I moved into an apartment on the downtown plaza in the beginning of September. Ever since.. every time it rains, there are leaks throughout the apartment. I have informed him every time that it was leaking badly and that it needed to be fixed. The stucco on my patio had been ripped off before I moved in supposedly to repair the leak and he kept insisting that once the stucco guy did his part it should be fine. Needless to say it fixed nothing. A roofer was out to re-access about 3 weeks ago and has still not been out to actually make repairs. It leaks in 4 places throughout the apartment and I'm fed up with having to keep towels and bowls down every time it rains. On top of the raining leak my refrigerator leaks internally because of the ice maker line I'm assuming and that has yet to be fixed. The city inspector is supposed to be coming Friday to make sure that the building is up to code so he finally mentioned someone coming to look at that. My question is as a renter, do I have any legal rights to withhold rent over something like a roof leak?
Thanks for your time
The above image was taken on 12-5-11, several days after it had rained. Yet the water continued to come off the roof of the building. This happens ALL the time.
Publisher's Notes: During the last major storm, another one of Doug Church's tenants contacted me and asked if I had a sump pump. It turns out I have two of them and was able to loan that tenant a unit to drain all of the water that backed up and wouldn't drain off the roof so as this time it wouldn't flood their apartment again.
All that being said, the City has been made aware of the problems/issues with this building. It also turns out the Mayor was quite upset today with 47 News because HE was being interviewed and not Doug Church. Interesting how the Mayor doesn't want to \be placed in a position in which they are held accountable.
Look, let's just get the problems fixed as these tenants, (many of them) are paying $1,200.00 a month rent.
12 comments:
Call the Md Dept of the Environment and tell them you think you have a potential mold problem. The last thing any landlord wants is them on their butts.
$1,200.00/month? There is a sucker born everyday.
Does a tenant have the right to withold rent for a leaky roof?
The answer is no BUT...you can put it in an escrow account which can only be set up by the court. For more info on this go to the MD Attorney General website.
Why would someone pay $1,200 a month to rent an apartment when they could buy a home for less than half of that?
You can buy a home for $500/month rather than rent an apt!
some people don't have good enough credit or the 20% down that most mortgage companies require these days to own a home.
Why would someone pay $1,200 a month to rent an apartment when they could buy a home for less than half of that?
December 7, 2011 7:21 PM
They would need lots of money or good credit. Maybe they are temporary residents.
Who knows? Lots of reasons I'm sure.
as a law student there are options. every lease has an implied warranty of habitability and an implied warranty of quite enjoyment. First question is do you have proof of notifying the land lord not phone calls but in writing. You may withhold rent but like the other person said you must put the money in an escrow account. Likely if you withhold rent landlord is going to sue you and then you can fight it in court. I would check the local board of health laws about codes required for buildings if it is considered unsafe and unsanitary it makes your lease an illegal lease. However with what I said I am not an attorney I am not giving legal advice just sharing my knowledge of the law.
most aren't "homeowners" anyhow. They can't be bothered with maintenance.
2:03, I hope that, if you ever become an attorney, you have someone who can edit your work. Your grammar skills are not up to par. Just a suggestion.
I'm sure rain that is washing bird feces and who knows what else into a living space at least should be against health department regulations. That's disgusting.
If the roof leaks, that makes the place uninhabitable. The landlord needs to fix it.
Go to the courthouse and talk to the clerk about your problem. THey will help walk you through the process.
I am surprised to see this even be an issue. The way Doug brags about money I would think this wouldn't be a huge financial burden for him to address.
But the lack of customer service makes me question ever using his company. I can live without a computer for a day or two. But I can't live without a roof. Where are his priorities?
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