slum landlord

[crystal_knight2003]

i have a landlord that wants his money every month but doesnt want to fix anything what can i do half of electric doesnt work water pressure sucks it drips and that is it when i want to the landlord about it he says that it is the last thing on his mind because he has to get his other places ready to be rented out then this week he tells me and one other tentant that he isnt fixing any thing until he gets back from the beach in a month what can i do please someone give me advice other then moving out it is hard to find a good place and money is very tight

[OHlandlord]

Your best option isn't to move. It is to make your requests in the correct manner. You are asking the wrong way. You need to make all repair requests *in writing*, outlining what needs fixed and why, then mail it to the LL by *certified mail, return receipt requested*. Keep *a copy* for yourself. This makes a paper trail in case it later goes to court. It shows you asked for repairs and the LL received this request. He then has a reasonable amount of time to respond and start repairs (usually no more than 30 days).

If he fails to make these repairs, you then contact the court and tell them your LL won't make necessary repairs. You will have a couple of options, depending on the state. (Not all of these are legal in all states. The clerk can tell you which are legal for your area.) You can 1) ask the court to order the LL to make repairs. He cannot ignore a court order to do so. 2) Rent withhold by giving your rent each month (on time) to the clerk of court. They hold his rent until he makes the repairs. The LL will not be able to retrieve his rent until he does repairs. And since your rent is technically paid, he can't evict. Or 3) repair and deduct, where you schedule the reapirs yourself, subtract the amount from his next rent, and send him the remainder with the repair receipt.

You may also call the city buidling inspector (electric not working correctly could be a building violation) or the health department (may be a hazard). Try this way and see what happens. Make all future communication with this LL in writing only. Good luck.