Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Massachusetts
Non-lease Agreement
I recently moved out of an apartment in which I was living with two other roommates. I initially moved into the apartment in place of someone else. I had to move out due to relocation of my job. My question is am I obligated to the landlord in any way since i never signed a lease. The only thing I ever filled out was an application. I payed the landlord my security deposit (equivalent to one months rent) when i moved in as well. I told the landlord to keep my security deposit when I moved out as to give him a months notice to find someone else. He is now indicating he is going to send me into the the credit agency if I dont pay him for 1 months rent. I am confused since I he has my security deposit which constitutes the 30 day notice. I have been told there is a 30 day notice law in mass however I am not sure of the conditions of the law. I have asked him multiple times to send me documantation that i need to pay him however he refuses for some reason. My new company will pay for this under my relocation policy however they need documentation. I have paper trails of all of our correspondence and i am not sure how to proceed. Can you please advise.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Non-lease Agreement
Obligations can arise from oral agreements and the conduct of the parties, as well as from written documents. An argument could be made that you do owe it. As a general rule, if you move out before the end of the lease term, you have to pay the rent until the landlord finds a new tenant. The landlord can't sit around and do nothing, but one month doesn't seem all that unreasonable. If your company will pay it as a relocation expense, the easiest way out of this is simply to pay it. It does not seem worth the aggravation and expense to fight over it. Good luck!
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