For all you homeowners out there, please don't use this thread as an excuse to brag about how you're a homeowner This is a thread to get comments from renters and former renters about a situation that I need to kinda figure out.

If you pay your rent every month and your landlord basically ignores the emails when you request small repairs (i.e. fix the doorbell, fix the kitchen tile) are you a jerk if you deduct certain things from the rent because you had to pay out of pocket? The landlord isn't a slumlord at all and is generally a decent landlord but this last time around of asking for things and not getting a response has irked me. What should I do? Just keep paying and don't get the small stuff fix or basically just send a polite email saying, "Hey, if I do it myself can I deduct from the rent?" Any suggestions?

they still have those things???

"… don't worry, the radio stations suck in our hometown too!"

Do u have a management office? If you do, let them know that you have sent several emails, concerning repairs that needed to be done. Also, tell them that you have done most of them yourself, and that are planning to deduct the cost from the rent. Although, I live in an apartment complex, I have done this on several occassions without an issue.

shorttrini said:

Do u have a management office? If you do, let them know that you have sent several emails, concerning repairs that needed to be done. Also, tell them that you have done most of them yourself, and that are planning to deduct the cost from the rent. Although, I live in an apartment complex, I have done this on several occassions without an issue.

Unfortunately, there's no management office. He's basically the owner of the building and it sucks. I don't hate the guy and he's worked with me when I've been struggling but I've never missed a month of rent since I've been here. He sent me an email at 7:30 a.m. to bug me about rent coming up this week (I pay mid-month based on how I get paid) and then he straight up IGNORED the other emails I sent asking about putting in these things...I was really annoyed because he's emailing me as if I'm going to forget? When I've never missed?

My front door doesn't open to the outside, so a doorbell is essential and my kitchen tiles are looking a bit like a warzone lol

[Edited 6/11/12 16:59pm]

SeventeenDayze said:

shorttrini said:

Do u have a management office? If you do, let them know that you have sent several emails, concerning repairs that needed to be done. Also, tell them that you have done most of them yourself, and that are planning to deduct the cost from the rent. Although, I live in an apartment complex, I have done this on several occassions without an issue.

Unfortunately, there's no management office. He's basically the owner of the building and it sucks. I don't hate the guy and he's worked with me when I've been struggling but I've never missed a month of rent since I've been here. He sent me an email at 7:30 a.m. to bug me about rent coming up this week (I pay mid-month based on how I get paid) and then he straight up IGNORED the other emails I sent asking about putting in these things...I was really annoyed because he's emailing me as if I'm going to forget? When I've never missed?

My front door doesn't open to the outside, so a doorbell is essential and my kitchen tiles are looking a bit like a warzone lol

[Edited 6/11/12 16:59pm]

In that case, I would fix things yourself, and let him know via email not only that you have done so, but, that you have deducted the cost from the rent. It is VERY important, that you leave a paper trail of what you have done, sent, and his responses. I would also look to see, if there are organizations that support tennants rights. Contact them, to see what are your rights.

SeventeenDayze said:

For all you homeowners out there, please don't use this thread as an excuse to brag about how you're a homeowner This is a thread to get comments from renters and former renters about a situation that I need to kinda figure out.

If you pay your rent every month and your landlord basically ignores the emails when you request small repairs (i.e. fix the doorbell, fix the kitchen tile) are you a jerk if you deduct certain things from the rent because you had to pay out of pocket? The landlord isn't a slumlord at all and is generally a decent landlord but this last time around of asking for things and not getting a response has irked me. What should I do? Just keep paying and don't get the small stuff fix or basically just send a polite email saying, "Hey, if I do it myself can I deduct from the rent?" Any suggestions?

You can send a list of needed repairs to the landlord (via certified mail) and ask if you may deduct the cost from your rent. If he doesn't agree, (in writing) then you can't do it in most states without risking eviction. Be sure to check your lease.

You would have to pay the repairs out of pocket, give him copies of the receipts and ask for payment within x amount of days. If he doesn't reimburse you then it would have to be settled in small claims court.

More advice here...http://realestate.findla...pairs.html

babynoz said:

SeventeenDayze said:

For all you homeowners out there, please don't use this thread as an excuse to brag about how you're a homeowner This is a thread to get comments from renters and former renters about a situation that I need to kinda figure out.

