Please Help Me! My house is infested

[tiffany.nicole1296]

So I moved into a trailer with my roommate on September 1st, 2018. The lease was originally in her name and we didn't have any major issues. We have seen roaches here and there but nothing that, as a resident in Georgia, I cant handle. As of lately I signed a new lease and there is new management. I have paid rent on time every month and have't had any problems since I've lived here. Last night my roommate saw a rat and had to put down traps to catch it. We caught the rat and discarded of it. The next day I had an exterminator come out and he said the house is rodent infested because of all the droppings he saw. Prior to the exterminator coming out I contacted the landlord and explained to him my concerns. He basically told me they can lay down traps so you'll be okay. As the exterminator was inspecting the house he asked me to call the owner of the trailer and I did. He told the owner that the job would involve exclusion of the house and patching the house top to bottom and just the whole works. The price would be $1,200 maybe more. The owner hung up and sent me a text that stated, "I will call you back. Owner will not pay 1200". I have a lease that states I am renting to own, but I can not stay in a rodent infested house. Rodents carry disease and the owner will not pay to fix it. Also he has not attempted to come out and assess the issues. Do I have the right to break the lease? I don't have health insurance so i cant afford to get sick. Also, I'm terrified of rodents so I already know I'm going to go into a hotel because I can not live with rodents. Can I please have some legal advice?

 

[LdiJ]

So I moved into a trailer with my roommate on September 1st, 2018. The lease was originally in her name and we didn't have any major issues. We have seen roaches here and there but nothing that, as a resident in Georgia, I cant handle. As of lately I signed a new lease and there is new management. I have paid rent on time every month and have't had any problems since I've lived here. Last night my roommate saw a rat and had to put down traps to catch it. We caught the rat and discarded of it. The next day I had an exterminator come out and he said the house is rodent infested because of all the droppings he saw. Prior to the exterminator coming out I contacted the landlord and explained to him my concerns. He basically told me they can lay down traps so you'll be okay. As the exterminator was inspecting the house he asked me to call the owner of the trailer and I did. He told the owner that the job would involve exclusion of the house and patching the house top to bottom and just the whole works. The price would be $1,200 maybe more. The owner hung up and sent me a text that stated, "I will call you back. Owner will not pay 1200". I have a lease that states I am renting to own, but I can not stay in a rodent infested house. Rodents carry disease and the owner will not pay to fix it. Also he has not attempted to come out and assess the issues. Do I have the right to break the lease? I don't have health insurance so i cant afford to get sick. Also, I'm terrified of rodents so I already know I'm going to go into a hotel because I can not live with rodents. Can I please have some legal advice?

In many rent to own situations the tenant is responsible for repairs. You need to thoroughly read your rent to own contract. How much money did you put down?

 

[tiffany.nicole1296]

In many rent to own situations the tenant is responsible for repairs. You need to thoroughly read your rent to own contract. How much money did you put down?

But this isn’t just a repair it’s an infestation. That makes the house inhabitable right? && there is mold in the house and they just randomly raised the rent. I didn’t put any money down because I was basically “grandfathered” in, my roommate put down 1200 when she moved in but keep in mind we’re under new management.

 

[Zigner]

But this isn’t just a repair it’s an infestation. That makes the house inhabitable right? && there is mold in the house and they just randomly raised the rent. I didn’t put any money down because I was basically “grandfathered” in, my roommate put down 1200 when she moved in but keep in mind we’re under new management.

Replace "repairs" with "pest control".

Does your lease tell who is responsible for pest control? If the lease is silent about the matter, then it's on you.

 

[Gail in Georgia]

You saw (and caught) one rat, called an exterminator who told you that because of the droppings THEY saw the trailer is suddenly "infested" with rats and this will take $1200 to fix.

Doesn't all of this business sound a bit suspicious? It's a bit like the "black mold" scare of years back and the fear that some HVAC repair folks tell homeowners that if they don't spend big bucks to get their duct work scrubbed out they'll die overnight of deadly respiratory diseases.

Put a couple more traps down and see if you catch any more rats.

I suspect what the exterminator told you was connected to his next boat payment.

And no, you don't get to break a lease because of catching just one rat.

Gail

 

[Dandy Don]

Talk to a local landlord/tenant law attorney or look up Georgia landlord/tenant law online. The bottom line is can you figure out somewhere else that you want to live that is affordable (because the new ownership is not going to do what it takes to make this home habitable) and you need look at your contract to see if you can get out of it with a valid reason. Seems like living anywhere else would be better than what you have now. Too bad that your roommate did not have the home inspected before she moved in. Call another pest control exterminator to get a second opinion/estimate about what it would cost to exterminate this home to see if the rate quoted would be more affordable, whether you use their services or not.