Hi everyone,
I have a contract with my landlord from Jan 2022- Jan 24 . Today I got a letter from him, stating that he will increase the rent (by 20%) starting Feb. 2023. Does a landlord have the right to increase the rent in the middle of a contract period? I have checked my contract, and it only states that the rent is XX $ for a period of 24 months starting January 2022. It does not mention whether the landlord can increase or decrease it.
There is one slight problem - When the contract was signed, the landlord was out of country in England. As such, he authorized his nephew over the phone to sign it. So the contract has only his nephews signature and not his own.
I talked to the landlord regarding this and he replied that I have no contract with him since he has not signed the contract agreement and I have been living in his house without a contract!
Is there a legal recourse that I can take? I am not sure about the rights of the tenant in HK, so I am in a kind of a fix here. It seems to me it is just his word against mine. Any advice will be appreciated!