Well, if you want the whole, long story it is this: I agreed to rent half of a make shift duplex starting on July 1 for a duration of 1 year. The landlord had just purchased the property so I assumed (wrongly) that an inspection had been done during escrow to ensure that the house was up to snuff. The only active utility at the time I moved in was water, so I ordered gas and electricity installed. The electricity came off without a hitch, but the gas department refused to turn on the gas because the gas heater had a leak. I called the landlord, who had that fixed, and the gas company came out again and again refused to turn on the gas because the other half of the duplex had been formed by enclosing the water heater into a room, which is rented out. I was told that it was against code for the water heater to pull oxygen from a sleeping area and that it would have to be properly vented. I called the landlord again, and she sent out her handyman who got the gas turned on. I have no idea whether the water heater was adequately vented. I also had to order trash service because the landlord didn't provide that. I think landlords in Arizona are supposed to do so.
On August 1, my old lease ended, and I moved all my stuff down to Arizona from Utah. A week later, my wife arrived from Peru by plane. About a week later, the landlord sent me a message saying I wasn't properly maintaining the yard. I went out and surveyed the yard, and it was all weeds that were overgrown. So, I began pulling them. On Labor Day she sent me a text message saying I hadn't done anything. That pissed me off, so I took videos of all the area I had cleared and all the brush I had pulled. The next day, she had contracted someone to cut the entire lawn. The people charged her $75 for the front and $75 for the back, and she admits that they didn't look at the place before quoting her. The back had already been 70 percent cleared.
So, I told her I wouldn't pay. I said the correct procedure that she should have followed would have been to have given me a notice to cure the breach of the lease or move out. She was incensed. She was more incensed that I sent that letter certified mail. She was even more incensed that I sent a separate letter complaining of the code violations at the place and requesting repairs. She called me up and yelled at me. She said that sending certified letters "wasn't the right way." She said I should have just called her.
She sent someone over to fix some things, but she didn't fix the dishwasher. She just had the handyman look inside, pull out a fork, and say that it was fixed. It still didn't work. About a month later, I had a person look at it. He diagnosed the problem as a bad board. He also said the board wasn't still being made. He recommended a new unit. He charged me $82 for that. So, I bought a dishwasher and asked her to have it installed. She was incensed. She called me up, cussed me out, and said that the dishwasher was my own responsibility.
So now, my rent is due on the first. I am trying to decide the best course of action. I don't want to withhold rent unless I'm 100 percent sure that I'm legally in the clear. Meanwhile, she is demanding that I move out by sending me multiple text messages and emails. She threatens to bring in new potential tenants to show the place. She claims that she can do so with a 24-hour notice by text message. My wife is stressed out and pissed off at me. I am seeking a solution.
