Question


Cindy

I need help with a landlord tenant question?

We have lived in a rental property for about four weeks now. The house has had numerous issues since we have moved in, including lack of working plumbing, no working heat, no hot water, etc. We found out the landlord had lit the heater illegally as well, and we have been breathing in carbon monoxide from the cracked furnace. The city came by today and condemned the house until electrical, plumbing, and other work is completed and have declared the house unsafe to occupy. The landlord has now offered to let all 7 in my family stay in a two room apartment until the house is loivable again...but I have had enough and want out of my lease. Can I legally terminate my lease immediately? Do I have to give him notice? This is in Kansas by the way...any help is appreciated.

8 months ago - 4 answers

Best Answer

Chosen by Asker

Wow what a great landlord! Your landlord is in a heap of trouble and is looking at more trouble. He is what you call a slumlord. The lease is void. Plain and simple. Now he has you AND 7 people in a two bedroom apartment? Another violation. Girl/dude, pack your bags and run.

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8 months ago

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Other Answers

I believe your landlord has already broken the lease by renting property not fit to live in. It is not your fault the city condemned the property, it is his. He is a SLUMLORD. Call Kansas Apartment Association. He cannot hold you to a lease when the city condemned it. He is also not supposed to put 7 in a two room apartment. There are laws on that too.

by Dolleyes- 8 months ago

The owner is in violation of the HUD laws in your area. I would go see a real estate attorney in your area. He would love to take your case on.

by Big Deal Maker- 8 months ago

You have rights as a tenant and certainly you have the right to a safe, habitable apartment. Offering something less than you rented is not an option. It is against the law for a family of seven to stay in two rooms. When the apartment was condemned for unsafe living conditions, I would have been out. Call your local housing authority and find out what the landlord must do for you. I would just demand he return my deposit NOW and walk out. If he didn't give it to me, I would cause him every problem I could think of. That includes suing him for your moving costs and the cost of turning on utilities again, inconvenience, and anything else I could think of. . oh yea. . .attorney's fees.

by towanda- 8 months ago