If you pay your rent every month and your landlord basically ignores the emails when you request small repairs (i.e. fix the doorbell, fix the kitchen tile) are you a jerk if you deduct certain things from the rent because you had to pay out of pocket? The landlord isn't a slumlord at all and is generally a decent landlord but this last time around of asking for things and not getting a response has irked me. What should I do? Just keep paying and don't get the small stuff fix or basically just send a polite email saying, "Hey, if I do it myself can I deduct from the rent?" Any suggestions?

You can send a list of needed repairs to the landlord (via certified mail) and ask if you may deduct the cost from your rent. If he doesn't agree, (in writing) then you can't do it in most states without risking eviction. Be sure to check your lease.

You would have to pay the repairs out of pocket, give him copies of the receipts and ask for payment within x amount of days. If he doesn't reimburse you then it would have to be settled in small claims court.

More advice here...http://realestate.findla...pairs.html

Thanks for the advice. The guy had the nerve to write back an email asking me what I was referring to in my follow-up emails (as if he didn't see the original email in the first place) and has ignored repeated requests. At this point I'm really annoyed and know that if he gets a certified letter from me, he won't accept it. It would cost him more to take me to court than for me to just deduct from the rent and let him deal with it...

Anybody know how to win the lottery? I hate being a tenant...

SeventeenDayze said:

shorttrini said:

Do u have a management office? If you do, let them know that you have sent several emails, concerning repairs that needed to be done. Also, tell them that you have done most of them yourself, and that are planning to deduct the cost from the rent. Although, I live in an apartment complex, I have done this on several occassions without an issue.

Unfortunately, there's no management office. He's basically the owner of the building and it sucks. I don't hate the guy and he's worked with me when I've been struggling but I've never missed a month of rent since I've been here. He sent me an email at 7:30 a.m. to bug me about rent coming up this week (I pay mid-month based on how I get paid) and then he straight up IGNORED the other emails I sent asking about putting in these things...I was really annoyed because he's emailing me as if I'm going to forget? When I've never missed?

My front door doesn't open to the outside, so a doorbell is essential and my kitchen tiles are looking a bit like a warzone lol

[Edited 6/11/12 16:59pm]

Why did you move in the first place?

Is there no way for you to write a list of repairs that need to be completed and approach him face-to-face with the list, explaining that you have had to already make some repairs out of pocket, but cannot keep doing that since it is his responsibility to fix what is broken? If he is not answering emails then it seems that face-to-face contact would be appropriate and giving him a list of repairs that would need to be done (and make sure you go over the list with him) that way he cannot deny that he ever got the list or saw it. When you give him the list let him know that if the repairs aren't completed within a timely manner, and you have to make the repairs yourself, then you will deduct the cost of the repairs from the next month's rent. Next month, if the repairs aren't completed, and you do the repairs youself, deduct it from the cost as you have told him you were going to do. Make sure, however, that when you tell him "within a timely manner" that you specify how long you will give him to complete the repairs before you make the repairs yourself. That way he cannot say that you didn't give him enough time.

babynoz said:

SeventeenDayze said:

For all you homeowners out there, please don't use this thread as an excuse to brag about how you're a homeowner This is a thread to get comments from renters and former renters about a situation that I need to kinda figure out.

If you pay your rent every month and your landlord basically ignores the emails when you request small repairs (i.e. fix the doorbell, fix the kitchen tile) are you a jerk if you deduct certain things from the rent because you had to pay out of pocket? The landlord isn't a slumlord at all and is generally a decent landlord but this last time around of asking for things and not getting a response has irked me. What should I do? Just keep paying and don't get the small stuff fix or basically just send a polite email saying, "Hey, if I do it myself can I deduct from the rent?" Any suggestions?

You can send a list of needed repairs to the landlord (via certified mail) and ask if you may deduct the cost from your rent. If he doesn't agree, (in writing) then you can't do it in most states without risking eviction. Be sure to check your lease.

You would have to pay the repairs out of pocket, give him copies of the receipts and ask for payment within x amount of days. If he doesn't reimburse you then it would have to be settled in small claims court.

More advice here...http://realestate.findla...pairs.html

This.

