Can a landlord sue you for abandonment even though no contract was ever signed?
and if a verbal move in agreement is valid, wouldnt a verbal move out agreement be valid?
Answers:
Yes, he can sue you and yes, a verbal move-out agreement would potentially be valid as long as the two of you agreed. However, that is the problem, they don't mean squat during a disagreement unless you can provide a credible witness.
Also, a verbal agreement is not necessary for you to move in anyway. If you move in the home, and the landlord doesn't stop you immediately from staying, then you will establish residency. However, when you move out, the landlord can simply claim that he had no idea that you were not there unless you have something that proves that you informed him. You should have at least had him sign something when you left to cover you for not leaving any damage behind. Now, you are going to be in a dispute that will eventually require court to settle, if the landlord wants to go that far.
Sounds like you had a poor landlord that doesn't manage his property well. Next time, you will know to have something in writing every time. Renting a place is a legal contract (whether in writing at the time or not) between 2 parties. It is always in your best interest to have written records. Even if the landlord doesn't provide them initially, you can request him to provide a lease and terms concerning when the lease is up and your responsibilities to notify him when you are leaving.
That sounds reasonable, that if the verbal is sufficient to move in, it would be the same to move out. Verbal contracts are kind of hard to enforce anyway, which is why people write them down.
First of all, ANY verbal agreement regarding real estate is invalid on it's face.
Therefore, although your verbal move-in agreement was invalid, you reaffirmed it by staying past 30 days, in effect creating a tenancy at will (month to month).
This fact does not preclue the stautory requirement for WRITTEN notice to vacate acording to your state statutes (from 10 to 30 days depending on where you were domiciled).
So, the landlord is correct. You abandonned the premesis.
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