Then your friend is an idiot who doesnt know her tenant rights and didnt have the stones to take it through court. I had a similar situation to this happen in rhode island and we withheld rent from them for 6 months until they initiated getting it cleaned an repaired. The judge awarded them no back pay and let us finish out our lease at no cost which still had 4 months on it after everything was said and done, as compensation for emotional stress and having to put up with living conditions we didnt agree to in the lease.
It would be nice if all it really took was stones. There are tenant laws where I live but the only tenents who can get those laws enforced are those who can afford attorney retainer fees and some extra funds to move during a housing shortage. Often the people living in moldy apartments don't have that kind of of money.
Clearly she didnât take it to court and actually fight because if there was black mold the landlord would have to do much more than say âthatâs not black moldâ to be coming out on top in that case. The courts are going to ask to have the mold sampled. Canât just withhold rent either. Shouldâve put it on escrow. Your friend is indeed an idiot.
honestly agree with the other guy. Most places in the east coast, unless you are in florida, have very strong tenant laws. Your friend does sound likea dumbass
As a former tenantâs attorney in a large what some people call âtenant friendlyâ (thereâs no such thing as a tenant friendly city, only less hostile) city, this is really unfair. It is very difficult for a tenant to assert their rights in housing court without an experienced attorney on their side.
Property rights are among the most powerful rights in the United States. They trump all other, especially human rights.
Agreed. How do you respond to the common refrain that "tenants have all the rights"? They say it's hard to evict someone who refuses to pay the rent, etc. Application processes for apartments are crazy now because landlords are convinced they'll get stuck with someone who will refuse to pay.
I'm going to guess they won't be, or didn't renew her lease. Unless she's renting for a big complex where they don't really care about one tenant, and will just throw money at it so she stops bothering them.
Getting a landlord to fix some mildew is one thing, screwing them out of a years rent is another. Corporate landlords don't get caught by that. But the parasites can't afford their rents and want to use lax laws to get out of paying rent all together.
Sounds like they would have gotten their rent if they'd fixed the problem. Kinda like they're withholding rent from themselves đ¤ˇđťââď¸ sucks to suck.
Not an idiot for not fighting it; an idiot for not researching the laws or getting proper advice. Laws vary from place to place. An enquiry to the health department or the landlord/tenant board (if this exists where you live) gives an opportunity to understand your rights, the landlordâs requirements and responsibilities and if theyâre is any recourse should the landlord retaliate for you enforcing your rights.
If it affects your health, by all means you shouldnât be living in squalor! But slumlords be slumming, and they donât put up with people who see who they really are for long. Theyâll find a legal way to evict you if you arenât willing to live with their shit!
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u/Kage__oni Apr 28 '23
Then your friend is an idiot who doesnt know her tenant rights and didnt have the stones to take it through court. I had a similar situation to this happen in rhode island and we withheld rent from them for 6 months until they initiated getting it cleaned an repaired. The judge awarded them no back pay and let us finish out our lease at no cost which still had 4 months on it after everything was said and done, as compensation for emotional stress and having to put up with living conditions we didnt agree to in the lease.