Moving and Landlord Wants Us to Sell the House?!

You are under no obligation, written or implied , to market and facilitate the sale of the home. I think "end of the term" means just that-until the day you vacate. Don't let anyone in the home without a licensed real estate agent. It is the agents responsibility to disclose any and all material facts/defects that are known to him-the owners will have to disclose defects to potential buyers in writing. When buyers see what it costs to maintain the home, they will have to draw their own conclusions. It certainly didn't help, in Maryland, for the the very liberal state government to deregulate utilities-that made the prices skyrocket. Best of luck!

if you haven't had a conversation about it, why do you think it's up to you?
all you have to do is provide the lockbox to the realtor if and when they show up asking for it.
khairete
S.

Do not touch the sell. If they want to show the house you have to let them in, but you do not have to show the house. Just be glad you are moving.

I would ignore it. Put it in the garage and let them deal with it. It's in no way your responsibility.

What would I do? I would do nothing. Put the box to the side and keep going about your business. Does it say anywhere in your lease that you're responsible for selling their house? If not, none of that is your concern. Does it say anywhere in your lease that you are obligated to open up YOUR HOME to strangers for showings? If not, you don't even need to do that. You have the house until your lease ends (unless you signed an amended lease with an earlier end date, in which case, you have the house until THEN).

My husband and I are landlords who are also selling the house after our current tenant vacates. But everything is written out in the lease, such as we are allowed to market the home within 60 days prior to tenant vacating, tenant will work with us to allow showings, etc. These were put into the original lease before the guy even moved in. Because everything is spelled out, our tenant has no problem with any of it because it's simply what was expected to happen. He's also a great tenant and we're great landlords, so it's been an absolute pleasure all around.

Go dig out your lease and read it carefully (a 20 page lease might possibly have something in it about marketing the property - make sure you understand what it says specifically). If there's no language in there about letting your landlord market the place while you're still living there, or anything about expectations of YOU marketing the place yourself, you really shouldn't have to do any of it. If he threatens to kick you out...oh well, you're leaving anyway, right? And it's not that easy to evict a tenant if he tries that route.

For now, just put that box aside somewhere where it won't get mixed up with your stuff. It's not your problem. They should deal with it themselves.

Ignore. You are RENTERS not owners. If your landlord wants to sell they have to deal with it not you. If they want to show they have to do it. So ignore it totally. You'll be moving soon anyways. Just make sure you sign something or have prove of when you actually move out.

Just leave the box in a corner somewhere.
Selling/showing the place is not your problem.
With all the problems you've had with it, you'd hardly have anything complimentary to say about the place to any prospective buyers.

I would put the box in a closet and leave it there. If asked to erect the sign or anything else, I would simply refuse. It's not your job to sell their house or do anything else like that for them. It may be required that you let people in if they come to see it with a real estate agent, but read your lease, they probably have to give you 24 hours notice.

And no matter what your lease says, there are minimum requirements in every state as to what the renter's rights are, regardless of what is in the lease. Time to look those up. I bet they try to claim that you did damage to the property and they will try to keep your deposit and charge you over and above your deposit for repairs.

I'd throw the box in the garage and go about my day. I would not put up their sign nor would I show their house. It's not your job or your responsibility so just store their box and move on.

Nope. Stick it in the garage and ignore it. Pop the sign up in the yard on the day you move out.

By the way - take photos and video of everything in the house when you move out. I assume they are not coming back from several states away to do a proper walk-though, so you need to cover your rear in case they try to claim that you damaged things.

I would ignore it. Not your problem.

As far as the condition of the house ---- call the Health Department and city Building Inspectors. Tell them what you have gone through. Get documentation on the condition of the house. There should be a Renters Assistance organization near you, call them for advice. If a Realtor calls or shows up tell him/her about the condition of the house. In some cases the owner cannot sell until repairs are made.

I'd call them and let them know their package arrived and ask them to contact their Realtor to arrange the details.

We are landlords. This is ABSOLUTELY not your problem. The only responsibility you have to them to help them sell is to accommodate reasonable showing requests, just as you would if they were planning on renting it out after you leave.

ETA: For clarification: did the FedEx package come from the landlords and was it addressed to you?

Random people coming through--nope! If they want to show their house they need to get a realtor. What deadbeats!

As a landlord I will tell you DO NOT handle anything regarding selling this house. It is not yours and they should never put that on you. I will also tell you that they or any realtor should be giving you no less then 24 hour notice before entering. If you are there for showings (which you can request) don't mention anything that's wrong with the house but you can mention what your utility bills are. If a serious buyer comes along they will probably have an inspection.

Please check your lease because if they don't have it in there about selling and showing the house you can refuse and they will have to wait until you are gone.

