questions & answers

Question: My landlord has sold the house I am renting. I have 10 months left on the lease. The new home-owner is not buying the house as "occupied". I have agreed to move out. Do the old homeowners owe me any sort of compensation because they broke the lease (comparable to what I would owe if I were the one breaking the lease)? I had about 1 weeks notice. Thanks!

Answer: You may have hurt your case by agreeing to move out without any compensation. It is the new owner who would owe you money, since they always take the property subject to the existing lease, meaning they are your new landlord, whether they buy it "occupied" or not, whatever that means. I would ask them for payment now, even if you agreed to move out. You could also decide to stay and see if the new landlord evicts you in court, but that's a bit risky for credit report reasons if you lose. You should still get your deposit back from the new landlord, so you may as well discuss staying or paying with them...