Lanlord says must vacate 3 biz days prior to end of lease..

[phylkth]

(live in VA) I submitted a written 60-day required termination notice to landlord of 5 yrs in a rental house. In acknowledging receipt of my notice, the landlord sent me a letter stating that she requires I vacate 3 business days prior to the end of the lease in order to do the inspection and make any necessary repairs. I have rented all of my life and have never heard of such a thing - believe she is misreading some legal verbiage. From what I have read, there is a legal requirement to complete the inspection within 72 hrs of end of lease - that does not mean prior to! In my case, 3 biz days prior to end of lease also includes a Saturday - that means I would be paying 4 days of rent for a place I would not occupy???? But what could I expect - she also neglected to tell me when I moved in that the washer/dryer and only hot water heater would be on my tab when the upstairs tenant uses them. Please advise. Quite unhappy............

I have seen this before, although it usually says 3 days, not 3 business days. Some leases do require that the tenant vacate a few days before the end of the month. What does your lease say about the ending/vacating date? The idea is that those few days give the LL a chance to inspect and repair prior to the next occupant. However, if you have been there for 5 years, this will not be enough time to prep and paint the unit before another tenant.

If your lease says you need to be out on the 27th of the month instead of the 30th, then that is the date you must return possession. You signed and agreed to this clause when you signed the lease, and agreed to pay for the whole month's rent. Please read the lease carefully and look for an ending date or a clause that says you need to be out 72 hours before the end of the month. If no clause mentions this, you may stay until the end of the month.

Do you mean that you had to share the laundry facilities, or that the other tenant's water or electric usage for their W & D and water heater was on your bill? Some states require a disclosure of all shared utility arrangements prior to lease signing. But if you have known and tolerated this for 5 years, it is doubtful that you could challenge it after this long.