Renting

[dolphfinswave]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

Hi we have been renting our house approximately 21 years and during this time our landlords have never painted, and changed the carpet. They never call or come back and when something did go wrong we called them and they threatened to raise our rent and the things they fixed they fixed partially. We now have mold in this home in the places where the bathroom leaked before they fixed it. The walls are also falling apart from the moisture and the appliances are old. We finally got the money to move out and will be buying a house. What can we be liable for? (The house was built in the 1940s-1950s)

 

[CourtClerk]

Any and all damage above normal wear and tear.

 

[FarmerJ]

Instead do it the other way around if it takes you 10 throw away cameras then thats what youll need , document via photo every thing in the house to show its age , and condition and the things that need repair, things that look clean but worn out and have the film shop date the pics the day of proccessing. You also want to make sure you leave the place clean so maybe best bet is rent a self storage unit and get a ton of your stuff that you wont need for a while into it then as you fill it more of the stuff you might use more often but can live with out so near the end your able to more easily clean and take more pics, make written notes about the pics as you take them , see many of the things like paint job and carpet have now outlived use full life. The appliances get pics of them too , then in the end if your LL trys to claim you have damaged the home and you end up in court your able to show the court all your pics and let the court decide item by item if the LL is being fair claiming you should pay for it. There is no way to know how the LL will deal with your deposit or whether they will make any claim of you damaging the unit.

 

[dolphfinswave]

Thanks Will definatley take lots of pictures

 

[Searchertwin]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

Hi we have been renting our house approximately 21 years and during this time our landlords have never painted, and changed the carpet. They never call or come back and when something did go wrong we called them and they threatened to raise our rent and the things they fixed they fixed partially. We now have mold in this home in the places where the bathroom leaked before they fixed it. The walls are also falling apart from the moisture and the appliances are old. We finally got the money to move out and will be buying a house. What can we be liable for? (The house was built in the 1940s-1950s)

After the first sign of trouble, you should have moved at end of lease. 21 years is a long time, so you must have like it. Now you want to move and afraid of what is going to happen. Mold will not cut it, you are the only one who can control that.. Moisture caused walls to fall, why didn't you use a dehumidifer? That would also have helped with the mold. Old appliances will not cut it, they still work? If dirty, clean them. As Courtclerk said, only wear and tear. The age of house does not play a factor in this. Just how clean you leave the place and fix what damages that you caused in 21 years of living there.

 

[dolphfinswave]

Not looking for anger just looking for solutions

The water leakages occurred within the walls when the bathrooms backed up and water leaked. We used fans. Our landlords fixed the problem within a week and the landlords were aware of the water leakages inside the walls of the bathrooms also they were aware of the job done by the plumbers to the wall when they removed it as they hired a friend to do the job. I am not the renter, my mother is and at the time she could not afford any other home as the rent here was lower than other places. We will fix what needs to be fixed. We are aware that we will probably lose her full deposit but we do not want to be sued so we will fix what needs to be fixed however we will not go above and replace this house as it has been falling apart through the years. I calculated that my mom has paid well over 150,000 dollars of rent money through the years.

 

[Searchertwin]

There was no anger on my part, but I am sure there are plently on your part. Which is understandable. So you have to step out of the box now and take a different look from LL side.
1) You said, "Our landlords fixed the problem within a week". They fixed the problem in reasonable time.
2) Who they hire is no concern of yours. A friend, their dog, it doesn't matter, as long as job is done and done correctly.
3) It is not the LL fault that one cannot afford a higher place to live.
4) By law, you only need to fix WHAT you damaged. You have to determine what is "wear and tear" and what is damaged. You need before and after pictures to protect yourself.
5) How much your mother paid for rent, from $1.00 to thousands, does not matter. She had to live and pay rent somewhere, just like the LL has to pay the mortgages on that house. I have to pay mortgages on houses and the house that I LIVE IN. That amount does not mean it was free to the LL.
And if it was, it was still did not matter. You think all that money should have been put back into the house. It doesn't work that way. Wish it did. I have a castle by now.
6) The best thing here is that you are looking out for your mom. That is the grandest thing a child can do for a parent. She is lucky to have you. But use a little common sense. Take care