I just took possession of a new rental, and found mildew in the freezer as well as a few other things that were dirty. He informed me the unit is not professionally cleaned in between, and "dont worry they didn't get their deposits back" about the previous tenant. Well if thats the case, shouldn't the money have been used to clean the place up? I mean there's pee under the toilet seat, the fridge and freezer are filthy (in addition to the mildew) and they left stuff in the dishwasher and garage. Am I way off base here? What can I do?
2007-12-21 06:23:24 · 10 answers · asked by Lisa S 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Also, in regards to the mildew, he gave me tips on how to clean it.
2007-12-21 06:25:08 · update #1
Okay as far as the punch list or check list, I live in Texas and every place I've moved into here they give me the checklist when I move in and its due within a few days. But to me, these aren't thing that I "don't want to be held responsible for" they are things that should have been fixed when the last tenant moved out before I got there. On my walk through to pick the place out, I did not thoroughly inspect it because all other places I've moved into have them professionally cleaned in between so that is what I assumed in this case.
2007-12-21 07:21:09 · update #2
You have a few options... you can break the lease and have monies returned to you due to the place not being in rent able condition (varies by states but check with your local housing office)
OR..... if other than the unclean condition, you LOVE this place... take photos of the areas of concerns, make sure to document your conversations with the landlord, and have him sign something acknowledging the condition of the place, so when you move out, you wont have to worry about him trying to say you did something that was already there...
Good luck!
2007-12-21 06:26:47 · answer #1 · answered by Lisa G 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
While that certainly sucks, I don't see legal grounds in there for breaking the lease. All residential leases carry an "implied warranty of habitability" which deals with stuff like having heat, electricity, running water, and not having serious health hazards like radon or serious mold problems. If it's just the freezer/fridge that are moldy, I wouldn't think this is sufficient. It's not the landlord's responsibility to make sure everything is completely clean for you to move in; you could, however, make it a condition of your renting the place that he cleaned it.* If there are serious problems w/ the fridge, you could probably withhold the amount of rent it takes to fix/clean it up. As for the stuff left over in the garage, you can force the landlord to get that out. As previous poster said, laws vary significantly by state; if it's really bad you're going to want a lawyer. Good luck
*EDIT: that is, you could have done that before you moved in--i don't think you could force him to clean it now, unless it wasn't functioning properly because of it.
2007-12-21 06:36:08 · answer #2 · answered by fleepflawp 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you just rented the place and the landlord just took your deposit, he should have made sure the place was clean- Including in the freezer.
When you were looking over the apartment, did you make a list of things you saw wrong? If so, and if he has a copy, he is obligated to fix it.
If he doesn't, take pictures and complain to his superiors- or even to the housing board.
Good luck.
2007-12-21 06:47:25 · answer #3 · answered by Tigger 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Lisa G is right. I just wanted to say that I thought the place should have been cleaned by someone, if not the previous tenants, then pros. The landlord sounds a little unscrupulous to me. He just kept the deposit and did not fix the problem. Document everything.
2007-12-21 06:36:14 · answer #4 · answered by B Anne 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
what has the land lord to do with the freezer in the 1st place , the bathroom in line with risk and if the roof leaks , however the freezer isn't homestead ,like if the television breaks or the radio ,is unquestionably additionally not landlords problem
2016-10-02 05:34:28 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ever hear the expression, "Buyer beware?" That also applies to rentals. You have every right to see what you are renting before you sign on the dotted line. Once you've inspected and accepted the apt., there's not much you can do but clean it yourself. Sorry
2007-12-21 06:36:23 · answer #6 · answered by Sonny 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Accept the consequences of your decision to occupy this space. Roll-up your sleeves and get down to what must be done. The time and effort spent to clean-up your space is rewarded with a sense of accomplishment far above the would've,could've and should'ves of the situation. Your motivation starts with the fact that no one can assure you better than yourself.
2007-12-21 06:38:40 · answer #7 · answered by racer123 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
take pictures of every thing and date them, show them to him and state that you will have your deposit with held because it was filthy when you moved in,
also would go the health dept and see what can be done,
sounds like he does this so he can keep the deposit,
2007-12-21 09:08:05 · answer #8 · answered by William B 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
if you already took possesion ,yes its your baby
if he's a good landlord he'll work with you on it ecspecially if he kept their deposit . you should always inspect and do a punch list before moving in
2007-12-21 06:58:30 · answer #9 · answered by jdebord1976 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
complain to the landlord and tell him if he wont get it fixed youll charge him for the money you waster on his property i should know i do thatkind of work
2007-12-21 06:32:24 · answer #10 · answered by maryjane 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