Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Tennessee

I made the mistake of moving into a rundown duplex where the landlord lives next door. So much of the situation has been informal, but he is now asking for a deposit. My problem is that there was never a walkthrough and there are many things that were in disrepair before I moved in. To give you an idea about the situation, the landlord regularly comes into our house when we aren't there to do laundry, he is very shady, and he has no intention of fixing anything. I did sign a lease that looks like it was printed from some site offline, but in the lease it does say there is a deposit and it says he will automatically keep half of the deposit to recover expenses to rerent the house. I'm fairly certain if I give him the deposit (which is 1 months rent) that I will never see any of it. I'm at my wits end and I really want to get out of this lease as cheaply as possible. My question is what options do I have? Do I have any recourse in the situation? and if I were to seek professional legal advice and win in civil court would there be any way to recover legal fees from the landlord?


Asked on 9/08/10, 3:37 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Caitlin Moon C2Law

You definitely should consult a local attorney about these issues. If the lease agreement provides for attorney fees in the event of a dispute, then you can ask for those to be included in any judgment that you may get against the landlord.

Without reviewing the lease agreement, it really isn't possible for me to give sound advice that would apply to your specific situation. You should be able to meet with an attorney and pay a reasonable hourly rate or flat fee for the attorney to review the lease, obtain the relevant facts from you and give you a legal opinion on your options and chances of prevailing against the landlord.

Best of luck!

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Answered on 9/13/10, 3:43 pm


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