Unusual lease situation/maintenance of home/landlords selling
Super long post I am so sorry, if you read to the end I appreciate you so much. Also if this isn’t the right place for this post I apologize and hopefully someone can guide me to the right place, I don’t really use reddit for myself so I guess I am kind of new here.
We have an unusual lease agreement where it is a 3 year lease with the option to buy at the end of our lease. It is my husband’s parents who are the landlords. I regret ever agreeing to it as I was weary to begin with, however I did as my husband was adamant it would “be great”. Lol. Yup great.
The home is literally falling apart. Our bedroom floor collapsed from previous water damage and rotting hardwood within the first 2 months of moving in. We informed them, and then we replaced the entire subfloor and purchased all new flooring and tools and supplies needed to do so. (Over 2.5k expense out of our own pockets-I’ll address that in a moment)
We have been here a year and a half now and we recently informed them we will not be buying at the end of the lease because the home’s condition is very bad. Foundation issues, black mold presence, rotting floors, electrical concerns, so much more and overall it does not pass inspection for a VA Loan or an FHA Loan (we intend on using a VA Loan, my husband is a veteran). Therefore we cannot buy this home even if we wanted that massive money pit of a burden.
Fast forward to today and they send a message stating a list of demands and preparing for “selling the home” because we stated we will not be buying it.
Our lease does not end for another 1.5yrs, and we gave no date of move out or anything of the sorts other than we do not intend to buy the property. Buying was optional, not a mandatory part of the lease. It simply stated a set price and that we would be given the opportunity at the end to utilize if we wish. It guaranteed a price and a position, only.
The concern I have is the lease stated we are responsible for all maintenance of the home. We have done so 100% to the best of our abilities and they are demanding we finish the bedroom as well as other internal and external “maintenance” to prepare for the selling. I am waiting for my husband to find the lease to confirm but I recall zero description of what the term “all maintenance” implies.
They also included they would provide lawn maintenance in our lease however a month after moving in they stated they would no longer be able to do so and offered no solution other than “do it yourself”. I was furious but my husband did not want bad blood with family so we just said screw it and did it anyways. It’s a very large section of land for being in the city limits in my opinion (three large front lawns and a large backyard, three separate garages, an external room, hot tub area, wooden deck, and large u shaped gravel and dirt driveway). But apparently it’s not been up to their standard and I am aware they violated our lease to do that to begin with by not fulfilling that. However, since my husband has been appeasing them from day one does that screw us over now that they are trying to sell the home before our lease is up and demanding we fix major issues and complete numerous lawn and exterior tasks?
We did WANT to move sooner than the lease is up if possible (with adequate notice and an agreement with his parents if it even came to that possibility) however we do not have an offer letter from a lender or anything of the sorts at this time and are completely blindsided by this.
My husband did inform them of the black mold, the collapsed floor, etc. promptly. And as I stated they had no intentions of fixing any of it.
We even replaced both water heaters when they both failed within two months of each other (1.5k out of my own pocket, they gave us 200 dollars towards the cost only), replaced the dishwasher with a brand new one since the previous one was broken before we even moved in (500 dollars no reimbursement) and everything.
They seem to think that and the floor and everything else falls under “maintenance of the home”, as in our responsibilities “per the lease”. I disagree entirely as that is not routine maintenance but structural and safety concerns and we do not own the home. We have never violated the lease, always pay rent, spent thousands on repairs, and I am just at a loss. That was my hard earned savings from before my marriage as well as during. Are we still responsible for all of it so they can sell the house BEFORE our lease is up and without any list in the lease of what maintenance is, or does the term “all maintenance” imply this still falls on us regardless?
I imagine most people will tell me this was a stupid choice to make to begin with, and I agree 100%, I can see my husband literally fuming and I know now is not the time to say “I told you so” to him. I also imagine everyone will tell me to get a lawyer. We don’t have the money for that right now so I am hoping for some advice that can help in the meantime.
We are in Idaho, btw.