My landlord's lawyer said a verbal agreement was enough... now I'm out $800

I rented a storage unit for my side business and the owner told me I could cancel anytime with 30 days notice, but the actual lease said 60 days. I trusted his word over the contract and when I tried to cancel, they charged me another month. Has anyone else had a verbal promise override what's in writing and gotten out of it?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_felix8d ago

Sorry man, a verbal promise means nothing once you sign the paper.

anthony_jackson317d ago

Verbal promises can actually hold up in court sometimes, it's not a 100% dead thing. Like if you've got texts or emails referencing that verbal agreement, it creates a paper trail that backs you up. I've seen small claims cases where the judge took verbal agreements seriously because both parties acted like the deal was real for months after. The problem is proving what was actually said, not that the promise itself has zero value. It's more about how much leverage you have to enforce it after the contract is signed.

morganl717d ago

Right, because nobody has ever won a lawsuit based on a handshake deal or a text that said "yeah we're good." If you sign a paper that directly contradicts what they promised, you're basically waving a flag that says "I'm fine with getting screwed." The real joke is thinking a lawyer won't turn that verbal promise into a "negotiation tactic" in court, but good luck trying to explain that to your landlord after you've already signed the lease and he's claiming the pet deposit was for a cat, not a goat.