I currently have a property for sale in another state which has two separate tenants. It is in both leases that we will be selling the home and I have a realtor handling the selling part. The only thing I have asked is that they work with my realtor for the showings. I told them to not let anyone in without 24 hour notice and they are more then welcome to be in the house during showings. We keep our properties working properly and up to date and my tenants keep the house very clean. So far I have had no problems, I will also give my tenants no less then 45 days to vacate if an offer comes in.

Your landlord sounds shady and stupid, get out asap!

It is absolutely not your responsibility to sell this house. I would send a note to the land Lord that says the sign is here who will your contact be. The only responsibility you have is to keep the house in a condition that it can be shown with reasonable notice. Usually that's a days notice. Don't give opinions to any perspective buyers. Leave when it's being shown. Or get in your car and sit up the street. But you are not required to do the lockbox, the sign or the showing. And can be held liable should something go wrong with a sale etc. I would not allow the house to be shown to anyone except with realtors.

I agree. I would do nothing with the sign. If they want to sell the house, then they can sell the house. Your job is to wrap up your lease and move. I'd put the sign in the garage or something and worry about your own loose ends. Document EVERYTHING, even small things. My friends are fighting with landlords that waited til 7PM the last day they were there to do an inspection, and then they refused to sign anything stating the inspection was done and now they want to pile on fees for "damages" which were not the renters' fault. So if I were you, I'd be very very wary from here in. I agree with the other poster that you need to review that 20 page lease with a fine comb.

Kristin C has great advice! Definitely review your lease to make sure you are not in any breach. Whether they were good landlords or not, you'll sleep well @ night knowing you were on the up&up.

I would personally be very very careful about saying anything to anyone about the property. We live in a very litigious country, & if the landlords find out you are actively working to prevent the sale of their property, they might actually have grounds to sue.

If you are specifically asked information from people, I wouldn't lie, but I wouldn't volunteer information on your own.

Since there is a lockbox involved, if it turns out that the landlord has the right to begin listing & showing the property, a realtor will be accompanying the buyers, so you won't have to "show" the house.

I also wouldn't be concerned about keeping it "clean, neat & organize" while you are still there & in the process of packing up. Once you move out, it will be their responsibility to get it in shape for proper showings.

Here is a website I found that has a bit more info on the legalities of what can be sued for, I would think that the 2 sections under "Interference with God" (contracts and trade/business) would most closely apply.

http://users.senet.com.au/~gregogle/SLAPP_types.htm

Keep in mind, there are property laws in place about disclosure to protect buyers & sellers, as well as the option for a buyer to get one or more home inspections done on a property. Buyers of old houses are typically aware of the potential need for updating to modern standards. Also, If the house is truly not worth what it is listed for, the length of time on the market it will spend will be a telling reminder of that!

Hope you have a stress-free move, & no grief from your landlords over this. T.

I didn't realize a landlord could refuse to fix things. I thought if the landlord didn't fix things, that could be considered a breech of contract. I'm not a lawyer by any means, but I can't believe you just accepted him not fixing things. Do you have any documentation? Because I would be fearful of not getting my security deposit back.

As others have stated, you have no obligation to do anything with the package. The fact that you've allowed the landlord to simply not fix things might have given him the impression you are a pushover and will do it anyway. But it is most certainly not your responsibility.

By the way, if the Fed Ex guy really threw the package at you, I'd be upset with Fed Ex, not the landlord ... unless, of course, Fed Ex had instructions to throw it still you.

I would not agree to sell for them or to show for them. You do have to cooperate however. As to the problems with the house, do not say anything. It can get you hot hot water, even a slight suggestion. Any problems should show when the place is inspected if anyone is interested. And the sale price will also get hit. As for them selling it, most states do have requirements for disclosure statements and such so if they do not complete them, the buyer can sue.

You WH kind of sends red flags. If you are not home, and someone wants to see the house, they call the owner, and then enter without you there?? Who is to prevent them from stealing all of your stuff? I would refuse to let anyone in without a realtor present. You may want to check with the attorney general in your state to see what your rights are in this case to protect yourself and your stuff.

I suggest you are making assumptions. He hasn't asked you to do anything. So put the sign inside and wait for instructions. I would text or call and tell him the sign is there. I would not ask him if he wants you to do anything. If you don't want to do anything just say no If he asks. You got good Iinformation from OAG. If this office is able to give legal advice follow the law on this. He hasn't asked you to do anything. I suggest you're getting all worked up for nothing.

I suggest you look up that company's web site to see if you can get a better understanding of the process.
It sounds very much that you are angry with him. Is your anger making your life any easier or happier? Your anger doesn't help him make anything better for you. Actually if you were ffriendlier and less demanding he might have been more helpful. It's natural for many of us to withdraw from anger.

As to what you asked him to do.I suggest your requests were unreasonable. This is a rental. Why do you think it's his responsibiliy to install insulation and a better heating system. Rentals are rented as is unless the owner agrees to make improvements in the contract. You haven't said what the repairs you requested were. There are laws that say what repairs are required. You have legal recourse to make those happen.

