I just moved to a new place a couple of weeks ago and am already thinking to get out of my lease. I will probably end up talking to a lawyer to minimize my loss on deposit and if I can break the lease at all.

The problem is food smell. It is extremely bad and one can feel as soon as you enter the hallway. It is a three-family unit, and the problem kitchen is at the ground floor. I felt I could tolerate food smells very well until now.... This is just too much.. appears to be a mixture of sardines and vinegar, being on constant boil and sometimes it smells like dead animals.

I know I cannot ask them to change their diet. It is their food and I respect that.

Their kitchen does not have a vent that goes all the way out of the building so that will not help.

The lady is older so I would not want her to open her kitchen window while cooking especially in cold weather. She may get sick.

Anyone ever been in such a situation? Solutions?

 

That's gross.

 

Wow that would suck and is one of the things I fear as I am in the process of purchasing a townhome. Although with a townhome its not as big of a concern.

Since you have a legitimate reason to move they should respect that and let you out of your lease if they are nice at all

 

Sounds disgusting.

 

It can't be the first time someone's complained.

 

sucks man...

 

"...let you out of your lease if they are nice at all"

That's a lot to ask when talking about landlords, in general, in NYC.

 

yeah first talk to the landlord. tell them the conditions are unacceptable, and had you known this you would not have rented. them before hiring a lawyer


If they bitch, tell them that the building is not properly ventilated and that if they do not let you out of the lease you are going to call NYS inspection and have them busted.

 

You may be best served to establish a pattern of complaint followed by inaction/non-resolution by the landlord. Do this three or four times over the course of a month or two, and document EVERYTHING!


THEN you will have much better grounds for legal action.

 

Do you live in an apartment/ or condo complex? If so, sometimes they have a clause to break the lease. Like you forfit your deposit and hae to pay a month or 2 extra in rent. (from the time you plan on breaking it). It does hurt to pokets but it also lets you get out of there before the year (or how ever long your lease is) is up. Now If it is a private owner I'm not sure. You could try to discuss you probs with the landlord or rental office. If you are in a complex maybe you can change apartments and not have to really "break" the lease. Anyway I hope that helps.

 

I would send a notarized letter to the landlord 1 letting him know what's going on, & 2 to ask him to see what he can do.
Once you have something documented it will be easier to get out of the lease if you need to.

 

I guess the lease is a fix 12 month and there appears to be no clause to be able to get out of it easily. I will just play nicely with the landlord and see what she can do.