If you are withholding rent, make absolutely sure you are putting that money in a segregated fund - because you will have to pay it at some point. (In other words, don't think, "Yippee! I withheld part of my rent! I have money! I can go shopping!")

The amount of rent that you agreed to pay in your lease is a binding contract. Withholding it to gain leverage is a risky business - the landlord is within his rights to start eviction proceedings against you if you do not abide by the terms of your contract (ie, pay what you've agreed to).

I have withheld rent only once - when my ceiling caved in because of a botched re-roofing. I was forced to run a de-humidifier non-stop for a couple of weeks (to avoid mold), which bumped my electricity bill a lot. I went to the rental office and told them in advance what I was going to do.

In the meantime, I found another apartment and moved out. (It was going to take a long time for them to repair the ceiling and I didn't want to deal with it.) We agreed that I would not pay rent for my final month and that I would get my full security deposit back, but that I would also release them from any further damage claims (electric bills, mildew, etc).

I used that money to pay the security deposit at the new place and my moving expenses.

SeventeenDayze said:

For all you homeowners out there, please don't use this thread as an excuse to brag about how you're a homeowner This is a thread to get comments from renters and former renters about a situation that I need to kinda figure out.

If you pay your rent every month and your landlord basically ignores the emails when you request small repairs (i.e. fix the doorbell, fix the kitchen tile) are you a jerk if you deduct certain things from the rent because you had to pay out of pocket? The landlord isn't a slumlord at all and is generally a decent landlord but this last time around of asking for things and not getting a response has irked me. What should I do? Just keep paying and don't get the small stuff fix or basically just send a polite email saying, "Hey, if I do it myself can I deduct from the rent?" Any suggestions?

send the landlord a certified letter listing the necessary repairs, pay for the repairs if you cannot force the landlord to do so, and then open a separate account at the bank to escrow the money you've withheld until such time as you receive repayment. good luck

To my surprise, he wrote me back today telling me that unless it's something related to security, he won't make any repairs. He then said something about getting late rent and/or deliquencies from tenants and he said he's not sure or not if he will go up on the rent. I politely reminded him that I've never missed a payment and also mentioned that I'm aware that another tenant just switched over her unit to get subsidized housing and thus gets a payment for a bit higher than market value.

If nothing else, I have the emails proving that he's not going to make repairs in the building that are not "safety related" so he's all but guaranteeing that I will get my security deposit back (hopefully)...

SeventeenDayze said:

To my surprise, he wrote me back today telling me that unless it's something related to security, he won't make any repairs. He then said something about getting late rent and/or deliquencies from tenants and he said he's not sure or not if he will go up on the rent. I politely reminded him that I've never missed a payment and also mentioned that I'm aware that another tenant just switched over her unit to get subsidized housing and thus gets a payment for a bit higher than market value.

If nothing else, I have the emails proving that he's not going to make repairs in the building that are not "safety related" so he's all but guaranteeing that I will get my security deposit back (hopefully)...

contact your local tenant advocacy group. initiate a conciliation court claim against him. the state attorney general's office can help you find the contact info. good luck

XxAxX said:

SeventeenDayze said:

To my surprise, he wrote me back today telling me that unless it's something related to security, he won't make any repairs. He then said something about getting late rent and/or deliquencies from tenants and he said he's not sure or not if he will go up on the rent. I politely reminded him that I've never missed a payment and also mentioned that I'm aware that another tenant just switched over her unit to get subsidized housing and thus gets a payment for a bit higher than market value.

If nothing else, I have the emails proving that he's not going to make repairs in the building that are not "safety related" so he's all but guaranteeing that I will get my security deposit back (hopefully)...

contact your local tenant advocacy group. initiate a conciliation court claim against him. the state a

ttorney general's office can help you find the contact info. good luck

The tile would not totally anger me, but avoiding fixing your doorbell when people can not access your front door seems a safety issue or at least a basic rights issue. If there is a bell to be rung AND THE POLICE or some other agency rings it and you don't answer, how r they to know that you are simply not avoiding them.

What about packages that yoou would need to sign for? This man seems very inconsiderate.

