If you thought I hated my landlord before ...
One - My oven has been out of commission for a good several weeks and there is no promise of it being fixed anytime soon. How is a domestic diva to do any baking or food making under these conditions????
Two - When I asked about the light fixure dangling by its wiring above my bed (take note that my landlord caused this damage himself) something he said was, "I was under the impression that you were ok with that." Seriously? Who thinks that?
Three - My A/C is out for the second summer in a row. The temp on the thermostat does not move, the airflow from the vents is practically nil. I went out to the storage closet where our unit is to figure out the problem today and found it was not the icebox it usually is (gotta love inefficiency, right?). I felt the duct work, most of it was chilled but a portion was freezing. I checked the filter - it had wet spots on it. Great. The A/C had frozen up and I spent the day thawing it out. See what happens when you fix things on the cheap? They break again ... soonly ...
The kicker? He's been on a business trip for the last month (with his car parked at my house ... the jackass) ... in CHINA! And he won't be back until after Labor Day. It took him two weeks to get the A/C fixed last summer when he wasn't just getting back from a business trip. Shouldn't people like this have a management company running their property?
I can honestly say I've never had such a lazy, cheap landlord. Anyone know the point at which I can start deducting money from my rent for his lack of upkeep?
Posted by Princess Cat at August 28, 2006 05:18 PM @ 05:18 PM in All Things Evil // Permalink | TrackBackI'm not sure, but you may be able to have things repaired and stick him with the cost.
Document everything. Even past sins. Call in some favors to friends and see if you can get a free legal opinion. You may have grounds to break you lease and leave the cheap bastard high and dry.
Posted by: caltechgirl at August 28, 2006 04:55 PMI used to be a licensed landlord in Montgomery County. You need to find out the laws in *your* neck of the woods; they are almost certainly different from mine. Googling your county name and "landlord tenant" should get you started.
You probably can*not* start deducting money from your rent, but, as caltechgirl says, you may be able to get it repaired then bill him for the repairs. It's one hell of a gamble, though, and I don't recommend it.
Your best bet would probably be moderation by your landlord-tenant association.
It would be best if you documented everything, and be detailed. Day and time of call, noting what was discussed (and don't be shy about asking him to slow down because, "I'm taking notes," either), and what was agreed upon, or not, as the case may be. I don't remember if you've discussed this in the past on your blog, but that might serve as documentation. I'd suggest typing them up, printing them out, and keeping the notes in a binder.
Be ready for a fight, kiddo. If he's half the a-hole he sounds like, it might not be easy.
Posted by: Victor at August 28, 2006 07:16 PM