then you are delinquent and must pay the balance regardless of whether the manager made a mistake in how it was billed. Where this gets more complicated is if you area also billed for sub-metered utilities. In that case, they may still be able to bill you for the mistake, but you may want to contact an attorney to review your lease and make sure that any sub-metered utilities are being billed correctly.

*Due to the limitations of the LawGuru Forums, The Gibbs Law Firm, APC's (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided is general and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.

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Answered on 10/08/08, 4:02 pm


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