If I signed a 2 year lease that states monthly rent is $1745 a month but then states that the total lease amount is only $34,900, would they have to honor this?
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If I signed a 2 year lease that states monthly rent is $1745 a month but then states that the total lease amount is only $34,900, would they have to honor this?
Since they made a mistake on the total amount, would they have to honor this?
Asked on July 2, 2015 under Real Estate Law, New Jersey
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
Courts interpret leases and contracts using common sense, to give effect to what would have been the parties' intention. Two years at $34,900 total is $1,454 per month, or around $300 less than the amount stated in the monthly rent line, so it's not a large difference; therefore, there's nothing intrinsically making one amount or the other more credible. Assuming you and the landlord can't work this out between you and you go to trial, if there is no other documentation (e.g. emails or texts about the rent) to prove which amount is right, a judge would listen to your testimony and the landlord's testimony, listen to any testimony about rent for comparable apartments and decide which amount is correct.
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