Can my landlord try to sue me?

Question

I am renting a house that is fully furnished, I am looking after the property, however recently the tumble dryer packed up, the on button won't stay on(hotpoint). When I leave the property could I be sued for this type of thing? I recently called out the repair guy for the washing machine, he fixed it in 2 minutes, but charged me £40. My landlord has been fine but he has a history of litigation-took the previous letting agent to court.

Answer 1

some landlords will try so sue everybody they can. he should pay all repairs. just stay on top of them and dont let them pile up. some people are bad tenants and need to be sued. for major repairs and non payment. i would try to get the 40 bucks credit if it was wear and tear. hot point is the more cheeper brand anyway

Answer 2

You most likely did not send registered letters to the landlord demanding action on the repair. You also did not have renters insurance to cover any losses. You probably did not contact the housing department in your city to complain about the inappropriate conditions of the apartment. You didn't tell us how the hole got there which would affect action by the company insuring the apartments. You could file suit against the insurance company. Did you at least have the sense to take photographs of the hole in the kitchen? I would consider a month long enough for the apartments to initiate repairs. Call the local television station and contact the trouble shooters, look in the yellow pages for a free legal consultation from a real estate attorney. Take all the pictures you can if the repair has not been completed. Take signed statements from all the witnesses that you can find and file a counter suit of negligence on behalf of the apartment management company. The landlord will cover the cost of the attorney if found guilty. If you do not appear in court then you will be lose by default and a judgment will be placed against you for the full amount plus fees. Obviously you are in the right but you didn't build a case on your own behalf. Hurry before it's too late. Get the name of the driver from the police report and a copy of the police report. Present it to the court as evidence on your behalf. The landlord will also have proof of the collision after the chase. If the driver had insurance then go after the drivers insurance company. Get a file folder and start collecting items to build your case and I'm sure the judge will dismiss the landlords lawsuit against you.

Answer 3

If you've left the property the same way it was when you moved in bar normal wear and tear, then there is no reason why your landlord would give you hassle.

Why did you have to get someone to fix the dryer? That is HIS job.

Also, if you rent in future, be sure to get an itemised list of everything in the flat and ANY current damage. This will cover you if your landlord tries to blame you for damage you didn't cause.

There was an apartment I looked at once that was notorious for this sort of thing. The lounge had a giant painting of Batman on the wall and when people would look at the apartment, it was noted at the time. Plenty of people would rent this place and end up painting a neutral colour over the picture and the landlord would charge them for damages for painting over the Batman!
Mysteriously, the painting would re-appear everytime someone moved out and the landlord and the apartment became legendary for the scam. It was near a university so there was a constant supply of unsuspecting students who wouldn't know this guy's or the apartment's reputation beforehand.

Answer 4

In the states, landlords try to get away with charging tenants for things they shouldn't, and they get away with it because many people don't want to be bothered with a court battle. A tenant's best defense is to document everything. Keep your receipts and take pictures or video footage that shows the condition of the property. Ask the landlord to do a walkthrough with you to point out anything he thinks will require a charge and get a copy of the document. If you paid for the dryer repair yourself, you sound like someone who has taken good care of the premises and should expect little or no charge when you vacate the house.

Answer 5

What you should have done was notified the landlord that the dryer was broken and that he would have to have it fixed - it is up to him to arrange for any repairs to anyequipment (he can claim it back against tax at the end of the financial year). i suggest you write him a letter - keep a copy - telling him about the fault and that you ahve had it fixed. enclose the receipt and ask for the money basck ; also take a photocopy of the receipt.

Answer 6

|No he can't sue you for that. He should be footing the repair bill himself - it's not up to you, unless you have damaged something. That's just general ageing of the item. Dont worry yourself about it. However, you should put the details of the problem in writing to him asking him to get the problem sorted - then you have proof he has been made aware of the situation.

Answer 7

Providing the damage was not caused by you, I don't really see how he could hold you responsible. However it would be a good idea to put in writing that it was a mechanical fault, and not due to your miss treatment of the machine, and keep a copy of the letter.

Answer 8

OK if it is furnished the landlord is responsible for any repairs. They can not charge you for it unless it states so in your lease. So pay it get a receipt and get a lawyer. This is illegal unless it states this in your lease.

Answer 9

He cant touch you for that,i do dom app repairs for landlords,and the amount sounds about right.he could charge you though if the machine had been broken as opposed to wear and tear.

Answer 10

He can't sue you for something he furnished, and if you told him it was broke, and you had it fixed he can't go after you. He should be paying the bill for the repair...but I guess.