Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Arizona

I recently rented a room in a house from a man on craigslist. My dad and I went to visit the house in June a month and half before I was supposed to move in. The house looked ok, however the room was going to have some work done to it before I moved in. I never signed any lease. The agreement was month to month all utlities included.The rent was 450 a month. The house owner's daughter who would also be living there had two dogs. The landlord said he was going to have the room finished by the time I moved in the house. Well when I got back to Arizona, the room wasn;t finished. The man didn;t finish until I moved into the house. The house had six rabbits and 4 other dogs that I didn't know about. There was fleas all over the house. The girls boyfriend was living in the house with her not paying rent. I stayed there a week and half. I paid the landlord 145 dollars the time I stayed there. Also I caught my former roommate and her boyfriend smoking marijuana. While I was staying there they were constantly fighting and my roommates brother's tried to get into my room. I couldn;t handle any more so I moved out on July 31st. I sent an email to the landlord stating why i couldn;t live there. I am a teacher and I could lose my job and my teaching license. Now the landlord is threatening to sue me for 305.00 because i refuse to pay the rest of it . What can i do? Does he have a case against me?


Asked on 10/02/09, 9:44 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Jeanne Whitney Whitney Law Office

Worry about him suing you when it actually happens.

Make sure the landlord has your forwarding address. Put into writing all of the problems and undisclosed circumstances (such as pets & additional people in the house) and be very clear about the drugs to explain why you ended any agreement early. The drug use alone should be enough to convince any Judge, if this matter actually ends up in court. Keep a copy of the letter for yourself. Mail the letter to the landlord by certified mail with the green return receipt card. Send a second copy of the letter to the landlord by regular mail.

I practice in Cochise County, so if you ended up in court, I would not be able to represent you. Good Luck,

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Answered on 10/07/09, 11:03 pm


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