Complex cancels tenant’s lease
Northwood Terrace resident disputes basis of termination
Northwood Terrace resident disputes basis of termination
Robyn Kelley soon may not have to worry about a 10 p.m. curfew at her apartment complex. That’s if a lease termination notice she received last week sticks.
Ms. Kelley received a termination of lease notice dated July 16, the same day that a News-Press story appeared with her complaining about the 10 p.m. curfew restriction in the new lease agreement at the Northwood Terrace Apartments, 1203 Northwood Drive.
The termination notice from the law offices of Morton, Reed, Counts & Briggs addressed to Ms. Kelley and her 21-year-old son, Renaud Kelley, said they had until July 31 to vacate their Northwood Terrace apartment. Both Ms. Kelley and Mr. Kelley live in the apartment along with her 10-year-old daughter, Jamessa Stone. Ms. Kelley said she’s lived in the North Side apartment complex for 18 years.
The grounds for termination of the lease as stated in the letter were:
A. “Failure to obey house rules by publicly consuming alcohol on the premises.”
B. “Littering on the premises ...”
C. “Repeated noncompliance with the terms of the lease and house rules.”
D. “Criminal activity (threatening behavior that threatens the health, safety or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other residents and property management staff.”
E. “Criminal activity (drugs) as determined by the landlord.”
She said she received a phone call from an attorney Wednesday saying she could stay if her son moves out of the complex.
“I could stay as long as he leaves,” Ms. Kelley said. “I have to go where he’s at. He can’t come see me.”
Ms. Kelley added that even if her son comes to the complex to visit one of his friends, she still will get evicted.
“They said that doesn’t matter,” she said.
Ms. Kelley said she hasn’t received any warnings about lease violations and there’s never been any reports filed about drug activity at her residence.
“No one has ever been over here to my house or anything,” she said. “I cooperate if necessary, I don’t hide anything. I know I haven’t done anything. If they’ve got proof, they’re more than welcome to come in, but I’ve never been approached, never been called, nothing.”
A spokesperson for Fulson Housing Group, which owns the Northwood Terrace apartment complex, said she couldn’t comment on the case due to pending litigation.
Ms. Kelley has hired a Legal Aid attorney.
Alonzo Weston can be reached
at alonzow@npgco.com.
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Do you need someone to come to your house to tell you to, "knock it off" for you to be aware there is a problem?
C'mon lady, get real. Sounds like the new owners are cleaning house and they had to start somewhere.
No sympathy here.
Posted by BlueMoon1941 on July 27, 2008 at 12:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)Well don't you think its odd she got that notice the same time that story hit the paper? Also how about her living there for 18 yrs and not even getting a write up let alone a eviction notice. All she wants is the proof they are suppose to have to back up thier claim about her son. She is not saying he is an angel like alot do around this town.I never saw northwood in the papers as much as i do the other 2 or 3 apt complexes in town so the house cleaning thing i dont get when there are a couple of other complexes here in st joe that really need to do some deep cleaning. anyway I think after the same people lived in the same place for 18 years with NO PROBLEMS then there is something going on. but thats just my opinon
Posted by missouri_mule on July 28, 2008 at 1:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)21 and still living with mommy says it all!! Read the part about the dope. There is OBVIOUSLY a problem with the son. I would evict a person talking trash on me in the paper also. She probably knew it was in the works, and thats why she called th paper to run that story, makes her look like the innocent person here.......
Posted by Mr_America on July 28, 2008 at 2:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)I can't say I feel too badly for her. They list 5 really good reasons to give her the boot.
Posted by 4wildones on July 28, 2008 at 2:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)If they can prove it, she's out or at least the son is and they (the new owners) have every right. It seems shady but then again it could be exactly like missouri_mule says, she knew about it and wanted to draw first blood, so to speak. Just because she's been there 18 years does not mean there have not been problems. Maybe it is just that the new owners and their zero tolerance rules are a shock. I wonder just how many people got notices, I'd be surprised if this was the only one.
Posted by rmap on July 28, 2008 at 4:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)We are turning into a communist country and you people that think others have a right to dictate your life must not have any critical thinking skills. Every time a right is taken away liberty becomes a thing of the past. Same place for 18 years that says something. Oh; I also guess none of you have kids that have done things that you don't approve of, or you never did anything your parents didn't approve of. Wake up and realize people are struggling.
Posted by Mr_America on July 29, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)It's called facing the consequences rmap. People shoud be held accountable for their actions. If she chooses to keep her troubled "adult" son with her it's time to start packing Ms. Kelly.
Posted by Joe_Wright on July 29, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)rmap...if this was a communist country the government would own the housing.
This is capitalism at work, the business owners do not approve of the tenants actions and they are kicking them out to preserve the rights of the other tenants and ultimately make more money as landlords.
Posted by njones60 on July 29, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)rmap, evicting a problem tenant out of a property you own does not make one a communist. Landlords have the right to not renew a lease for no reason at all or to evict a tenant for just cause. If she wanted the right to live in a home indefinitely, then she should have bought a home (and made the payments). Then no one could tell her she had to leave. Of course, mortgage companies don't usually accept federal subsidized housing payments.
Posted by akm on July 29, 2008 at 9:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)Wow I wonder if there are any landlords willing to take them with this kind of press. If housing was paying her rent, an eviction would terminate any help from the goverment for the next 2 or 3 years.
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