ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — An Englewood family is devastated after their deceased loved one was charged for breaking a lease.
Desiree Trujillo told FOX31 that she misses her father every day.
“Because of my mom passing away when we were younger children, it was just my dad and my brother and myself,” she said.
Now, in addition to coping with the heartbreaking loss, Trujillo said the apartment management where he lived is charging a fee for breaking the lease.
“I felt angry. How could somebody deliver a bill when you guys know this person is deceased?” Trujillo said.
What happens to a rental lease after death?
Legal experts say that while lease agreements outline fees and charges for a range of circumstances, landlords can use judgment in unique cases.
“Technically, for lack of a better term, it is a lease break. But there is a frustration of purpose in obviously the tenant did not realize, most likely, that they were going to die in the middle of the lease,” said Kayla Banzali of Robinson and Henry.
Banzali told FOX31 that tenants need to understand what to expect and can request a written independent agreement if they are coping with an illness.
“There’s always that difference between the black and the white of the law and what they can say we’re going to enforce and that kind of moral obligation,” Banzali said.
Trujillo said her father was the type of person who always supported others and would hope his children would receive the support they need now.
“If you needed help, he was going to take care of it, and just caring about every single person that was around him,” Trujillo said.
FOX31 will continue to follow up with the property management, which was not available on the Presidents Day holiday. Trujillo hopes to settle the issue soon.
“I just want to be able to heal and try to move forward and live my life the way my dad would want me,” she said.