Really need advice regarding my Landlord not paying Property Tax

[MJ the Skeptical]

What you said in response to Chtulhu however - if true - would trump all this. Forget what I said. What I meant to say was: You need to pay the rent to whomever has the right to receive it.

I have no idea who has that right though, I've read contrary things that say the original landlord gets the rent, or the new landlord gets the rent, and the tenant can also be caught in the middle and both can ask for rent.

[rexbeccarox]

Open up a bank account, put the amount of rent in there, then contact both- email them your bank statement with the rent amount as an attachment, and tell them they need to work it out between them. Make a paper trail, so that if you do end up in court, the judge will see you did nothing wrong.

A similar thing happened to a friend of mine and she got free legal help. Her lawyer even sued one of the landlords and got money back for her, mostly for her aggravation.

Go straight to this link, and there's a link at the top to get help from a live person:

http://www.lawhelpmn.org/issues/housing

[MJ the Skeptical]

I already have a bank account, did you mean make another one at a different bank? And who got sued in your friends case? the original or new landlord?

[rexbeccarox]

I already have a bank account, did you mean make another one at a different bank? And who got sued in your friends case? the original or new landlord?

A separate bank account, and I think it was the new landlord who got sued, but I don't know for sure. It wasn't the exact same kind of thing (he was harassing her), but go to the link I (and Min) gave you, and they'll help you find out what you need to know.

---

You can open your new account at your same bank.

[Minimalist]

Try here for starters. You have to enter your location so there isn't much else I can find for you.

http://www.lawhelpmn.org/issues/housing/...-clinics-1


Redemption periods are a bitch. Back when I was with the IRS actual sales of real property were rare but when they did happen there was a six month redemption period during which the original owner could redeem the property from the new owner for the purchase price plus 20% interest.

That six month period was a legal limbo, no doubt about it. The new owner could not evict the original owner because a deed was not issued until the redemption period ended.

You really do need to persevere and find a lawyer.

[Heywood]

You might simply be able to withhold the rent by paying it into an escrow account until the parties or a court decided this issue.

Look to see if rent withholding is allowed in your state and if this is one of the reasons it for which it is allowed.

[MJ the Skeptical]

I have no idea if I'm allowed to withhold rent, that's why I'm asking for help because I suck at looking for things online. And why does it matter if it's a separate account from my own? none of this makes sense to me, how would having a separate account with money it in prove anything. I'm stressed beyond belief and I was hoping to be guided threw this but everyone just tells me general ideas and I can't figure it out myself and I only have 3 days to figure this out before the month is over. I can't talk to a lawyer if I don't have money, tried the free help that mimimalist said but they are closed and are not open until Monday.

[SteelCurtain]

Godslayer, I know this is stressful. It sucks, to be sure. You gotta treat this as one of those things that is part of being an adult. Shit will happen that's not in the plan. Take a deep breath and think with a level head.

There are lawyers out there who will work out a payment plan if you hire them, and who will meet with you for no cost, you can lay out your issue, and they can tell you whether they can help you or not. Most likely this issue would never see court. It would be a couple of hours of filings and maybe a phone call or three. It could be a couple of hundred bucks. I know that's not nothing, but it would be less than hiring a moving van and signing a new lease with a security deposit and first/last months rent.

The bank account thing is for a very specific reason. Putting the rent in a separate bank account creates a paper trail proving that you are not withholding rent because you don't have it, you are withholding it because you need the parties involved to come to an agreement about who is owed rent before it goes to either party. It protects you. Also, if this issue lasts several months, you can keep paying your rent to that account, proving that you are doing so by sending a statement to both parties, protecting yourself.

Eviction is a legal process, not just the landlord deciding to boot you. They have to prove several things before they can do it. This helps your case immensely.

[Heywood]

I have no idea if I'm allowed to withhold rent, that's why I'm asking for help because I suck at looking for things online. And why does it matter if it's a separate account from my own? none of this makes sense to me, how would having a separate account with money it in prove anything. I'm stressed beyond belief and I was hoping to be guided threw this but everyone just tells me general ideas and I can't figure it out myself and I only have 3 days to figure this out before the month is over. I can't talk to a lawyer if I don't have money, tried the free help that mimimalist said but they are closed and are not open until Monday.

Nobody can help you look stuff up on line if we don't know where you live. Laws very greatly by state. You might be able to pay your rent into an escrow account....you might not. If you pay your rent into an escrow account it would be difficult or impossible to evict you for non-payment. The two "landlords" would have to fight over the funds in the escrow account. You would be sitting on the side lines eating popcorn watching fight.

I think your situation is an interesting one. Please keep us updated as it progresses.

[Jackalope]

Godslayer, I know this is stressful. It sucks, to be sure. You gotta treat this as one of those things that is part of being an adult. Shit will happen that's not in the plan. Take a deep breath and think with a level head.

There are lawyers out there who will work out a payment plan if you hire them, and who will meet with you for no cost, you can lay out your issue, and they can tell you whether they can help you or not. Most likely this issue would never see court. It would be a couple of hours of filings and maybe a phone call or three. It could be a couple of hundred bucks. I know that's not nothing, but it would be less than hiring a moving van and signing a new lease with a security deposit and first/last months rent.

The bank account thing is for a very specific reason. Putting the rent in a separate bank account creates a paper trail proving that you are not withholding rent because you don't have it, you are withholding it because you need the parties involved to come to an agreement about who is owed rent before it goes to either party. It protects you. Also, if this issue lasts several months, you can keep paying your rent to that account, proving that you are doing so by sending a statement to both parties, protecting yourself.

Eviction is a legal process, not just the landlord deciding to boot you. They have to prove several things before they can do it. This helps your case immensely.

SteelCurtain has excellent advice above, IMHO.

Here's the thing about lawyers. Yeah, they're expensive, but the thing is this - when you need one, it is more often the case that not hiring one ends up costing you more.

Frequently, a letter on a law firm's letterhead or even a phone call from a paralegal is enough to get the parties involved to solve the problem.