Deadflow3r said:

XxAxX said:

contact your local tenant advocacy group. initiate a conciliation court claim against him. the state a

ttorney general's office can help you find the contact info. good luck

The tile would not totally anger me, but avoiding fixing your doorbell when people can not access your front door seems a safety issue or at least a basic rights issue. If there is a bell to be rung AND THE POLICE or some other agency rings it and you don't answer, how r they to know that you are simply not avoiding them.

What about packages that yoou would need to sign for? This man seems very inconsiderate.

Yeah the tile isn't too bad but I just wanted to document that I let him know that they were starting to come up a bit off the floor. I guess it's a bit insulting and frustrating to constantly write a check and then when you ask for the smallest thing or whatever, the answer is "no" while you still have to pay. I asked if I could just get my own wireless doorbell and use it. He said it was fine. But, when I asked if I could deduct the cost of that purchase (which might be a whopping $30) he didn't respond to the email. I dunno, seems like it's a slap in the face to pay all this rent and can't even get something that small (but seriously necessary) installed....*eyeroll*

Shouldn't this thread be called 'Slumlord Blues'?

angel345 said:

Shouldn't this thread be called 'Slumlord Blues'?

Yeah it's frustrating to say the least. It's not like I haven't paid rent and have been living here for free. I'm paying to be here...wish I could just hit the lotto or something but that's never gonna happen...LOL! I did call a tenant advocacy group and I asked if it was legal what the landlord said and they said no. But, now I have to decide if it's worth going into all this hoopla just to prove a point or just deal with it and just deduct stuff from my rent if I buy it.

SeventeenDayze said:

angel345 said:

Shouldn't this thread be called 'Slumlord Blues'?

Yeah it's frustrating to say the least. It's not like I haven't paid rent and have been living here for free. I'm paying to be here...wish I could just hit the lotto or something but that's never gonna happen...LOL! I did call a tenant advocacy group and I asked if it was legal what the landlord said and they said no. But, now I have to decide if it's worth going into all this hoopla just to prove a point or just deal with it and just deduct stuff from my rent if I buy it.

At the end of the day, it's your decision, but personally, I would take that money that you wish to spend for repairs, and save it for a deposit to a new place. In the future, look at the place, bring someone with you, if you wish, to look at the place, before you move in. Good luck.

P.S. As for the lottery, hey you never know

does your city's civic center have a tenant/landlord/rights mediation department?

if so call and ask for your rights as a tenant. you can also find the information online. if you have everything documented:

1. the dates of email/no response

2. the number of times you called the landlord and what the calls pertained to.

3. repairs needed in your apartment - [how long the repairs have been pending]

heres a link for california. http://www.dca.ca.gov/pub...tenant.pdf (each state has some info.)

when the site comes up click on the binocular icon. then type in "repair."

it will give you some ideas of your rights.

anyway, i hope this helps you to get started on your rights as a tenant.

[Edited 6/15/12 21:44pm]

angel345 said:

SeventeenDayze said:

Yeah it's frustrating to say the least. It's not like I haven't paid rent and have been living here for free. I'm paying to be here...wish I could just hit the lotto or something but that's never gonna happen...LOL! I did call a tenant advocacy group and I asked if it was legal what the landlord said and they said no. But, now I have to decide if it's worth going into all this hoopla just to prove a point or just deal with it and just deduct stuff from my rent if I buy it.

At the end of the day, it's your decision, but personally, I would take that money that you wish to spend for repairs, and save it for a deposit to a new place. In the future, look at the place, bring someone with you, if you wish, to look at the place, before you move in. Good luck.

P.S. As for the lottery, hey you never know

Yeah the tile isn't too bad just chipped and raising a bit in one place but it's not a disaster thankfully. The doorbell situation was handled yesterday. I bought a wireless doorbell for about $20 and emailed the landlord that it will be deducted from the rent. Other than that, I like the neighborhood and can't really afford to move but don't want this landlord thinking he's going to have me paying all this money and not putting in a damn doorbell. I had a package come the other day that I nearly missed. I just happened to look outside and saw the mailman......eyeroll

free2bfreeda said:

does your city's civic center have a tenant/landlord/rights mediation department?

if so call and ask for your rights as a tenant. you can also find the information online. if you have everything documented:

1. the dates of email/no response

2. the number of times you called the landlord and what the calls pertained to.

