Do you know the name of the agency you would report your landlord to?

Question

My friend is having issues with his landlord. The ceiling is leaking. The roof is the issue. The landlord patched the ceiling, but it just resulted in leaking in another part of the ceiling. The water is collecting in a light fixture, so he can turn on the light. Also, the stove isn't working. He has called repeatedly, but there is no answer and the land lord does not return calls. Do you know the name of the agency he would contact to report the conditions?

Answer 1

I found this on the website for Housing & Urban Development.    www.hud.gov

To report a bad landlord to the Multifamily Housing Complaint Line call toll-free1-800-685-8470 / TTY 1-800-432-2209.

Answer 2

www.hud.gov

Answer 3

www.hud.guv

or report to the police and they will take care of him/her for you

Answer 4

HUD mainly deals with subsidized housing -- not necesarily all landlord/tenant issues.  Your friend may call the local government for a building inspection.  Some cities even have inspection programs that monitor rental units.

Otherwise, it's a civil matter and your friend will need to take legal action. He should write letter itemizing the condition problems and send it via Certified Mail.  Depending on your state's laws, he may be able to take the landlord to court for the repairs and withhold rent unit the repair are made.

Answer 5

He needs to call the local housing inspector.

Answer 6

Depends on where he lives ... but the City Planning and Zoning department would be the place to start. Also maybe the Health department.  heck, call the Mayor's office and ask who to call.

Search for the name of the state and Residential Landlord Tenant  ... that will being up the appropriate laws.

Answer 7

Better Business Bureau is one but there is something else he can do.

Have him submit a letter (send it return receipt so he can proved he sent it) to the address he sends his rent to. There are templates online. The letter needs to detail the issues in the apartment and that he is requesting that they be fixed within 30 days. If they are not fixed within 30 days he is going to begin to submit his rent payments to an escrow account with the county.

He will need to call his local county government to find out the procedures as well. They can also mail him information about tenants rights.

If the area is as bad as you describe the landlord is probably breaking the lease and he should be able to move out. Consult a lawyer first though to make sure he is legally protected.

Good luck!