Is rent acceleration legal in Texas? Texas Association of Realtors' Sample Lease has the following: B. If Tenant fails to timely pay all amounts due under this lease or otherwise fails to comply with this lease, Tenant will be in default and: ... (2) all unpaid rents which are payable during the remainder of this lease or any renewal period will be accelerated without notice or demand; However, the standard Texas Apartment Association (TAA) apartment lease contract is explicitly unforgiving and unconditional, to the point of being quite unreasonable and unconscionable about the application of acceleration, something I've hardly seen on any other lease anywhere: 11. UNLAWFUL EARLY MOVE-OUT; RELETTING CHARGE. You’ll be liable for a reletting charge of $____________ (not to exceed 85% of the highest monthly rent during the Lease Contract term) if you: (1) fail to move in, or fail to give written move-out notice as required in paragraphs 23 or 37; or (2) move out without paying rent in full for the entire Lease Contract term or renewal period; or ... 14. FAILING TO PAY FIRST MONTH’S RENT . If you don’t pay the first month’s rent when or before the Lease Contract begins, all future rent will be automatically accelerated without notice and immediately due. ... 32. DEFAULT BY RESIDENT. You’ll be in default if: (1) you don’t pay rent or other amounts that you owe on time; (2) you or any guest or occupant violates this Lease Contract, apartment rules, or fire, safety, health, or criminal laws, regardless of whether or where arrest or conviction occurs; (3) you abandon the apartment; ... Acceleration. All monthly rent for the rest of the Lease Contract term or renewal period will be accelerated automatically without notice or demand (before or after acceleration) and will be immediately due and delinquent if, without our written consent: (1) you move out, remove property in preparing to move out, or give oral or written notice (by you or any occupant) of intent to move out before the Lease Contract term or renewal period ends; and (2) you’ve not paid all rent for the entire Lease Contract term or renewal period. Such conduct is considered a default for which we need not give you notice. Remaining rent also will be accelerated if you’re judicially evicted or move out when we demand because you’ve defaulted. Acceleration is subject to our mitigation obligations below. ... 38. MOVE-OUT PROCEDURES. The move-out date can’t be changed unless we and you both agree in writing. You won’t move out before the Lease Contract term or renewal period ends unless all rent for the entire Lease Contract term or renewal period is paid in full. Early move-out may result in reletting charges and acceleration of future rent under paragraphs 11 and 32. Is this at all legal? For example, if someone signs a 15 month lease, but has to move after a couple of months, are they really supposed to shell out 13 &times; the monthly rent prior to being able to assign the lease to someone else, and/or until some such someone else is actually found and takes over the lease? If the provision is not actually enforceable in Texas, for example, due to damage mitigation provision, or due to the late fee statutes, why is it so prevalent in all residential leases in Texas, especially by all TAA members?
Yes, acceleration clauses in residential leases have been enforced by Texas courts. However, whether the acceleration clause quoted in your question will be enforced is an issue of fact for which there can be no definitive answer at this time. Acceleration Clauses are Valid in Texas Acceleration clauses have been recognized as valid by Texas courts. In Rem Servs. v. Zaheer, a Texas Court of Appeals upheld a judgment by the trial court "award[ing] the landlord $24,000 in damages, representing the four months of accelerated rents on his breach of contract claim." See Rem Servs., Inc. v. Zaheer, No. 14-12-00724-CV (Tex. App. Apr. 4, 2013). Also, in Williams v. Colthurst, the court implied that the damages given by the trial court included an accelerated rent provision: Additionally, the trial court had previously determined that the tenants owed unpaid rent and late fees of $8,850. The lease provided that the landlords could deduct unpaid or accelerated rent and late fees from the security deposit. Unfortunately I couldn't find the trial court opinion to ensure that accelerated rent was included in the $8,850. See Williams v. Colthurst, 253 S.W.3d 353 (Tex. App. 2008). Limitations on Acceleration Clauses There are several sections of the Texas Property Code that may mitigate the use of an acceleration clause. First, a landlord cannot charge a tenant a fee for failure to pay rent unless the fee is a reasonable estimate of uncertain damages to the landlord that are incapable of precise calculation and result from late payment of rent." See § 92.019(a)(2) of the Texas Property Code: (a) A landlord may not charge a tenant a late fee for failing to pay rent unless: (1) notice of the fee is included in a written lease; (2) the fee is a reasonable estimate of uncertain damages to the landlord that are incapable of precise calculation and result from late payment of rent; and (3) the rent has remained unpaid one full day after the date the rent was originally due. Further, landlords have a duty to mitigate damages. See § 91.006 of the Texas Property Code: (a) A landlord has a duty to mitigate damages if a tenant abandons the leased premises in violation of the lease. (b) A provision of a lease that purports to waive a right or to exempt a landlord from a liability or duty under this section is void. This duty requires that the landlord use "objectively reasonable efforts to re-lease the premises when the tenant vacates in breach of the lease." See Rem Servs., Inc. v. Zaheer (citing Austin Hill County Realty, Inc. v. Palisades Plaza, Inc., 948 S.W.2d 293 (Tex. 1997); White v. Harrison, 390 S.W.3d 666 (Tex. App. 2012)). But it's important to note that the tenant bears the burden of proving both that the landlord did not mitigate his damages and the amount by which the landlord could have mitigated his damages. This is likely a difficult burden. In Rem Servs. v. Zaheer, the court decided that the landlord did not breach his duty to mitigate even though he did not list the property for rent during the four months remaining on the lease. Disclaimer This was the only case and statutory law on point that I found; I may have missed some. If you are referencing a real lease, I recommend that you discuss this matter with a real estate lawyer licensed to practice law in Texas.
