Landlord taking too long with repairs.

[jennifer83]

What is the name of your state? ky
We signed a 1 yr lease on oct 1 2007. So far we have had a bad refrigerator and instead of LL replacing it they gave us no choice but to buy one and they knocked 10.00 off the monthly rent. A week later I noticed my pipes leaking under kitchen sink. And then my sink stopped up completely and was full of greasy water. Called LL took 6 days to get a plummer to fix it. The plummer almost did not finish the job because my LL was refusing to pay him the price they agreed upon for his services.

I had an electrical short. It took 2 weeks to get an electrician. Luckily my house didn't catch on fire. My LL was on vacation when I called and they told me they would deal with it when they came home!!

Three days ago I noticed a hole in one of my heating/cooling air ducts. Called LL. She said she would get someone to look at it when she had time!!

Now my bathroom sink is leaking. Cannot figure out how but water was pouring down under my cabinet. I turned off the cold water valve and it stopped. So I only have hot water in bathroom sink.

I have a feeling the LL is going to take forever to get a repairman. How long is too long? Can I legally get someone to fix it and deduct the money from my rent. I heard there are legal programs that allow you to do that.

 

[BL]

What is the name of your state? ky
We signed a 1 yr lease on oct 1 2007. So far we have had a bad refrigerator and instead of LL replacing it they gave us no choice but to buy one and they knocked 10.00 off the monthly rent. A week later I noticed my pipes leaking under kitchen sink. And then my sink stopped up completely and was full of greasy water. Called LL took 6 days to get a plummer to fix it. The plummer almost did not finish the job because my LL was refusing to pay him the price they agreed upon for his services.

I had an electrical short. It took 2 weeks to get an electrician. Luckily my house didn't catch on fire. My LL was on vacation when I called and they told me they would deal with it when they came home!!

Three days ago I noticed a hole in one of my heating/cooling air ducts. Called LL. She said she would get someone to look at it when she had time!!

Now my bathroom sink is leaking. Cannot figure out how but water was pouring down under my cabinet. I turned off the cold water valve and it stopped. So I only have hot water in bathroom sink.

I have a feeling the LL is going to take forever to get a repairman. How long is too long? Can I legally get someone to fix it and deduct the money from my rent. I heard there are legal programs that allow you to do that.

Look up your state's LL/tenant law for repair and deduct , but in all the State's laws I've read repair and deduct are for serious habitability issues that the LL does not repair in a timely manner .

I had an electrical short. It took 2 weeks to get an electrician. Luckily my house didn't catch on fire. My LL was on vacation when I called and they told me they would deal with it when they came home!!

Now that would be good cause for repair and deduct , paying a licensed electrician .

Your lease is up , you're free to move upon appropriate notice .

 

[jennifer83]

My lease isn't up until oct 08. i just signed the lease. and ky law has the proper procedure for repair and deduct. but how long should i give the LL to repair the problem before i take the next step?

 

[BL]

My lease isn't up until oct 08. i just signed the lease. and ky law has the proper procedure for repair and deduct. but how long should i give the LL to repair the problem before i take the next step?

You should try working with the LL this early in your rental .

Explain you want to be good tenants and don't want to see the place deteriorate , or god forbid something drastic happens , and you would like an emergeny contact Io call in case of serious emergencies .


There really isn't any amount of time as each repair may be a different issue , and as I noted how much of an issue as to your safety and use of the essentials . Use reason on each issue ( parts might have to be ordered , etc ).

The heating/cooling duct hole ( I don't see this one as repair and deduct ) , could be repaired temporarily with good old duct tape .

Depending on the sink issue ( I don't see this one as repair and deduct ) , it could just need a washer .

You should be writing your request sending it RRR Certified mail , keeping a copy and the receipt ( or the unopened letter sent if returned ) .

Call the build inspector after 2 weeks if not repaired .

 

[Cvillecpm]

FIRST - stop calling and start writing/e-mailing so you can document when you notify the landlord and their response.

SECOND - call the building inspector/code enforcement for an IMPORTANT/HABITABILITY issue - an electrical problem would have been one. A leaky pipe or broken refrigerator are not.

THIRD - do check KY statutes for the repair and deduct option and make sure you FOLLOW THEM TO THE LETTER OF THE LAW.

Frankly, a hole in a heating duct is what DUCT TAPE is for. Cleaning drain lines are relatively easy with over-the-counter chemicals that you should have tried FIRST prior to calling your landlord.

Your landlord is not your maid nor are he and his family responsible to JUMP when you call unless it is an EMERGENCY.

Put a bucket under your bath sink and advise your landlord of the problem in WRITING.

 

[jennifer83]

FIRST - stop calling and start writing/e-mailing so you can document when you notify the landlord and their response.

