What responsibilities does a landlord have to a tenant?

Question

and by the way threatening to terminate my agreement if i cause too much fuss

the problem was a burst cold water tank which ruined my new wall paper, carpets etc

its an ongoing yearly lease.Have I got sitting tenant rights?
I have never caused a problem in any way before always paid on time etc

Answer 1

It depends on the rental or lease agreement.

If the damage was caused by a burst pipe and you had nothing to do with the cause of the problem, the landlord should be liable for the damage. Your lease may have been specific about what damage may or may not be covered. If you were required to get renter's insurance then you have some responsibility to file a claim against that policy. You should be within your rights to get the landlord to pay the deductible.

Most states and localities will side with you if your landlord tries to evict you because of the "fuss".

If your lease is coming to its annual renewal you could have some difficulty depending on your local rental laws.

Answer 2

Hey Doug

I'm afraid it totally depends on your lease! Some landlords make sure the lease gives them every right under the sun. leaving the tenant left with none.

I think you should visit the Rights Bureau, make sure you bring your lease with you. You can also contact a solicitor, most of them hold a free clinic every so often. Again, bring your lease!
They will be able to study it and let you know what recourse you may have/not have.

All the best

Answer 3

a quick check on line should give you your states laws in regard to LL responsibly to the tenant

what type of lease do you have? if it's month to month then ll can give month's notice without reason to end the lease and that's it

if a year lease then most likely a reason to evict is not you complaining of a water problem

what type of remedy do you want? for the LL to pay for new carpet and wall paper?

if you have a yearly lease you have many rights including the right of habitually of the unit which means the LL must maintain the place in it's proper condition also in a year lease he can not evict you just because of have issued an complaint about the unit and want it fix, it could be considered retaliatory in nature

but in the end what do you want the LL to do pay for your damage or what

Answer 4

Not sure whether this has escalated due to him not doing the necessary repairs or the refusal to compensate you as the tenant for your belongings, to an extent its irrelevant as it now appears that you will need to find a new landlord.
seek advice from your local council or citizens advice, you may well be able to withold rent until the dispute is sorted. In the meantime I would suggest finding a new place to live!

Answer 5

The landlord is responsible for keeping things working well in the place where you pay rent and also keeping the grass cut, shoveling the snow, and any outside repairs due to weather related damage.

Answer 6

If its residential lease, then you have statutory protection from eviction.(Protection from Eviction Act 1977) You should seek legal advice, needless to say landlord tenant is such a vast area and it will largely depend on what kind of contractual status you have with each other.

Answer 7

The house has to be in a reasonable condition. It must have smoke detectors, and it must have a gas and electricity safety certificate from registered gas men and electricians. The gas man must be registered by corgi, and the electrician must be registered by something else, I can't remember the name, but you'll see it in the yellow pages. These inspections must be done once a year.
House must have suitable heating system too.

Answer 8

Whatever is stated in the lease agreement. If they say they have 24 hour maintenence or claim it is a quiet building, they are responsible for enforcing this.

Answer 9

Depends on the contract - but usually its for any thing listed in the contents list & general repairs.. i.e. if the cooker is listed 7 goes faulty - he fixes it - but if you damage the door - you pay..

Answer 10

Go to your state's website and look under tenant / landlord and you should find your answer.