She went back to the lease anyway. And then the handbook. She read both thoroughly and found exactly what most people would find: nothing that specifically addresses criminal damage. Because why would it? Tenant negligence and criminal break-in attempts are not the same category of event. One is a worn carpet or a hole in the wall. The other is a crime scene.
Her response to the property management company was calm, specific, and devastating. She pointed out that the damage was done to the outer structure of the building, not inside her apartment. She noted that the handbook’s examples of negligent damage are all interior issues caused by the leasee or guests. She highlighted that criminal damage does not equal tenant negligence and that the building’s property insurance, not her renter’s insurance, is the appropriate place to file this claim. She even offered the police report reference number.
Then she pointed out that the rule they cited states damages are chargeable at the time of move out, and her lease doesn’t end until next March.
Read your lease. Know your rights. And when someone tries to charge you for a crime someone else committed, ask them to show you exactly where it says that.
She did. They couldn’t.
Author: Kayitsi.com
