I have a crappy landlord and my rent is due.?

Question

I've lived in the house I rent for 3 years. 1 month after I moved in, leaks started springing everywhere, basement, kitchen ceiling, bathroom tiles started falling out, water from the roof dripped into tub through the tiles in the ceiling,then that fell out. She would immediately come over and temporarily fix the problem, but a couple of weeks later they would start again. Now, my grandmother died and left me a beautiful home that I'm moving into this weekend. My dilemma lies here...yesterday she(my landlord) sticks a note in my door stating $1313 dollars is due immediately for August rent, water. I put the money away due to the fact that the house is literally crumbling around me. She knows and acts like its nothing and she just wants money. She knows the house was like this when we moved in but claims the issues I have only started when we moved in. Should I pay or just move out my stuff into the house my grand mother left me?

Answer 1

You have live in the house all of August therefore you owe her the rent money.  

Answer 2

You have to give 30 days notice and pay the outstanding rent. The house may be c**p but you chose to live in c**p for three years. Just because you suddenly have a windfall does not mean that your obligations are at an end. Give proper notice and pay what you owe.

Btw....the landlord suing you is going to be A LOT more in the end. The judge will likely tell you what I have and you'll then also be liable for court costs and interest.

Answer 3

If you have lived their all of August you must pay her the rent, but get out of there before September so she doesn't charge you for days you were there. I would move into the home you have now, but make sure you pay her, or you'll be going to court!  

Answer 4

From a moral viewpoint it seems that if a landlord isn't holding up her end of the bargain you shouldn't have to hold up your end (pay rent).

However, the law is quite different on that point. You are obligated to pay rent even if she doesn't do repairs and she's obligated to make the repairs even if you don't pay rent. If she takes you to court you'll end up in a world of hurting so be cautious.

Your landlord is at least doing something which is a good sign. It shows she may be willing to work with you on this. A good compromise is for you to suggest that you'll take care of the problem if you can deduct it from your rent. Have a specific solution and cost, however, when you make this offer. If you or someone you know can't do the repair yourself, get a bid but keep in mind no landlord will agree to this without knowing what it's going to cost them.

Keep in mind that most landlords have a mortgage to cover. If you don't pay your rent they can't pay the mortgage and landlords can get real nasty when that happens. So instead of responding to her negative actions with negative actions, try to find a compromise where you both benefit

Answer 5

Just walking would be stupid.   She will sue, win if you are talking about rent money and possibly put a nice lien on your new house.

This is Aug.   Rent was already due, you need to pay it.   You can't just up and decide that you are not going to pay rent, for any reason.   If you thought you should live there for free you should have gotten a court order to that effect.

If you did not give a 30 day notice you owe rent for September as well.

I would suggest you pay her, if she sues for past due rent and damages she may well force you to sell the house to pay her.

You may think "she just wants her money" and this is true, BUT she deserves her money.  It is hers, not yours.

Answer 6

Been there 3 years?

Now that you want out it becomes crappy!

That pretty much shoots that in the foot and you would lose in court.

Read your lease and see if you can buy it out.

Not on a lease?

Give 30 day notice, pay and then move.

The courts will see you only want out for the house.

Answer 7

You complain about roof leaks after living there for three years?  You owe for all of Aug. and legally you owe for all of Sept.  Give her a thirty day notice of moving immediately.  Try to depart on friendly terms.  Make sure that you clean the place good, remember she has your deposit, and will put it towards damages and clean up.  Take pictures showing it was clean when you leave.  The law is on her side till the above is met.  Starting Oct. you will be clear, but could be subject to a law suit.  

Answer 8

If you move into your grandmothers house are you breaking your lease to do so?  If you arent breaking your lease (you're on a month to month) then you are still obligated to provide your Slum Lord with 30 days written notice to terminate the lease.  Failure to provide her with that courtesy you will automatically forfeit your security deposit.

If you lived in the house all of August then you owe her all of August's rent, just because the place is falling apart does not entitle you to withhold or refuse to pay your rent, failure to do so puts you in breach of your lease and the LL has the right to evict you and go after you for rent and any past due monies owed.

Pay August rent you owe it, give her 30 days notice to vacate the home, leave it in the same condition it was when you moved in and don't forfeit your security deposit.

I sure hope you photograph all the damage the leaks have caused along with copies of letters you sent to your landlord regarding the constant repairs this house needs.  I suggest you contact the health department or the building inspector and have them come out to determine if your landlord is in violation of the building codes.  If they determine that the landlord is in violation they will address this directly with her.  However, you still need to fullfill your lease obligation unless the city determines your house in uninhabitable.

Good luck.  

Answer 9

Negotiate a lower amount than $1313 and then go to grandma's.