attn: Crimzy

[eric b 125]

i've been renting from the same people for the last 5 years. i have never been late on any payments. any time there has been a need for work that i could do, i've done with the permission of my landlord. things like fixing the stairs, landscaping (serious landscaping), ******** painting, etc. i've never sent any reciepts to the landlord for these things for cost of materials since i always had a plan to stay a while. either way, my landlord was cool as hell. when i moved in i told him i had a terrier that weighed 20 lbs, and it has since grown to be a beefy pit-bull terrier at 90 lbs, but he was cool with that since the dog is a good friend. long story short, our relationship was great, but all of a sudden, dude gets fired. apparently he or his girlfriend had a bad drinking problem and the finances got messed up. here's the rub: one day the new landlord sends me a letter saying i didnt pay the rent and i had to get copies of the check from the bank proving that i did. two months later i get a letter saying i'm way backed up on my water bill (which i'm not) but i've been paying the water bill via money orders and havent saved any of the money order slips. i make a good chunk of change dj'ing and it never see's my bank. my neighbors have had similar problems. there's no proof of me paying, or not paying, these bills, but i KNOW i've paid them. i wouldnt be so worried over a month or two, just to keep calm waters, but theres no way i owe them anything other than the current bill (normally ~$60), and they're saying a rediculous amount like $300 +/- and thats rediculous for a H2O bill. my pops used to be the D.A. so i can call him if i need to go to court, but our relationship isnt that great so i'd rather get your input on it before i pick up the phone. thanks for your time!

 

[crimzy]

So to make a long story short, your new landlord is claiming that you owe money for rent and the water bill that you don't believe you owe. Unfortunately there is no documentation available either way to verify your allegation that you paid, and the landlord doesn't really need any paperwork because there is really no evidence that can prove a negative, (ie. an event has NOT occurred).
At a minimum, this is a life lesson for you to get receipts, check copies, money order copies or some other verification of your payment. Money orders have stubs that can be kept. Your manner of conducting business with this landlord is extremely risky, as you can now see.
I wonder if you can contact your city about showing that the water bill was paid, but from your story I'm assuming that you simply reimburse the landlord and they actually pay the bill. I don't think your father, as a DA, will be able to do much in this case. If the matter came to court, either in a lawsuit or eviction proceeding, the only thing that will be persuasive is the evidence that both sides can present. You need to review what type of evidence you may have to show the payment. Such evidence could be money order receipts, witnesses who saw or had knowledge of the payment, or other paperwork. If the matter went to court, I'd even bring in other neighbors who have had similar problems with the landlord's accounting. Unfortunately, if you have no evidence that you paid, and the landlord appears and testifies that he never received the money, you probably lose the case.
If there is no evidence on your behalf, then I'd think about reasoning with your landlord and trying to make a deal with him. From here on out, I'd make sure you have a paper trail to verify every transaction you have with them.
Hope this was helpful. Let me know how it goes.

 

[jennythebugg]

im not gonna sneak around ----i read this

sux to be you eric. the lady that is renting my house is destroying it . buy a place as soon as you can, even if its like a condo or something then it will be all yours and you wont have to answer to a jerk like that anymore, wish the tenant would take care of my house

 

[turningtim]

Where did you get the money orders? Might they have copies?

 

[eric b 125]

nah, i get them from the grocery store. he's not saying i owe rent, just a handful of water bills. i figured there was nothing i could do about it, figured i'd ask. thanks!

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/3019950
nah, i get them from the grocery store. he's not saying i owe rent, just a handful of water bills. i figured there was nothing i could do about it, figured i'd ask. thanks!
Well it's not completely hopeless. Your landlord does not want to evict you over a small bill. They would have costs involved and then are stuck with an empty apartment that they have to re-rent. They also don't know what type of evidence you have.
My advice is to go to your landlord... let them know that you disagree with their claim and have witnesses who will support your claim. Then offer them about 1/3 of the total claim... JMO

 

[stdreb27]

I have a question did you pay the landlord or pay the water company directly?
If you paid the landlord directly. I'll bet you the old landlord just pocketed the $$ instead of paying the landlord.