Should I pay the full rental amount?

[cowgirl7505]

I have been renting a house for the past 9 months. On February 25, 2002 my water pipes busted under the house so I called the landlord. It took her a week to responde. After calling the plumbers it was another week before they came to fix the problem. I was informed by the plumber that they would have to repipe the whole house because all the pipes were bad. I went a month without running water in my house. I have four kids and had to travel all over town to different friends houses to bath the kids. Couldn't bath, wash dishes, wash clothes ....etc. for a month. When the plumbing was finally fixed I found that the plumbers has broken the gas line under the house. Then I went a week and a half without water or gas. The gas company came and took the gas meter and it cost me $50.00 to get it back and have the gas turned on due to them having to reinstall it. I also got a $75.00 water bill for the month I didn't even have water (the bill was from the leak of the broken pipe). Yet the landlord still wants $600.00 for the full amount of rent. Do I have to pay the full amount or can some be deducted for the re-installation of the gas meter, $75.00 for the water I didn't use, and some for being without hot or cold water for over a month?

 

[retertoooo]

why do you people forget the MOST important part?

DO YOU HAVE A LEASE?

IF you do then you possibly could withold part of the rent....If you do it right.

With NO LEASE you are pretty much out of luck, cause the landlord can give you a 30 day notice to get out!

But you can sue him in small claims court for the costs of violating the lease and not giving you back your security deposit.

 

[queenofsand]

Please pay your entire rent. If you don't you stand a good chance of receiving an eviction notice for nonpayment.

I don't believe you followed the law with regards to proper notice/procedure for withholding or repair and deduct.


You might try asking (via written rrr letter) for reimbursement for the gas meter reinstall and the water bill and some type of compensation for the inconvenience of no water, etc. Mention that you'd like to give the landlord a chance to make things right before going to small claims court because these bills were incurred through no fault of your own and you feel you are entitled to be reimbursed.

 

[John Bear]

yes by all means lease or not pay the rent but do try to get the landlord to reduce rent or to reimburse you for extra expenses like water bill and gas co charges
if Landlord wont then youll have to consider small calims court if your home state will allow you to ask a judge for money back since the unit had a lower value from not having working water , does your city - county have a renters advocate ? legal aid society ? or a city /county attorney who may have pamphlets about texas law and renters with problems ? call and ask