In the lease agreement we stipulated that rent would be 50% off until the building received full services and then the full rent payment would be due. Ouch. I bet the lease agreement also says something like &quot;no other agreements verbal or otherwise are in effect for this agreement.&quot; So what you did was release the landlord from the responsibility to make the building habitable. Pretty sure you will need a lawyer to unwind this.
Usual disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer. If you are serious about proceeding with this, talk to a lawyer who specialises in this kind of thing. I imagine that you will need to provide proof of the above incidents in order for any legal action to succeed. Accessing a tenant's room without notice or permission, and without a very good reason (e.g. a gas leak) is likely to be classed as harassment; specifically, "acts calculated to interfere with the peace or comfort of the residential occupier". Renting out your room and removing your belongings before the end of a tenancy is likely to be illegal eviction. Both of these are criminal offences under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. Shelter mentions that it's normally local authorities, rather than the police or individuals, who carry out prosecutions under this act (see also: Shelter articles, Landlord Law Blog articles), so you might want to start there. There is also the matter of civil action, including for breach of contract. For that, consider speaking to a lawyer.
The government of California has an extensive manual that says what you can and cannot do. To terminate a lease (a rental agreement for a year is a lease), there would have to be just cause for eviction (p. 65), such as failing to pay rent, violating terms of the agreement, cockfighting, and so on, and that does not include being a pain in the neck. Nor would the need to make repairs justify terminating a lease. On p. 79 they clarify that retaliatory eviction for exercising their legal rights is prohibited per California Civil Code 1942.5, and will result in fines. P. 35 ff. covers landlords entering: you may enter to make repairs, but must give 24 hour written notice (6 days if mailed), entering between 8am and 5pm business days, but you can also arrive at alternative times orally. If the local code-enforcers require you to do some modifications on the property, that is a separate matter and does not create a just cause for terminating the lease. For instance, if the electric service is not properly grounded and they require you to fix that, that does not constitute the structure "being destroyed". If the repairs make the building actually and certifiably uninhabitable, you might be on the hook for finding lodging for the tenant for the period of the repairs, so ask your attorney about that. Assuming that the tenant is not somehow responsible for the problem being repaired, then you will almost certainly have to keep the person for the duration of the lease.
I would presume that this is legal (without researching the laws in Cali. or Texas). Their contract is an offer to enter into an agreement. You accept that offer by signing. Their pre-requisite for that offer is that you pay the nonrefundable application fee. In other words, they are refusing to make you an offer until you pay a set fee. Now the degree of negotiability, among other factors, would go into determining whether the contract is fully enforceable. I did a little bit of research. (Please note that this is not legal advice. If this applies to a current situation, seek the advice of an attorney licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.) There does not seem to be any indication that the landlord needs to provide a sample lease to you before s/he decides that you are an eligible applicant. The application fee is not a contract to rent the premises; it is an application to be considered a tenant. Pro-Business Perspective: Why would I (the landlord) waste my time going over an application with someone and show them a model unit if they are not even eligible to rent from me? I have better things to do. Pro-Consumer Perspective: Why waste my time and money if I refuse non-negotiable terms in a lease? The application fee is capped in California and must be used to cover screening costs or refunded if not used. The likelihood of success in a claim regarding this might be indicated by the California Dept. of Consumer Affairs: "If you don't like the landlord's policy on application screening fees, you may want to look for another rental unit. If you decide to pay the application screening fee, any agreement regarding a refund should be in writing." It is important to note that you can always try to negotiate with the landlord. Personally, every lease I have had I have negotiated to get more favorable terms. You, as a tenant, have every right to try to negotiate, and should use that right.
