This is from personal experience. I don’t know if this will shock you, but it did me and my family and I thought I would alert you so you can take steps before signing a lease.
My dad signed a 1 year lease for a senior living apartment this past April. He was always worried he would forget a payment as his memory was deteriorating so he would pay in advance at times. My sisters and I were always scrambling to keep up with things so he did not pay too much.
About 4 months into his lease his health deteriorated and he spent the next few months going back between the hospital and rehab facilities. Unfortunately he lost the fight in September of this year.
We notified the apartment and the lady said since he had only been in the apartment for less than 6 months, we should be fine just paying the rent for October, which was fine as he died near the end of September and we were in no state of mind to clean out his place. She said they would also keep the security deposit. OK – We could live with that. We were cleared out completely by the end of October.
Then she hedged. Pay for November and December and we keep the deposit. Our attorney said they had no legal right so we said no. They countered with us to pay November and they keep the security.
That’s still not right. Think of it. A person dies and they do not consider that a reason to close the lease?! Well, we intended to fight it but the bottom line was it is the holidays as I write this and it’s just not worth it.
My advice is to check the senior facilities in your area and see what all their policies are before you or your loved one signs on the dotted line. You or your family could be put through even more trying to close an estate if things are not taken care of beforehand.
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