I am receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer. I moved here in Jan. 07 and began treatment in Feb. There were issues with this rental since the start. I have mold growing from standing water in a crawl space in the basement. The previous tennant informed me this water was there when he lived here. I also found mice droppings in my kitchen cabinets and other places. The tennant also had mice when he lived here. I have complained many times for many more problems here and finally after calling the board of health, the landlord is addressing these issues but in a quick fix sort of way. I found out that the landlord never applied for a certificate of use before I moved in. If he had, it wouldn’t have passed inspection and I wouldn’t be in this over priced rental not to mention costs of movers again. I also lost my job in Feb. due to my illness. Which reason should I use to break my lease, the many hazardous problems or I can’t afford to live here. The rent is $1,450 per month.
Nothing like this is ever easy without a fight.
Im sure if you talk to them about it they may let you do it though. They may have enough sympothy for you to let it go. Otherwise simply threaten court. Its not the kind of scene a landlord would want to deal with in court.
I’m sorry your having these difficulties but if you are binded to a lease you have little options. 1. the housing dept will come back to inspect to make sure he has passed inspection, if not then they will continue hitting him with bigger fines until it meets state approval. 2. you could ask your landlord if u can leave and give him 30 days notice, try being reasonable, explain the mold situation and ur sickn ess, he might be willing to let u out of it. 3. stop paying rent and find a new place. granted he will keep your security but he cannot start any legal evictions until the housing dept removes the lien on his property which could take a while for him to pass inspection. also it generally takes 3-5 months to officially evict someone. if he serves u with papers the courts will more than likely side with u being that he has these liens on the property with the mold (which is a health issue) but if some rare incident they dont in order for a sheriff to come and physically kick u out it will take 5 months officially. if i were you i would try to reason with him bc its more headache for him to keep you there then to agree and let u go but it will work in your favor, good luck and be well
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landlord
Nothing like this is ever easy without a fight.
Im sure if you talk to them about it they may let you do it though. They may have enough sympothy for you to let it go. Otherwise simply threaten court. Its not the kind of scene a landlord would want to deal with in court.
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I think you will have better luck with the hazardous conditions than the lack of $$$. Write a letter asking the landlord to "cure the defects" ( make sure you list each and every one) within the time alloted in your state, and if they aren’t fixed you are reserving the right to vacate.
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I would suggest keeping a good paper trail of all your correspondence with your landlord. I’ve found that I get better response if a put a "cc: Attorney" at the bottom of the complaint letters.
So
1. keep a good paper trail.
2. contact your local urban league. They may be able to hook you up with an attorney that handles these sorts of cases possibly (pro bono/free)
3. Contact your local health department and report the landloard.
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I’ve been a tenant in many rentals. I had to learn the hardway once.
Sorry you are dealing with this type of situation. You should get this type of advice from an attorney who is knowledgeable in this area of the law……and offers free telephone consultation.
Also when you post questions on the web may get you good answers but they may not be appropriate for the laws in your particular state, city, county. My company offers access to attorneys who can help you in your area for the price of a cup of coffee per day. If you want to get more info call 866-553-1251
I hope this helps you.
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You should be able to find affordable or free legal help in your state/city able to help you due to your medical condition. If not, your best bet would be to talk to your landlord about the simple fact that you can’t afford your present living arrangement due to your illness and medical/medicine costs.
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experience