SECOND - call the building inspector/code enforcement for an IMPORTANT/HABITABILITY issue - an electrical problem would have been one. A leaky pipe or broken refrigerator are not.

THIRD - do check KY statutes for the repair and deduct option and make sure you FOLLOW THEM TO THE LETTER OF THE LAW.

Frankly, a hole in a heating duct is what DUCT TAPE is for. Cleaning drain lines are relatively easy with over-the-counter chemicals that you should have tried FIRST prior to calling your landlord.

Your landlord is not your maid nor are he and his family responsible to JUMP when you call unless it is an EMERGENCY.

Put a bucket under your bath sink and advise your landlord of the problem in WRITING.

Well we tried to repair all of them first. When I contacted LL about the sink being stopped up she flipped out when I mentioned buying any chemicals to clean the blockage. She said she only uses some organic drain cleaner and she would be over in a couple days to pour it down. Secondly I have duct tape over the hole. However I'm no expert on hvac and isn't the reason ppl rent is so that you don't have to be out money to fix things? If I wanted to be out money fixing things I would just buy my own house. I already spent 50 dollars on floor registers and about 20 on caulk because of drafts around the windows and bathtub. Not to mention the bleach I've had to buy to clean mold/mildew under bathroom/kitchen sink because of the leaks i've previously mentioned. Plus the four dollars to buy new keys. Which I don't have the receipt for.

I guess I'm so frustrated with the LL because the are shoddy. The house looks good on the surface but when you start looking at things it's been worked on very cheaply. I've found tape holding things together here. And I lived in my parents home before marrying. Their home is 20 years old and has never had a maintenance problem except for shingles blowing off. This year they got their first leak. So it just kinda makes me angry that my LL doesn't seem to care about their property. My house is 8 yrs old and all this is wrong with it?

If we decide to move and break the lease can the LL make us pay what is left on the contract?

 

[BL]

Well we tried to repair all of them first. When I contacted LL about the sink being stopped up she flipped out when I mentioned buying any chemicals to clean the blockage. She said she only uses some organic drain cleaner and she would be over in a couple days to pour it down. Secondly I have duct tape over the hole. However I'm no expert on hvac and isn't the reason ppl rent is so that you don't have to be out money to fix things? If I wanted to be out money fixing things I would just buy my own house. I already spent 50 dollars on floor registers and about 20 on caulk because of drafts around the windows and bathtub. Not to mention the bleach I've had to buy to clean mold/mildew under bathroom/kitchen sink because of the leaks i've previously mentioned. Plus the four dollars to buy new keys. Which I don't have the receipt for.

I guess I'm so frustrated with the LL because the are shoddy. The house looks good on the surface but when you start looking at things it's been worked on very cheaply. I've found tape holding things together here. And I lived in my parents home before marrying. Their home is 20 years old and has never had a maintenance problem except for shingles blowing off. This year they got their first leak. So it just kinda makes me angry that my LL doesn't seem to care about their property. My house is 8 yrs old and all this is wrong with it?

If we decide to move and break the lease can the LL make us pay what is left on the contract?

The LL could keep your deposit , charge you until replacement tenants can be found , plus it could ultimatly go on your credit reports .

 

[Hot Topic]

{Quote}I guess I'm so frustrated with the LL because the are shoddy. The house looks good on the surface but when you start looking at things it's been worked on very cheaply. I've found tape holding things together here{Unquote}

Your situation underlines the importance of doing a thorough inspection of a house/condo/apartment before signing a lease.

 

[Cvillecpm]

I think you have rented an older home that may suffer from some deferred maintenance; however, nothing you describe except the electrical issue is a HABITABILITY issue that would allow you to break your lease.

I suspect you are getting what you BARGAINED to rent when you secured the home.

The $$$ you have spent is for HOUSEKEEPING issues except for additional keys which should be your cost anyway....if you wanted extra keys you should have asked for them originally....buying bleach or a mildew product you woul have to do IN ANY HOME - rental or not.

 

[jennifer83]

I think you have rented an older home that may suffer from some deferred maintenance; however, nothing you describe except the electrical issue is a HABITABILITY issue that would allow you to break your lease.

I suspect you are getting what you BARGAINED to rent when you secured the home.

The $$$ you have spent is for HOUSEKEEPING issues except for additional keys which should be your cost anyway....if you wanted extra keys you should have asked for them originally....buying bleach or a mildew product you woul have to do IN ANY HOME - rental or not.

We didn't want extra keys. The LL had only one set which was thier master set. We had to get copies made because they had no keys to give us. And they won't reimburse us for the keys we had to make. I would think if the LL took care of their property there would be no mildew to clean up. I've never lived in a home with mildew even in the basement. If there are no leaks there are no mildew. I would think the mildew is the LL fault for not fixing the leaks.