Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in New Jersey
We have lived in our apartment for 14 years. Our apartment was scheduled for repainting & new rugs to be installed finally after 12 years..A week before the scheduled date the apartment complex sold our apartment to new owners. Who now want to charge us for repainting, new rugs, repair wear & tear of 12 years if we move out. They(new owners) never inspected our apartment. Old owners only showed them newer apartments. I
2 Answers from Attorneys
The landlord can only charge you (deduct from your security deposit) for damage that goes beyond ordinary wear and tear. Faded paint and ordinary carpet wear generally fall under 'ordinary' though it is rather fact-sensitive (burns or tears in the carpet would not be 'ordinary'). Feel free to contact my office to discuss further. 973/985-0597 or [email protected]
The new owner assumed the obligations of the old owner and can not now charge for normal maintenance to which you are entitled under your rental agreement.