ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Nine days after a fire destroyed their homes, four families got a letter from their landlord, PathStone Management Corporation, saying it’s terminating their leases.
Some of the families have school-age children and they’re two weeks from the first day of class.
The New York State Attorney General’s office says tenants can break a lease after a major fire (See page 40).
There’s not a lot of material online about landlords terminating a lease after a fire.
“It’s a pretty standard clause if you ask me,” said Don Chesworth from the firm Tully Rinckey law firm. “They ought to be interested in some place where they can live now and not waiting until they rebuild the building, it could take up to six months to repair.”
When asked if a landlord can terminate a lease in the event of a disaster such as a fire, Chesworth said, “Certainly if the lease provides that they can. When an individual signs the lease that could very well be a clause that is included.”
