Waiting for the dog to show up isn't really a good option since I don't live in that same area, so I would never be able to spot the tenant walking the dog. So, basically, I'm going to take a page out of Dale Carnegie and send a letter reminding the tenant about the no pets policy in the contract he signed. Something along these lines "Somebody else informed me about evidence of a pet, but I'm sure that person was mistaken since I'm sure my tenant would never knowingly bring a pet in violation of the lease. But, just as a reminder, the lease expressly forbids a pet. The reason why is that a pet can cause tremendous damage to a condo. I'm sure we'd both want to avoid a situation like that, where the deposit will be used to pay for any damages caused by a pet, which can be severe." I've known I was going to write a letter, but I'd like to think a couple of steps ahead before I send the letter. The tenant could deny it, and then I'd have to find more evidence. Or, the tenant could confirm a pet, and that's the really tricky part. Most likely, I don't think a petowner is going to abandon his pet. I don't know what other landlords do in that situation, if they then try to evict that tenant. Is the time and money that goes into evicting a tenant worth it? Or, do landlords just roll over and accept this?

I've been out of town so am a little late to this party ;) Just thought I'd toss in my .02. I'm not a lawyer but am a landlord. I'm going to disagree to some extent with some posts here. I'm looking at it from my perspective and personally I feel like your landlord goofed, and is perhaps circling back to you to cover her mistakes. A lot of things that should have been put in writing were not. However, there are strong indicators of the direction this deal was taking. Allowing you to pay prorated rent for October is a big indicator that your landlord was not only aware of the fact that you were moving, she also approved a specific and premature (prior to lease expiration) 'end' date in October that your rent payment would cease. In other words it's not like you up and moved out under cloak of darkness ;) Clearly discussion and negotiation took place because a specific number of days for October rent was decided and agreed upon by both parties. Next she went so far as to secure a deposit from a different prospective tenant. It's true you're responsible for rent till your lease is up, but it's also true she needs to seek other occupants and secure them via a binding contract. She fell short here. I don't see that it matters whether she took $500 to 'hold' it or the same amount that she charged you for a deposit, because landlords can change deposit amounts from tenant to tenant, as long as it's not in violation of the ceiling dictated by State law. The dollar amount she took from them is not really your concern or burden to bear, that was her call to make and does not involve you because she's commencing a new agreement with entirely different parties involved. The fact is she took a deposit, released you early, but failed to obtain the most critical component: a signed, binding agreement with the new tenants. Big mistake. Deals fall through all the time. A deal is never sealed until all parties have signed on. I'm imagining myself standing in front of a judge explaining why I'm trying to now come back to worrywart for rents due and frankly, I think I'd be embarrassed. It would have been so easy to have a lease ready, signed when the deposit was collected, but not commence until 10/5. Then she could have officially let you know that you only needed to pay through 10/4, because a new lease was starting 10/5. She dropped that ball. So I'm thinking you're not entirely responsible at this point and that you do have recourse. The strongest indicator is the acceptance of the pro-rated rent, the second indicator is the deposit she got from the other couple. If your landlord failed to follow through and seal the deal with a signed lease with new tenants before letting you out, that's not really your burden to bear. That's how I see it anyway.

