contract-law landlord tenant rent
Landlord Says Lease Agreement Has A &quot;Mistake&quot; - Can I Hold The Landlord To Honor It?
<p>When applying for an apartment, I signed a reservation agreement with a rental quote on it: $1000 rent + $70 for pet rent.</p>
<p>After signing the lease, I noticed that the property manager checked the box saying the $1000 rent INCLUDED the $70 pet rent.</p>
<p>My first month of rent, I was only charged $1000.</p>
<p>For the second month, I am being charged $1070. I presented this issue to my property manager and he said the lease had a mistake on it. He sent over an addendum for me to sign, raising my rent to $1070 due to the pet rent.</p>
<p>Am I legally obligated to sign this new addendum, or can I stick with what the lease says? There is a clause in the lease that says &quot;the Lease contract is the complete agreement&quot; and that &quot;no other promises, agreements, or representations matter&quot;.</p>

<h2>The written document is not the contract - the contract is what you agreed</h2>
<p>It seems clear that you agreed that you would be paying $1000 rent + $70 for pet rent. That is what you contracted to do.</p>
<p>In writing the contract, the manager made a mistake and documented that you would be paying $1,000 including pet rent. You were not aware of this when you entered the contract so <em>in your mind</em> this is not what you were agreeing to.</p>
<p>Now, no one can see into your mind. If you want to lie under oath and say that the written document is what you agreed to then the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parol_evidence_rule" rel="nofollow noreferrer">parol evidence</a> rule means that no one will be able to prove otherwise and you will win the case. All it costs is your integrity - is that worth more or less than $70 a month?</p>
<p>Also, if I were your landlord I would make damn sure that you complied with everything else you agreed to in that document and you probably don't want that.</p>
<p>Remember the contract is unimportant if the relationship is solid.</p>
