hat to do if I broke my lease 5 years ago and paid what was owed at that time but I just received a letter stating that I owe an aditional $790?
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hat to do if I broke my lease 5 years ago and paid what was owed at that time but I just received a letter stating that I owe an aditional $790?
This is the first contact with me since moving out. Why would anyone wait five years to collect $750 that is owed to them?
Asked on July 25, 2012 under Bankruptcy Law, Tennessee
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
The statute of limitations (SOL) is the time period during which someone may bring a lawsuit to enforce a debt or claim for money. In TN, the SOL for a contract, like a lease, is 6 years, and it's the same for both written and oral (unwritten) leases. Your landlord may sue you for money it claims you owe any time up to 6 years after you breached the lease; they are allowed to wait until near the end of the statutory period before taking action, if they like. It's not clear why they would choose to wait this long, but they are allowed to do so.
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