moonshadow- I don't get it. You are more sympathetic of the landlord (who is able to sleep peacefully at night) than of the person who is paying good money for the "quiet enjoyment" of their premises. Have you ever lived beneath someone as noisy as corrinemb's neighbors? First of all, if you're going to quote me, please use all the words I said. Quoting selectively chosen text tends to alter the meaning of the original text. (Although I mentioned vacation, please note I also said the landlady could have been away at a funeral, or tending to a sick parent). Also, you make some really strong assumptions in your posts, dreamgarden. You called the landlord a liar and said she knew about the noise from above all along and that's why the unit is empty. Umm, it's not empty, corrinemb is living in it. And you know the landlord is a liar how? Because you've lived in one of her rentals and dealt with this individual before? "Liar" is a very harsh word. Personally, I despise that word. You've also assumed (and presented as a fact) that the landlord is able to sleep peacefully at night. (Again, you know this how?) So why am I sticking up for her? Because I am a landlord. And if you read that post carefully, you will see there is a bit more going on there. I know exactly how it feels to be 500 miles away (not on vacation) and have all h*ll break loose over a non-emergency. Sure, I can and would make a phone call to disruptive tenants. But phone calls tend to not be taken too seriously and do not create the critically necessary paper trail. As an effective landlord, what I need to do is go over there and check out the situation for myself. I need to make the determination whether the extra person has indeed moved in or was just visiting for the holidays. Then put the transgressions in writing and send it via certified mail to the tenant. Let's say the landlord wasn't away, that she was in town. Let's say landlord drops everything for this situation and made it her utmost priority in life that week. Here's how it would have transpired (and I'm taking these dates directly from corrine's post.) Corrine calls landlady on Sun 12/3. Landlady immediately calls upstairs tenants, gives 24 hours notice that she's doing an inspection. Now it's Monday afternoon, 12/4. Landlord inspects, assess, talks with tenants. Landlord goes home, sits down, and types a letter that same day. By now P.O. is closed, so landlady goes to P.O. first thing Tues morning 12/5, letter goes out that day. Since landlord and tenants are geographically close, letter will probably arrive at tenant's on Wednesday 12/6 or Thursday 12/7. Friday 12/8 rolls around, no results, and corrinemb is going to call again, because she came here and posted very early on the morning of Saturday morning, 12/9. Do you see the illustration here? IF the landlady were in town and IF she acted immediately at every phase of this step, that STILL would only allow 2 1/2 weekdays or so (Wed-Fri or Thurs-Fri) to resolve all the issues at hand. Landlords are people with problems and crises and LIVES, just like everyone else, yet some tenants act as if they can demand the landlord "jump" and landlord will respond with "how high". I have good relationships with all my tenants. If they are not unreasonable demanding, or screaming about their rights, I will do whatever it takes, putting my own appointments and needs aside, to keep them comfortable and happy. If they turn out to be the screaming/demanding type, I pray they bail on their lease before I can legally get them out. They aren't worth it. Just like a homeowner has to address structural issues immediately, I have to do the same for dwellings with tenants in them. If I get a call at 4 a.m. that the furnace is malfunctioning, and it's 20 degrees out, I can't go back to bed and curl up under my warm covers. One time the town broke a water main during work and my elderly tenants had no water. Not my obligation, but I went to the store and purchased several gallons of distilled and drinking water because one of them had a colostomy bag that required purified water several times a day. I didn't have to do that. It was caused by the municipality and was in the street, not any plumbing malfunction inside the dwelling itself. They had money, a car, and the store was 3 blocks away. I did it to be NICE. I have shoveled knee deep snow for those same elderly tenants when they went to Fla for Christmas so the house didn't look vacant and it was not a temptation to break in. Why did I do it? Because the good for nothing grown kids of my tenants were "too busy" and broke the promise they made to their parents to keep an eye on things and maintain snow. I have had to drop everything and rush to a house that had raw sewage running out a pipe and down the driveway. Cost me a bundle, it was a weekend night call. You know what caused it? A washcloth flushed down the toilet. When I conveyed this to the tenant, her response: 'you know how it is when you're dumping your dirty cleaning bucket down the toilet, you don't pay attention to what's in it'. Didn't even get Christmas off this year. Tenant calls me as she's flying to CA on holiday, sewage is backing up and pipe is leaking. That problem didn't happen overnight, she just didn't tell me until she was on a plane.So guess how the plumber and I spent Christmas Eve, because the house was filled with lethal sewer gas and I couldn't let it go. I've had to get out of bed in the middle of the night, cancel my own personal appointments, rearrange my schedule, you name it, to get emergencies taken care of. And I never complain to my tenants because it's my responsibility. However: if someone's going to bug me twice in a week over something that can and should be addressed when I get back in town, it's not going to sit well with me. Get the picture?

Another piece of advice to pass on to your daughter- At this stage in her life she really might be better off in an apartment building that either has a building manager to handle things. When one lives in an individual unit owned by a landlord the way your daughter did, it’s catch as catch can whether or not the landlord is responsive, and how is a prospective tenant to know? It’s not as if the landlord will give references. When it comes time for repairs, will the owner promise to be there with the workman every minute, or will your daughter have to take off work every time to protect her belongings? Or worse, in an effort to save money will the owner try to fix the problem himself and not be able to, and then have to bring in a workman anyway, so now your daughter will have taken off 2 days of work!! In an apartment building, the manager would be there to supervise workman. I have been through all this myself. A cute little house with a yard sounds nice, but the reality is far less bucolic. A small efficiency apartment in a well- maintained building with a live- in manager and a management company in addition so that the landlord doesn’t need to be contacted for every repair is the best option for a busy young professional at the beginning of her career. And she’ll meet some other young professionals in an apartment building and that is good for her, to have someone right there. Sure you can have friends at work, but nothing beats a neighbor! People nowadays want gorgeous furnishings right out of the gate, but it’s just fine to have bookshelves made out of wooden boards and cinder blocks and a desk made out of a door on saw horses. To live in a clean, functioning, efficient, safe, stress-free place is priceless!!