Dealing with situations while renting

What if I can’t pay my rent

A landlord can evict you for non-payment of rent. As a tenant, you are legally responsible to pay the full amount of rent in a timely manner. Even when you sign the lease with other people, each person may be solely responsible for the full amount of the rent. So, if one of the people who signed the lease leaves or can’t pay the rent, the other person(s) will be responsible to pay the full amount due.

The lease will set the terms of your rental payments. Generally, the rent is due on the first of the month. If you don’t pay your rent on time, the landlord can file an eviction action against you. It doesn’t matter if you are disabled, your money was stolen, you just lost your job, it is the wintertime, and/or you have children. You can still be evicted for non-payment of rent.

If you will not be able to pay your rent, you should tell your landlord immediately. You should not wait until the day it is due or a few days later. Explain to him or her why you can’t pay the rent and ask to make a payment arrangement. If your landlord agrees to enter into a payment arrangement, get this agreement in writing and keep a copy for your records. Remember, if you do not keep the agreement, the landlord will be able to evict you. The eviction process is discussed at here.

When you do have an unexpected loss of income, you may be able to get help from a local agency or the Department of Public Welfare for rent payments.

When can my landlord enter my apartment?

As a tenant, you are entitled to the peaceful use and quiet enjoyment of the property you are renting. This means that unless your lease says otherwise or there is a serious emergency, your landlord should not come onto the property without your permission. Since your landlord owns the building in which you live, he is entitled to have keys to your apartment. However, this does not mean that the landlord can enter the apartment whenever he wants. The lease may have a term allowing for entry into the apartment by the owner to make repairs, perform inspections, or show the property to buyers or prospective tenants. Generally, if the landlord needs to make repairs, he should give you at least 24 hours notice to do so. If you want to be home when he is there, you may need to rearrange your schedule. If you don’t care if you are home or not, you can give him permission to enter.

If there is an emergency (water leaking, pipes bursting, etc.) and your landlord can’t reach you, then he has the right to enter to deal with the situation. He should leave a note so you know someone was there, but that doesn’t always happen. If you have reason to believe the landlord was in your apartment, you should call and ask him to explain why he was there.

If there are no repairs to be made and the situation is not an emergency, the landlord should not enter your apartment without prior agreement. If your landlord comes to your apartment often and wants to enter for no reason, you may need to get advice from an attorney, or ask the landlord in writing to give you 24 hours’ notice unless there is an emergency.