Landlord is unresponsive, what to do?

MANUAL LABOR BURNS CALORIES...... wrote:

I can solve all your problems very easily.

WASH YOUR DISHES IN THE SINK

TAKE YOUR CLOTHES TO THE LAUNDRY MAT TO WASH.

USE YOUR OWN MICROWAVE.

I should add that I am a landlord and NEVER NEVER NEVER provide appliances. Most tenants are so filthy, it takes more time to clean the appliances than what they are worth and appliances break down often especially since they are often misused. In my opinion, the biggest waste of any appliance ever invented is the dishwasher which I would NEVER put in a rental and would remove if there was one when I bought a house.

John Utah wrote:

rtykjr wrote:

Your lease doesn't expire until 12/31. A lawyer will tell you immediately what recourse you have. To make changes in your favor it could be a day or take a month, depending of certain factors, like for example the landlord's answer and when.

Spend $500+ on a lawyer for $300 in repairs

what?

Where are you getting your $500 figure from? My local university’s law school has a free clinic for advice regarding tenants’ rights issues. I’m fairly sure that this is a pretty common thing for schools to offer.

I don’t understand your aversion to knowing the local and state laws before proceeding. Talking to an attorney doesn’t mean that you have to take legal action. It just allows you to know the law so that you know what recourse you can legally take.

If you’re going to withhold rent, why not run the idea before someone who knows what they’re talking about first to make sure that you’re in the right in your specific location and for the specific repairs being completed? Even if the landlord isn’t going to sue you, they may be able to evict you or take the money out of your deposit if you didn’t do things by the book.

First off, read the lease carefully to see what it says about who is responsible for the appliances.

If the lease states it is the landlords responsibility, then send a certified letter demanding they be fixed and cite the clause in the lease that covers the appliances. There is probably a clause in the lease that states how long they need to take.

Become familiar with your local tenant/landlord laws.

I wouldn't count on text messages. There could be a clause in the lease outlining how disputes are communicated. There could also be law covering notifications/communications for tenant/landlord disputes.

Annoyed tenant wrote:

Gravy wrote:

tl;dr

Call 911 and start CPR stat!

4 paragraphs is too long for your to read?

Your lease was too long for you to read?

Annoyed tenant wrote:

Gravy wrote:

tl;dr

Call 911 and start CPR stat!

4 paragraphs is too long for your to read? It only gets harder once you get to middle school, son.

Could you really not tell that the post you’re responding to was a joke playing on the different possible meanings of “unresponsive”? Maybe your issues with your landlord stem from your communication deficits.

If you have access to free legal services, sure. If. But that does not apply to most people in the working world.

I think I explained my aversion several times (with the assumption that lawyers want to get paid for services rendered): wasted money, wasted time and effort, questionable results in the short run. It's all about context. This is "small claims" stuff. Nobody is hiring lawyers and going to court over a simple plumbing repair. This is piddly stuff. Do you talk to a lawyer when a fast food joint gets your order wrong? I'm making a ridiculous point, of course.

The owner is playing games and is making you chase the problem/money. Turn the tables on him, fix the problem yourself, short the rent, and supply the invoices. Now the onus is on him. There is a very high probability that he's not going to do s#it about it. It's not so easy to evict people. Most states have laws that are weighted heavily to tenant rights. Even if he does, what's the likely worst case scenario? You have to reimburse the LL for plumbing repairs? Don't overthink this stuff. Make it a fait accompli. This is what I would do. Others have their own opinions, of course.

John Utah wrote:

Most states have laws that are weighted heavily to tenant rights. Even if he does, what's the likely worst case scenario?

We all agree on this, I think, but the key is: most states. Some states/cities make it more complicated.

If you are going to break a contract (e.g. withhold rent) it is advisable to talk to a lawyer if you don't know the laws. One hour of time will not cost that much.

MANUAL LABOR BURNS CALORIES...... wrote:

I can solve all your problems very easily.

WASH YOUR DISHES IN THE SINK

TAKE YOUR CLOTHES TO THE LAUNDRY MAT TO WASH.

USE YOUR OWN MICROWAVE.

