LogFAQs > #942945231

Xfma100 posted...

But seriously TC, instead of whining about it on here, you should've taken other people's advice and contacted a lawyer.

That was kinda hard to do on a weekend and all. Part of the initial panic of dropping this on us on Friday and demanding a signature that weekend.

Anyway, on that note... I did get a bit of a "reality check" in regards to lawyers and law services...
Tried the law firm my friend suggested to me as soon as they opened. Got a person, directed to someone and got their voicemail, left a message. Haven't been called back.
Tried a fair housing office phone number, but they only provide help to low income. She did give me a number for a "self help" system through the courts.
I called that...there's a wait. Offers to let me type in my number and get a call back "without losing my place in the queue". I do so. Not at all shockingly...no call back as of yet.

I figured it'd be a pain in the ass to get some basic consultation, so I wasn't really shocked but...it's one thing to be pessimistic and another to be proven right. I don't usually expect my pessimism to be so dead on accurate.

Also, the leasing office finally sent me something in writing about my requirement to pay for the locks after I move out, and the cost:

Hope youre doing well. Please respond to this email if you are opting out of the Smart Home and that you agree to pay the $95 for the lock change upon move-out. Also, the lease contract will not be renewed at the end of the lease term that you signed. If we dont receive a response to this email, we will be proceeding on the installation of the Smart Home.
Thank you and have a good day.

Nicer than the other emails, too. $95 isn't a lot, and pursuing it in court would not be worth it. I still don't see how the hell it's legal at all, but until I can speak to a lawyer, it's kind of a haze.
Like I said before, whether I sign or not, I need to get the fuck out of here (either they make me leave if I don't sign, or I don't want to stay if I do), so it's probably not worth it to fight this...
The last bit is new (never presented as an option before!) and intriguing...if I do nothing, they install it w/o me signing the addendum. I assume they'll then try to prevent me from getting a temp code till I do, but then they're threatening to lock out a paying and law-abiding tenant that's under a lease, which seems even more illegal than paying for their smart lock...
Hopefully I can talk to a lawyer soon, at least now I have my questions narrowed down to whether two things specifically are legal (paying for the lock, and being locked out by the apartment owners)