Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

Hi Lawguru

I have rented an apartment in the state of California (Los Angeles) for a term contract of 3 months with the move out date specified on the contract. Unfortunately, I have missed the sentence in the fine print (hidden in the 30 page rental contract) that stated that I needed to give a 30 day notice before moving out of the apartment even if the contract's ending period was clear. As a result, the owner wants to charge me an additional 2000 dollars of penalty (one full month of rent) for failing to notify him of my intention of moving out of the apartment at the end of the short term contract. Does the owner have a legal claim? Do I have any legal right in the matter to challenge the penalty charges?


Asked on 4/03/13, 12:27 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Daphne Macklin Law Office of Daphne L. Macklin

If there is a contract clause, then the landlord has a legal claim against you. I recommend that you try to negotiate a lower payment especially if you are able to establish that the property owner was able to rent the unit in within the time period for which there is a demand for another month of rent. Good luck with this.

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Answered on 4/03/13, 12:45 pm


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