Landlord Won't Honor Move-in Date in Lease
My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: Ohio
To make a long story short, I entered into a rental agreement with two friends, and the set term of occupancy, as written and agreed upon by the landlord in the lease agreement, began on August 15th, a requirement that all three of us agreed upon due to our collectively having nowhere to live near the Ohio State campus. I arrived in Ohio on August 10th, only to find out a few days later that the landlord had emailed one of my roommates and stated that move-in would not be possible until the 1st of Sept. In essence, I had arrived in Ohio with all of my valuables and a cat, ready to move in on the 15th, only to be basically told that I was effectively homeless for in excess of 15 days.
My question is: can I take the landlord to small claims court and require compensation for living expenses incurred as a result of his breach of contract? Luckily, I found a relatively cheap motel (although I didn't go dirt cheap due to my having a pet and valuables), and have been in contact with the landlord, only to be told that he will not pay anything. Thanks in advance for the assistance, I am losing my mind without a stable living situation.
Re: Ohio: Landlord Won't Honor Move-in Date in Lease
Why did your landlord contact only the one roommate? Why didn't your roommate communicate the information to you? Did your roommate say that it was okay to shift the move-in date to September 1? If not, what did the roommate say?
Re: Ohio: Landlord Won't Honor Move-in Date in Lease
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Quoting
Mr. Knowitall
Why did your landlord contact only the one roommate? Why didn't your roommate communicate the information to you? Did your roommate say that it was okay to shift the move-in date to September 1? If not, what did the roommate say?
No idea as to why the landlord only contacted one of three tenants, my phone number and email address were part of the lease I signed. My roommate told the landlord that we were "flexible" when it came to the move-in date, without asking or consulting me first. Additionally, when he finally told me that something might have changed, which wasn't until the 25th of July, he characterized the delay as quite small, I had in my head a max of 3 days. The date of Sept. 1st. was not confirmed until August 11th, one day after I had arrived back in Columbus, unable to take advantage of free housing across the country with my parents. My roommate has already shown himself to bend the truth when it comes to ensuring we get the apartment, knowing full well that a move-in change of 15 plus days would be incredibly hard for me to deal with. As far as I know, any change in contract must be signed and dated by all parties involved, and a landlord is responsible for communicating with all tenants, not expect one to convey all his messages.