This (as always) depends on jurisdiction, but usually - No, just taking the money is not legal.. In most jurisdictions, if you have a claim (the rent, in your case) against a debtor , and the debtor does not pay, you are not allowed to take any enforcement action (taking property, coercing the debtor) yourself. Instead, you must obtain a court or administrative judgement confirming your claim. Even then, often only a court officer or the police may actually enforce payment of the debt. This is mostly to protect the debtor from unwarranted enforcement action (such as taking more than you are owed, or collecting a disputed debt). For example, in Germany, to enforce a debt the creditor must first obtain what is called a Vollstreckungstitel or just Titel (title) - an official document confirming that there is an outstanding claim. This is on top of any contracts already existing. A Titel is obtained either through a regular court judgment, or through an abbreviated, administrative process called Mahnverfahren (essentially, you ask the court to send the debtor a letter about your claim, and if the debtor does not file an objection, you get the Titel). Once you have a Titel, the creditor can enforce it any time they choose (with a Titel, the statute of limiation is extended from the usual three years to 30 years). However, actual enforcement must be performed by an officer of the court (Gerichtsvollzieher). Only they may do things such as collecting the debtors property, force open doors and even imprison uncooperative debtors. I don't know the exact situation in the USA, but I believe it is roughly similar. For example, the equivalent of a Vollstreckungstitel is a Writ of execution.
First of all, the amount involved is probably a few hundred dollars, maybe a thousand: if you do not pay it is extremely unlikely that your roommate will attempt to recover. Even if they do, they will probably fail - 30 days notice is 30 days notice: unless last month was February, the 8th to the 8th is either 30 or 31 days, you have complied with the terms of the lease. If the lease had said "one named months notice" then your roommate may have a case; as it is, they don't. Is he right? No. Is there ever a case where I'm liable for pro-rated rent beyond the 30 day notice period? Only if it says so in the lease. Do I owe him rent for each day in November that the room is vacant beyond the 8th? No Would a judge make an exception in his favor since I didn't tell him I was looking for a new place to live? Judges don't make exceptions, particularly not in anybody's favour. The role of a judge is to enforce the law - not to make exceptions to it. A judge would give effect to the terms of the contract except where those terms are prohibited or against public policy.
The law regarding landlords and tenants is Iowa Code Ch. 562A. Part 2 (§562A.27 et seq.) states the legal remedies available to a landlord. §562A.27 specifically spells out the remedies for material non-compliance with lease terms. The gist of that and related sections is that if a person is in violation of a lease, there is a legal process that has to be followed, and if successful, the sheriff will forcibly evict the tenant (though §562A.27A, the clear and present danger section, shortens the process – still, it's not immediate and it does require legal notice etc.). Under the law, you (apparently) have become a landlord and have an unwritten tenancy agreement with the tenant. I assume based on your description of the facts you have a long-term written agreement with the property owner. By allowing this person to live with you, you have entered into a landlord-tenant relationship, which limits your rights. The police will not respond to this situation – a legal squabble – whereas if someone broke into your residence and was trespassing (and you complain in a timely manner, not allowing the person to trespass), the police would respond and not require a court order. §562A.9(5) states that in lieu of a specific term of tenancy, in the case of a roomer paying weekly rent the tenanct period is a week, otherwise it is a month. §562A.6 defines "roomer": basically, if you are a "roomer", so is your sub-lessor. By agreeing to let the person stay with you, you have become a landlord and sub-lessor, thereby subject to the restrictions on landlord actions. That means you have to take the person to court to get rid of them. Failure to pay agreed-on rent is certainly sufficient legal cause, and any monthly lease can be terminated by the landlord after giving legal notice (30 days advance notice).