How do I get my landlord to repair anything??

Question

I have been living in a house for only 2 months and it's awful. We were told by other renters that the landlord was great. Well now we have out bath water running out into the road. Mold in the bathroom,water is pouring through the insulation onto the ground from the pipes under the house.We have 2 bathrooms,but we are only able to use one. He will not repair the bathroom,so we can use it. I have called the health department about this,but they can't check on anything,but the water leaking into the road. I can't afford to move out and I'm scared that if I take legal action we will be evicted. Please Help!!

Answer 1

he does have certain legal obligations to you. You can get the things repaired, than take it out of your rent.

Answer 2

I believe you can put your rent money in escro (not sure if I spelled that right), which is putting it in a "savings" until the repairs are made. Go in the Yellow Pages and look for a lawyer and just call and tell them the situation and see where they direct you.

I would also look into seeing if there is a renters association in your area and reporting the problem to them.

Why can't the health dept check on it? I would call your local law enforcement agency or county department to find out who to talk to about the situation.

Also, you may be able to get out of your lease because your living conditions are not up to code. Do you have just a landlord or is there a property management company? If there is, contact the company!

The bottom line is, if you signed a lease, you are obligated to pay, but the owner is liable to provide you with an adequate living space.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

Answer 3

Landlords should want to know if anything is wrong so they can fix it right away. By tending to the problems they aren't allowed to get worse.
Tell your landlord in a certified letter what the problems are and hope he responds.
One more thing you could do.....almost no one knows that renters can get things done for free. If they are in a rental that needs a new roof, weather stripping, insullation, storm doors or windows and a few more things...Family services in your county can come to your aid. Sometimes if you contact a church in your area they will fix the pipes.
The landlord will lose the whole house to mold and rot if he doesn't act quickly.
So keep sending letters...document that you have tried to get him to fix the problems...
If you have a city manager you could talk to him for ideas. With run down houses they may not be paying the taxes..see if you can pay back taxes and own the house.
One more thing...ask the landlord to put it in writing that you can take the rent and fix the toilet yourself..Then keep receipts to show the landlord so he can deduct it from your rent..plus wages.

Answer 4

Many states have extensive laws to protect the rights of renters. One of the laws most states have (search the web for "tenant rights" or "renter rights") is the right to have repairs done yourself and force your landlord to pay for them. If you mention this to the landlord then I'm sure he'll be right over rather than risk having you enlist some expensive contractor.

Additionally, don't be afraid to threaten legal action or anything like that. If you've paid your rent on time and haven't done anything grossly wrong (like willfully trash the place or violate parts of the contract) it's illegal to evict you and you can really take him to court. No smart landlord would risk that.

In short, don't be afraid to show a little backbone and stop your landlord from bullying you. The intimidation is the landlord's ace up his sleeve, but he has no right to do what he's been doing.

Answer 5

First send him a letter by registered mail. That way you have a record of him receiving the complaint so he cant say you didnt tell him. Give him 48 hours to get someone to fix it. Take as many pictures from as many angles as you can. Put a current newspaper in front of the picture you take so there is a "date stamp" on it. A video camera works well too...again use the newspaper.

Then contact your Dept of Landlord and Tenants in your area. This will likely be a state or provincial dept. They will have you fill out an official form. (they will ask if you and when you contacted your landlord) Then they will contact your landlord and advise him a complaint has been made and they give a certain amount of time to comply. If not...well, they can be nasty if he doesnt. The dept may come to your home as well.

They may deem your home unsafe. But, depending on your area, the landlord may have to may to have you moved. You can ask about that.

Good luck. And....please be careful. Mould can harm your lungs for life.

Answer 6

You didn't say whether you have a valid lease or not. Most leases require you to put any matter into writing to your Landlord.
I would send the letter Certified Mail so you will have proof you have notified the Landlord of the issues. (Describe them in detail). Leases should also provide a "time frame" for the Landlord to respond and correct the problem(s). If you have a lease, the Landlord would not be able to evict you if you have held up your end of the lease, such as paying rent on time and putting requests in writing.

Answer 7

open a separate savings account a deposit your rent in there. then call your landlord and tell him you will start paying rent again when these things are fixed.if he would happen to take you to court the first thing the judge will want to know is about the rent. you will then have proof of the money. that is your safety net. as long as you have the rent money in an account the judge will find in your favor.and you can not be evicted for repairs not being done. no judge will allow that. you could also make repairs yourself and take it off the rent. make copies of the receipts. one for you and one for landlord. this is all legal. i managed my landlords houses for a year and i had to learn all of this stuff. you have rights. use them. you can also call the city code office. that would cause him a world of crap. and still in your legal rights. on eviction.

Answer 8

People deserve decent living conditions. Maybe try stopping the monthly rent. That should be an attention getter. Or get it fixed and have the repair guy send the bill it to the landlord. There are rules and regulations that landlords must follow. Surely there must be help for you without costing you a lot of coin.

Answer 9

Please find out what the renter's laws are for your state. You are protected, you just need to know to what extent. Take pictures of all of the problems not being fixed and keep a journal of each and every time you contact your landlord. Read your lease/rental agreement. Almost all of them address repairs.
I hope you're able to work everything out. I was in a similar situation a couple years ago and know that it's miserable.

Answer 10

i does no longer fix the failings myself, with the aid of fact there is not any assure that she is going to grant you her money returned. according to risk you examine into submitting a criticism against her. it particularly is her duty to safeguard what is going incorrect on your condominium..think of approximately it: in case you owed her hire then do you think of she could hesitate to evict or sue you?