Question
Tenant Rights, what are a tenants right?
I have lived in the same rental house for 3 years this November, & have a written lease which states that landlord is responsible for all repairs, unless done by tenant. My question is this, The whole time I lived here when it rains the basement floods, & has mold everywhere, & mold in other places of the house. Last year I told landlord that when hurricane katrina came through, (we live in Arkansas) that the ceiling in the living room was leaking , & now it is a big spot, & I have told them about 5 or 6 times about it, & was told it would be fixed. Well, we had heavy rain last night & now a piece of the ceiling is hanging down. I am worried it is going to fall through & damage my furniture or hurt one of my kids. Is there anything I can do?
5 months ago - 2 answers
Best Answer
Chosen by Asker
Review landlord - tenant laws for you state to see how long the time limit is to fix structural damage. In WA state your home would be considered unihabitable and the landlord would legally be required to find you a new place to live at the same rent while the damage is repaired. There may be similar policies in your state. First step is to send him a letter by certified mail with a return receipt to prove he recieved it. Include in the letter each and every problem with the house that is required to be fixed and give a time limit - you should be able to find the time limit in the landlord/tenant laws based on the type of problem. Let him know that if the problem is not fixed in a timely manner you will contact the local health dept to have the house evaluated for habitability. Let him know that based on the health departments finding you plan on moving out and he can either find you a new place to live for the duration of repairs at your current rent or he can release you from the lease with a proper refund of deposits and last months rent (if you paid it) minus any damage that was cause by your family (not wear and tear, it's illegal to charge for that.) On a side note - this guy is either and idiot or he's totally broke. He's not taking care of his investment and it will turn out even worse for him in the end. If he had fixed the leak years ago this wouldn't have happened. I suggest that if he lets you out of the lease you take him up on it and find a new landlord.
by Jennifer K
5 months ago
Asker's Rating: 
Other Answers
Absolutely, you need to put your requests in writing and start keeping records like that. Contact your local courts to see what you can do in your area.
by sc2m- 5 months ago