I am renting a house that I'm planning to buy at the end of my lease. When I signed the lease there were some issues that were to be taken care of, they have not been, and it's been almost two months. What are my options legally? Can I refuse to pay any further rent until the problems are fixed?
2007-04-19 08:34:51 · 11 answers · asked by tgatz26 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Renting & Real Estate
Check to be certain, but you can deduct the costs of doing the repairs yourself from the rent
2007-04-19 08:38:36 · answer #1 · answered by Experto Credo 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Depending on what the problems are- you can withhold rent. Actually you have to set it aside in an account- but it does not have to be paid out until the problems are fixed. This would normally only apply to health hazardous things though- water leaks, broken glass, electrical problems, mold, etc. If it is just normal maintenence issues like painting, clean carpet, etc. You should be able to easily find tenane/ landlord laws with a simple search in a browser for your state that will give you more detailed information.
2007-04-19 08:44:34 · answer #2 · answered by flamingojohn 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES. Get your landlord/tenant booklet about your rights. Courthouse or City Hall for your state. CA you can take the rent and fix it up, I hope you have everything in writing. Communicate with the owner. Seek legal aid because if you do not pay the rent and are buying the house things could change.
2007-04-19 08:40:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't stop paying rent. It depends on your lease and where you live, but usually tenants have a right to fix problems and deduct the cost from the rent (repair and deduct). You need to give the landlord 30 days' notice of your intent.
Check the laws in your city.
2007-04-19 08:38:43 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
you may have several options,not paying rent isn't one of them though.some states you can go to the small claims court pay a filing fee and have the rent put in escrow till the problems are fixed. if your state has this option send him a certified letter with signed confimation of receipt by him stating all problems that need fixed and give him a reasonable time line to fix them.if he doesn't fix them go ahead with the action. the other is landlord tenant court.
Either way you go you will most likely tick them off and life as you know it will cease to be happy as long as you live there.
2007-04-19 08:55:38 · answer #5 · answered by Cyber-Medic 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You CAN withhold rent, HOWEVER, do not just keep the money in your account. Write the checks out like normal and deposit them with a court clerk. You may need to find out how to do this for your particular jurisdiction, but this way, a record will be kept that you continued to pay for where you lived, even though you withheld that money from the landlord.
If it gets to the point where there's a civil suit, you will be in the cler by protecting the rent money that way.
Also, ALWAYS get things in writing, especially in instances of a dispute. Make copies as well.
2007-04-19 08:44:33 · answer #6 · answered by jdm 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Are they safety issues? Health issues? If so, they need to be fixed immediately for your family's health. Contact your city's health department.
If it's some painting or fixing a crack in the sidewalk, tell the landlord you'll be glad to do the work and give him a receipt for materials and fair labor costs and deduct it from the rent.
2007-04-19 08:46:18 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on your local and state laws concerning renters rights. File your grievance of your landlord's lease agreement violation in writing with the landlord (registered mail) and the local magistrate (or equivalent) stating that you are giving him 30 days to get into compliance. In the meantime you can withhold rent but must put it into an escrow account.
2007-04-19 08:43:07 · answer #8 · answered by lunatic 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't refuse to pay. If you don't pay you can get kicked out. If there was an attorney that performed your lease agreement for you, go to him and tell him this. He'll probably just write a letter and it will be taken care of. If that attorney was representing your landlord, get an attorney to represent you and it shouldn't cost you that much simply to write a letter on your behalf pressuring him to take care of that punch list.
2007-04-19 08:39:27 · answer #9 · answered by Scadle 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How did "mind-blowing" change into "trash hollow" in ten months and also you probably did not reason issues? i have lived in residences for years and not in any respect needed upkeep visits, so i hit upon that sentence difficult to trust. you need to favor to inquire about putting funds for employ right into a courtroom-favourite escrow. even as the owner fixes the sources, he receives the employ. in case you do not use a suitable escrow procedure, you'd be evicted for non-fee of employ, so be very careful on doing this proper.
2016-12-04 07:57:48 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