The landlord lives several states away. He may be difficult. However this is his house and has the right to refuse doing anything that is not required by law or his contract. You are a renter and do not have to rent his house. If he was doing or not doing what is required by the law you have recourse thru the court.

As to helping him sell the house you've said nothing that would indicate he expects you to do so. You do have to cooperate with a realtor who wants to show the house. You have the responsibility to state your requirements (boundaries) and work with the realtor or representitive to find a way to show the house.

It does sound like he is intending to not have a realtor involved. If that's the case he is being unreasonable. I wonder why the lock box you are making yourselves unhappy when you haven't heard from him. When we borrow trouble we often get what we expect. An example is their lengthy contract no doubt written to prevent difficulty with renters. It didn't help in that regard.

You have the right to say you won't show the house unless a realtor, the owner or a responsible person is involved. You do not have to help him sell the house. Calmly and directly without anger tell him so if that's his plan. Know that he doesn't live close enough to do what needs to be done. If he asks you to do something and says it's in the contract I would ask the Office for Landlord/Tenant issues about it or take it to a civil lawyer to see if the contract is binding or legal.

I would throw the sign and the lock box in the closet and call it a day. Unless your lease gives them the right to show the house while you are still there then it's not your business at all.

It's not slander when you have bills and personal reference as guidance. They can't sue you for that. No judge would hear the case.

You are not obligated to help them at all with this. I hope you do not. They sound like they take advantage of your good will, and that they have no problem with your discomfort as a result.
Don't help them anymore. Don't even out that sign up. It will come back to bite you even more.

I agree with Marda. You have not been asked to do anything. You're really getting worked about nothing. You said, "What nerve these people have!" but you're assuming they expect you to post the sign and show the house and work with buyers and sell the house. No one has asked you to do any of that. You are assuming that and are getting upset because of it. Unless and until anyone asks you to do anything, there is no reason to be upset.

Just put the box aside and go about your business. You haven't been asked to do anything. Quit borrowing trouble.

I started reading some responses... but I'll just give you the advice that I have. I had my condo on the market for over a year. Part of that time, I was still living in it, part of the time, it was empty, and for the last few months (before I decided to take it off the market), I had a tenant in it. I hated having to keep the house in "show condition" in case a potential buyer wanted to see it (I had a realtor handling all of that, but there was a lockbox). Especially with pets and a young child and a full-time job... it was hard keeping everything so clean and organized! So, I can understand the frustration of that (having people come into *your* home). When my tenant was there, the lease stated that I would provide 24-hour notice before entering the property. I extended this to the realtors, too. In other words, they had to let me know at least 24 hours ahead of time of a scheduled showing--so I could inform the tenant.

It sounds like you've had a really bad experience in this place, and I do know that there are landlords out there like that--who are just in it for a quick buck and have no respect or consideration of their tenant's living conditions. It's good to hear that you'll be out of there soon anyways! I hope you have documented everything that has gone wrong with the place so that you can get your deposit back.

My suggestions are:
Re-read your lease--does it state a minimum 24-hour notice for entry? If yes, then you can decline showings that do not give you enough notice.

To ease your pain, I'd leave the sign up and place the lockbox. But, only provide the key once you've been given the proper notice (assuming your lease states 24-hours). You can claim the security risk to your family and belongings.

Pack up as much as you can, as quick as you can! You'll be leaving in about a month anyways. Start putting away your winter clothes & blankets. Pack the least-used kitchen wares. Move the boxes to the garage once they're packed--this will make it much easier to "show" the house.

You're right, this shouldn't be your responsibility. As for the state of the house... you probably shouldn't directly say anything to potential buyers, but I don't think it would be all wrong to leave out a random bill or such... Heck, when we bought our house, there were notices from electricity and water for past-due bills (the house was bank-owned and *somebody* hadn't paid the bills)! Just take care of yourself, get out of there as quickly and painlessly as possible and count your blessings that nothing bad happened there (electrical fire, inablility to pay bills, etc).
Good luck, mama!

Hi, Mom:

Call the landlord and ask what you are suppose to do with the package?

If it were me, I would have fixed the problems of the electrical issue and sent him a bill.

Good luck for your next tour of duty.
D.

I'd just not do anything. If someone calls to see the house then allow them in. I assume someone will run an add in the paper so prospective home owners will be informed it's for sale?

Just let them in and do not be there. I'd move as much as possible to storage and get only a few clothing and furniture items left as soon as I could. That way you can leave the house and not be worried about a person stealing stuff.

The bottom line is he lives a long ways away and may have wanted to unload this house for some time but thought highly of you so he didn't sell it out from under you. I'd appreciate that and just get headed to your new life and home.