3. repairs needed in your apartment - [how long the repairs have been pending]

heres a link for california. http://www.dca.ca.gov/pub...tenant.pdf (each state has some info.)

when the site comes up click on the binocular icon. then type in "repair."

it will give you some ideas of your rights.

anyway, i hope this helps you to get started on your rights as a tenant.

[Edited 6/15/12 21:44pm]

Thanks for the info. I will certainly keep this info handy in case I need to. I wasn't thrilled about how he mentioned some BS about thinking about going up on rent when I ask for repairs, even though they are "cosmetic"repairs in this instance, the idea is still the same. What the hell are you paying for? Other than that, the building is fine, the neighbors are okay, so I'll stay here a bit longer until I can afford to leave but if I leave I'd like to be in my own house. As long as I'm a renter I might as well be in the same place until I can buy a house... *sigh*

Hey everyone, some stuff went down recently and I wanted to bump this up again to get feedback from you all. Please help!!!!!

To make a painfully long story short, I just found out that the apartment that I have been renting is being illegally rented to me by my landlord. The only reason I found this out is because he threatened eviction. So, I contacted a tenant's organization. They basically gave me a few steps to follow and in the process of following their suggestions, I found out about several violations. In one of the violations, it states that he told the housing code people that the building was "vacant" and he continued to ignore the requirement to get a rental license. I've lived here two years, can I sue him for the periods of time that he rented to me illegally? The only time he got a rental license was to move in a person with a Section 8 voucher but then as soon as they moved in, he let the rental license lapse again. What should I do?

SeventeenDayze said:

Hey everyone, some stuff went down recently and I wanted to bump this up again to get feedback from you all. Please help!!!!!

To make a painfully long story short, I just found out that the apartment that I have been renting is being illegally rented to me by my landlord. The only reason I found this out is because he threatened eviction. So, I contacted a tenant's organization. They basically gave me a few steps to follow and in the process of following their suggestions, I found out about several violations. In one of the violations, it states that he told the housing code people that the building was "vacant" and he continued to ignore the requirement to get a rental license. I've lived here two years, can I sue him for the periods of time that he rented to me illegally? The only time he got a rental license was to move in a person with a Section 8 voucher but then as soon as they moved in, he let the rental license lapse again. What should I do?

I don't know if you can sue him for rent you've paid but I do know for a FACT that if is an illegal tenancy, he can't sue you for shit! I.e. moving out before lease is up/ staying few months without paying/ damages/' he can't sue you but I'm not sure if you can sue him. I would look into it though.

You can't not pay rent do to it being not set up right paper wise. An agreement is an agreement.And the renter could sue you for any damages to the property that's it. And you can sue the renter-but you wont win a thing. If anything the local government will be on their ass and fine them. The gov't is the one being damaged by this renter not you.

The renter probably could not win a suit against you, if you left early in your lease-however, a lawyer would best to answer that.

Anyone can sue anyone doesn't mean your gonna win a thing.

If you want out of your lease, just contact the local authorities. You'll be out before you know it. Better have a new place first!

kewlschool said:

You can't not pay rent do to it being not set up right paper wise. agreementAn agreement is an .And the renter could sue you for any damages to the property that's it. And you can sue the renter-but you wont win a thing. If anything the local government will be on their ass and fine them. The gov't is the one being damaged by this renter not you.

The renter probably could not win a suit against you, if you left early in your lease-however, a lawyer would best to answer that.

Anyone can sue anyone doesn't mean your gonna win a thing.

If you want out of your lease, just contact the local authorities. You'll be out before you know it. Better have a new place first!

An agreement is not an agreement on an illegal tenancy. He can't hold anyone to anything verbal or otherwise, when he has no business renting it out in first place. He has NO leg to stand on. Trust me, I know this, it happened to a friend. The renter could live there for 3 more years and not pay a dime and he couldn't sue for back rent- although I wouldn't recommend doing that to someone who has a key to your place.

lauralevesque said:

kewlschool said:

You can't not pay rent do to it being not set up right paper wise. agreementAn agreement is an .And the renter could sue you for any damages to the property that's it. And you can sue the renter-but you wont win a thing. If anything the local government will be on their ass and fine them. The gov't is the one being damaged by this renter not you.

