NEED LEGAL ADVICE NOW PLEASE | Rental Advice Forum

Posted By: Jessica
Thursday, July 1st, 2010 6:13 pm
NEED LEGAL ADVICE NOW PLEASE
Renter
TX	Frustrated Renter, Legal Questions
Recent Advice By: (scroll down to see reply) BedBugger \| Bedbug Expert BedBugger \| Bedbug Expert Got advice? Respond to this post Need more advice? Post new question Related posts: Online legal advice Need advice Please Help. Is this Legal? need legal advice… Do we have a case? landlord won’t stop bedbugs neighbor brought in bed bugs, help! I am a current renter of a house by a privat owner. I signed a year’s lease starting on Oct. 2009. On June 25, 2010 my boyfriend and I found ut that we have bedbugs. The peole from Orkin came out andsaid that we have had the proble or a while and it was possible that they could have already been livig in the 30 year old carpet before we even moved in. Bedbugs can lay dormant without feeding for up to a year. When we notified the landlord about the problem, he said that the professional treatment was a minimm of $600.00 and he refused to pay any of it. We need to get a new mattress, and possibly new furniture. He agreed to let us out of our lease if we paid half of July’s rent and be out by the 18th. He’s going to have to get he house treated anyway, but reuses to have it done before we move our stuff out whichmight cause this problem to follow us to our new locaton. My questions are: 1.) Is he in any way legally obligated to treat the house and our property as well? 2.) Can we get out of the lease without cathing any fines?

Find More Questions About:Frustrated Renter, Legal Questions

What do you think? Please comment

[!] Report this post

Processing your request, Please wait....

2 Responses to “NEED LEGAL ADVICE NOW PLEASE”

Bedbug Expert

BedBugger

July 1st, 2010 9:00 pm

Report Violation

DON’T MOVE UNTIL THE BEDBUGS ARE TREATED!!!

If you move out of your unit, the bedbugs will follow you to your new apartment or rental home. Bedbugs can lay a ton of eggs. The eggs have a sticky coating that allows them to stick to any surface. So if you move, you can be certain the bedbugs will follow you.

Even with professional chemical treatments, they can still follow you.

If you move without treating your bedbug problem first, you will then be 100% responsible for treatment.

Bedbug Expert

BedBugger

July 1st, 2010 9:06 pm

Report Violation

I forgot to answer you questions:

1) Yes, your landlord may be legally responsible to treat your unit for bedbugs. However, you will most likely need some type of legal help. I would suggest filing a bedbug complaint with the RPA. You can click on the link to file a complaint.

2) Yes, you might be able to get out of your lease without any fines or penalties. Once again, you will most likely need legal help. Either way, you will need to get a statement in writing that states that you will not be responsible for early termination fees. Having bedbugs can be enough to claim breach of implied warranty of habitability.

You still need to eradicate the bedbug infestation before you move.

Back to Frustrated Renter, Legal Questions

My response: (We welcome stories, examples, explanations, answers and a touch of your personality)
Your name here: (required)	(Nicknames, usernames, or even anonymous post are ok)
Email:(Optional) (For updates only)	Your email is never shared, sold or added to any other mailing list.
Location: (required)	(Select your State / or use USA if state not applicable)
I'm a:	(Define yourself: New Renter, Former Renter, Attorney, Lost Soul, etc.)

#submit {display:none;}

« Cleaning fee woes Deposit »