Can I sue the landlord for the thingsI have doneto the house?
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Can I sue the landlord for the thingsI have doneto the house?
I rented a house gave the deposit and started cleaning the house inside and out. Now we don’t want the house, can we charge the owner for the cleaning we paid for from our own pocket? The house was filthy when we rented it so we have done a lot of work, even painted one of the rooms.
Asked on January 23, 2012 under Real Estate Law, California
Answers:
MD, Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
You cannot sue anyone for payment for something you did not contractually agree to be paid for or for the other person to contractually agree to pay you to do. You as a tenant moving in should do what you need to do to additionally prepare for the move in but that does not equate to creating an obligation on the landlord. In fact, your painting one of the rooms could be something your landlord could sue you for if you did not obtain his permission to do so and further it can be considered damage (I know far flung idea) but legally it was a change to the walls without the ability to quickly repair it (unlike something like placing pictures on walls).
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