Right to terminate lease

[Kendog12]

What is the name of your state? Virginia

What are my rights as a tenant in the state of Virginia to terminate my lease early due to landlord not performing a repair within 30 days. I have emails and text messages for the following things I've reported to my landlord, he's made some repairs but not all of them. The below are examples of things he has not fixed:

- Ants in the bathroom (I sent him pictures and an email 3 months ago)
- The shower in the master bedroom is not getting hot water (only warm)
- Ceiling fan in master bedroom sparks and trips GFCI breaker in bathroom when you try to turn it on
- The deck on the back on the house is coming off of the house because the posts under it are sinking into the ground on one end

How would you recommend I proceed to terminate the lease early and leave without being liable to stay for the remainder of my lease? Can I write him a letter notifying him that he failed to correct the above deficiencies within 30 days and for that reason I am giving him 30 days notice of lease termination and move out? What Virginia law should I cite?

 

[adjusterjack]

How would you recommend I proceed

Proceed by carefully and thoroughly reading the VA landlord tenant statute:

Code of Virginia Code - Chapter 12. Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act

Particularly tenant remedies.

 

[FarmerJ]

So when you called your city / county building inspector about the electrical hazard and the lack of sufficient hot water in a bathroom and the condition of the deck what did they tell you ? BTW stop emailing landlords about repair request , put it on real paper and send it via certified mail or confirmed mail delivery or the lowest cost certificate of mailing , those methods starting with certificate of mailing give postal customer a receipt showing that sender sent something to address ( certificate of mailing lowest cost , confirmed mail delivery more, certified mail, More, Registered mail MOre) I have never had a court refuse to accept my postal receipts for certificate of mailing as my proof ( the courts tend to accept postal reciept with out question as proof of sending , the idea is with a paper trail not only are you able to show a inspector that you complained to the landlord in writing but more importantly along with a written -printed copy of the original complaint you are able to show it to a Judge. if needed someday. ( when its on paper the landlord may take it more seriously since they should realize a paper trail has been started)

 

[Gail in Georgia]

Virginia Warranty of Habitability: Landlord & Tenant FAQs (ipropertymanagement.com)