Question
What should my grandma do? Please help!?
My great grandmother has been living in the same apartment for about 14 years now. She has never missed a payment. The renter raises the rent every year by $50. Right now she is paying $700 for a two bedroom one bathroom apartment. The apartment has it's own two car garage. It's pretty much a tiny house. It's on the bad side of town tho. A guy that lives with the landowner said that they where planning on raising the rent up to $900 for January. The landowners are not fixing anything tho. One big thing that my grandmother want fixed right away is the AC. They put a cooler in but in where we live it gets extremely hot and humid. Today is was 108 degrees. My grandmother already told the landowner to fix it and the landowner sent someone and they "fixed" it but it still doesn't work. My grandmother recently told her again this week and the land owner said that if it didn't work then pretty much oh well. What can my grandmother do? She can't be living in the heat? She is almost 89yrs old and the heat is unhealthy to her. Can she refuse to pay rent until they fix her AC? What can she do? haha I live in CA. She can only afford $700. She doesn't work and her SSIncome is only a little more than that. Houses for rent here are always over $1000.
6 months ago - 4 answers
Best Answer
Chosen by Asker
No, she can't withold rent in CA, AC is not even required here. She needs to sue in small claims court for breach of contract. She has to be given a 60 day notice of the raise, so she can move elsewhere if she does not agree. You did not say what city she is in, some will not allow this high of a raise. Not many, but some. Is she on the section 8 list? You should see about getting her on, she would be high on the list. If you need help figuring out where to go email me the city she lives in, I will help you. Think about buying her one of those upright portable ac units at homedepot. I would buy one for any elderly in my family, just in case.
by Landlord
6 months ago
Asker's Rating: 
Other Answers
Take them to court. She shouldn't have to live in bad conditions like that. But then again it depends on what her lease said when she signed it, because where I live they say that air condition isn't an emergency or a necessity. The best thing she can do is go find a lawyer take her lease with her have them go over it with and let her tell them her living conditions take pictures let her lawyer view the house (yes i know run on sentence) or move.
by hisluvmyluv- 6 months ago
IF the ac is a part of her rent and it is not working YES, she can withhold rent but she will be faced with eviction and court- - - however, if she puts the money in a bank account to hold it specifically until the ac is fixed, then she won't lose in court and the landlord would much rather fix the ac and get her rent then NOT have her rent and go to the expense of a court eviction... remember only a COURT can evict a tenant---a landlord cannot just come over and kick you out...it takes the police to serve court eviction papers for the ball to start rolling... As for a $200 a month rent increase, the landlord would NEVER get that if he's made no improvements to the house in several years...... I would suggest that your grandmother speak to the LANDOWNER and not the landowners live in boy friend and see if they can work something out--ESPECIALLY since she has rented that apartment for 14 years....
by LittleBarb- 6 months ago
Well if its that bad tell her to get a house she would be paying the same thing (if they raise too 900) for a house a monthand she wont be raised every month 50. (my mom pays like 1,000 sa month on our house) and its on the good side of town!!!!!
by haha- 6 months ago