I'm guessing you don't have kids. If I was single then I wouldn't care, but with a baby we value every minute saved. If the house was advertised for less rent without appliances then that'd be fine, but we signed the lease expecting everything advertised to work.

Update: I offered to call contractors myself to do the repairs and deduct it from rent. They responded fairly quickly and will have a new washer installed next week. Thanks for that suggestion.

found the problem wrote:

Annoyed tenant wrote:

4 paragraphs is too long for your to read? It only gets harder once you get to middle school, son.

Could you really not tell that the post you’re responding to was a joke playing on the different possible meanings of “unresponsive”? Maybe your issues with your landlord stem from your communication deficits.

Are you having a Communication BreakDown?????????

Answer:

1) Yes.

For Example:

Oh well.

. . . It's just a coincidence . . .

Annoyed tenant wrote:

MANUAL LABOR BURNS CALORIES...... wrote:

I can solve all your problems very easily.

WASH YOUR DISHES IN THE SINK

TAKE YOUR CLOTHES TO THE LAUNDRY MAT TO WASH.

USE YOUR OWN MICROWAVE.

I'm guessing you don't have kids. If I was single then I wouldn't care, but with a baby we value every minute saved. If the house was advertised for less rent without appliances then that'd be fine, but we signed the lease expecting everything advertised to work.

.

I've never been to a laundromat that prohibited babies but good luck with your hectic life.

I agree with all of the posts from Keanu Reeves.

For repairs that would obviously be made by a responsible landlord, you have it fixed yourself and take it out of the rent with receipts.

If the landlords are too lazy to respond to repair needs, they will be too lazy to pursue legal matters. It won’t be worth it to them.

As far as buying a new house before your lease is up, don’t pass up an opportunity of it comes up.

If they can easily rent the house out again, it won’t be an issue.

landlord who fixes things right away wrote:

Annoyed tenant wrote:

I'm guessing you don't have kids. If I was single then I wouldn't care, but with a baby we value every minute saved. If the house was advertised for less rent without appliances then that'd be fine, but we signed the lease expecting everything advertised to work.

.

I've never been to a laundromat that prohibited babies but good luck with your hectic life.

You obviously don't have a baby, based on your attitude I can see why no female wants to procreate with you. It's a lot of work to bring a baby out of the house, plus it's winter and we do laundry almost everyday. If I wanted to use a laundromat I would have paid for an apartment, not a single family house.

Look up your states renting laws, they differ widely. What ever you do, make sure there is a verifiable paper trail with your attepts to contact the landlord and inform him of the issues. I had a similar situation in Utah and was preparring to take my land lord to small claims court. There was a short window in which I had to prove I had raised the issues and not received a response - this included a receipt for sending grievances through certified mail.

Better to pay rent and uphold your lease

Most states you aren't allowed to withhold rent unless you can prove it's "uninhabitable". If you withhold and end up in court, you'll likley automatically lose because you've not "performed" to your contract/lease.

TL;DR

Keep paying rent/ performing on your lease. Look up the laws - follow them closely and work this on the side.

File an action against the landlord in Mass Housing Court.

See:

https://www.mass.gov/orgs/housing-court

You may even be able to e-file your claim?

https://www.mass.gov/news/housing-court-introduces-e-filing

Good luck.

My guess is that anything you have fixed and then deduct from the rent will then be deducted from your security deposit.

swishing water around that usually ends up on the floor..... wrote:

In my opinion, the biggest waste of any appliance ever invented is the dishwasher which I would NEVER put in a rental and would remove if there was one when I bought a house.

No way. Dishwashers are a godsend. Residential kitchen automatic ice makers are the biggest waste of any appliance ever invented.

Dump a bag of concrete in the drains/toilets/bathtubs, turn on the water. Pack your sh!t and move out of this dwelling. While you are leaving, remove the front door and pray for 15 degree evening temperature.

swishing water around that usually ends up on the floor..... wrote:

In my opinion, the biggest waste of any appliance ever invented is the dishwasher which I would NEVER put in a rental and would remove if there was one when I bought a house.

This has to be the worst take ever on this site -- wtf is the logic?