The renter probably could not win a suit against you, if you left early in your lease-however, a lawyer would best to answer that.

Anyone can sue anyone doesn't mean your gonna win a thing.

If you want out of your lease, just contact the local authorities. You'll be out before you know it. Better have a new place first!

An agreement is not an agreement on an illegal tenancy. He can't hold anyone to anything verbal or otherwise, when he has no business renting it out in first place. He has NO leg to stand on. Trust me, I know this, it happened to a friend. The renter could live there for 3 more years and not pay a dime and he couldn't sue for back rent- although I wouldn't recommend doing that to someone who has a key to your place.

The landlord had my neighbor come up stairs and knock on the door bugging me about "back rent". I called the police and they will do a report. This landlord is ridiculous, sending me an email on the same day saying someone will come by and just a few hours later a knock on the door. He's illegally rented this place, illegally withholding my last month's rent and being a total jackass. He's still not licensed to rent apartments and thanks to some paperwork that I got a hold of found out that this guy hasn't filed for a rental license in A LONG TIME. This is a mess.

Also, he refused to do repairs in my unit but he does do repairs for the Section 8 person who moved into the building...it's like he's deliberately not doing repairs so that I leave and he can try to sue me for "damaging" his property and then I'll end up paying him twice over!

I hate being a renter...

SeventeenDayze said:

lauralevesque said:

An agreement is not an agreement on an illegal tenancy. He can't hold anyone to anything verbal or otherwise, when he has no business renting it out in first place. He has NO leg to stand on. Trust me, I know this, it happened to a friend. The renter could live there for 3 more years and not pay a dime and he couldn't sue for back rent- although I wouldn't recommend doing that to someone who has a key to your place.

The landlord had my neighbor come up stairs and knock on the door bugging me about "back rent". I called the police and they will do a report. This landlord is ridiculous, sending me an email on the same day saying someone will come by and just a few hours later a knock on the door. He's illegally rented this place, illegally withholding my last month's rent and being a total jackass. He's still not licensed to rent apartments and thanks to some paperwork that I got a hold of found out that this guy hasn't filed for a rental license in A LONG TIME. This is a mess.

Also, he refused to do repairs in my unit but he does do repairs for the Section 8 person who moved into the building...it's like he's deliberately not doing repairs so that I leave and he can try to sue me for "damaging" his property and then I'll end up paying him twice over!

I hate being a renter...

Sorry you're going through this

The guy is definately a dickbag-

Once you're out, tell him to pay you for last months rent and whatever else you think he owes you or you'll call the section 8 people and tell on him for renting out illegal apt. He'll lose alot of income so I BET he will pay you back your money for last months rent !

lauralevesque said:

SeventeenDayze said:

The landlord had my neighbor come up stairs and knock on the door bugging me about "back rent". I called the police and they will do a report. This landlord is ridiculous, sending me an email on the same day saying someone will come by and just a few hours later a knock on the door. He's illegally rented this place, illegally withholding my last month's rent and being a total jackass. He's still not licensed to rent apartments and thanks to some paperwork that I got a hold of found out that this guy hasn't filed for a rental license in A LONG TIME. This is a mess.

Also, he refused to do repairs in my unit but he does do repairs for the Section 8 person who moved into the building...it's like he's deliberately not doing repairs so that I leave and he can try to sue me for "damaging" his property and then I'll end up paying him twice over!

I hate being a renter...

Sorry you're going through this

The guy is definately a dickbag-

Once you're out, tell him to pay you for last months rent and whatever else you think he owes you or you'll call the section 8 people and tell on him for renting out illegal apt. He'll lose alot of income so I BET he will pay you back your money for last months rent !

Thanks dear I plan on staying here and fighting this whole mess. I've already filed with the Fair Housing agency. After my neighbor left earlier today, I called the police. They came out and talked to the neighbor and told him that he (the neighbor) can't knock on my door asking about rent when he doesn't work for the damn company I rent from. I videotaped everything and will hopefully get a lawyer sooner than later!

I'm not going to leave the premises until he files for eviction. He can't file for eviction unless he pays for a renter's license, which for some reason he refuses to do. Once he files for eviction, that's assuming he'll get a legit renter's license, I will countersue for the illegal tenancy and everything else he's done thus far.