Texas Apartment Complex Billed A Dead Woman $15k For Breaking Lease

An apartment complex billed a woman $15,000 for breaking her lease . . . because she DIED.

Grieving Family Hit With Ridiculous Bill

The family of Sandra Bonilla, a 91-year-old woman who passed away in late June, was hit with a shocking $15,676 bill from her apartment complex, the Lodge at Shavano Park. The charge was for "breaking her lease" – the lease she could no longer honor because she had died.

The Law in Texas

In Texas, there's a law that allows family members to cancel a lease when a loved one passes away, but that didn’t stop the apartment complex from sending a collection notice to Bonilla’s grieving children. “The fact that they're attacking, coming after the next of kin, who quite honestly, we loved our mom and we're still grieving and all they care about is the money," said her son, David Naterman.

The Family Did Everything By The Book, But...

For over a decade, Bonilla had called the Lodge at Shavano Park her home. She was even laid to rest next to her husband at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. But despite her long-standing residence and the family's efforts to handle everything by the book, they were blindsided by this unexpected and insensitive demand for payment.

Naterman recalls speaking with the leasing manager shortly after his mother's passing. He was told that the security deposit would cover the cost of cleaning and preparing the apartment for the next tenant and that the lease would be terminated. So, you can imagine his surprise when a bill for $14,368 in "accelerated rent" and a $1,117 lease break fee arrived in the mail. To make matters worse, the bill even listed the reason for her move-out as "deceased."

“They want the rest of the, about a year's long worth of rent, from a dead person," Naterman expressed in disbelief.

When reached for comment, the apartment complex didn’t respond to calls or emails. In person, the leasing manager cited tenant confidentiality as the reason for his silence.

Speaking With An Attorney

According to Bill Clanton, an attorney specializing in consumer and debt collection law. He pointed out that under Texas law, the family had every right to terminate the lease without being held liable for future rent, provided they removed all property from the apartment and sent a written notice of termination. After receiving such notice, the landlord is only allowed to charge up to 30 days' worth of rent.

“The landlord can charge for about 30 days once the lease is terminated, you can't get blood from a turnip and you certainly can't get rent from a dead person," Clanton said.

Bonilla's family did everything by the book, including sending the termination notice, yet they still received a threatening collection letter. The letter warned them that the debt could be reported to a credit bureau or even lead to legal action.

As they wait to see if the apartment complex follows through with its threats, the family is left to deal with not only their grief but also the stress of this unexpected financial burden.