Comments on: Can I withhold rent if apartment is uninhabitable after a natural disaster?

By: Grant

Grant — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 16:20:05 +0000

Here you are complaining but for all you know, your landlord could be cursing the heavens for such a disaster that will cost him thousands of dollars to repair!

By: Oma

Oma — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 05:00:09 +0000

Where do you think your LL gets the money for the repairs? From your rent of course! And how will he make the repairs if you don’t pay?

By: Lou

Lou — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:40:05 +0000

If you are a good tenant and your relationship with your landlord is good, he will take care of you. But if you withhold rent and make it very difficult for him to do the repairs, he might just cancel your lease agreement.

By: Dale

Dale — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 06:20:03 +0000

Check your state tenant laws on what they say about the issue. What’s written here is too general. There could be changes depending on your state.

By: Clinton

Clinton — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:20:04 +0000

I agree. I used RPA’s services once and I got some of the resolutions I wanted. Sure, the landlord will negotiate but at least you got something resolved for you.

By: Hank

Hank — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:20:04 +0000

You’re only complicating things by filing a lawsuit. If you win, your landlord may not have the money to pay you back for the costs because he would have spent everything on repairing his apartment. I would suggest filing a complaint with the RPA instead. It’s cheaper and may be just as effective.

By: Loida

Loida — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:20:06 +0000

There are instances when the landlord would need to file for a cancellation of all the lease agreements because the cost of repairs would exceed the cost of just building a new apartment complex. If it involves autos, this would be called a “total loss” but I forgot what that’s called for apartments. But I’m sure there is such a thing. It is a complicated process that means you need to go to court for it.

By: Wes

Wes — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:20:05 +0000

As a landlord that owns only a few rental properties, I rely on the rent payment of my tenants to meet my mortgage and monthly obligations. I don’t have insurance so when Sandy hit, I was at a loss. I had to cancel all the lease because it will take time before I get the rental property completely repaired.

By: Lavada

Lavada — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:20:06 +0000

I was renting an apartment that got damaged during the hurricane. I had to live under a leaky roof for three weeks befor the repair was completed. It was a huge aparment complex and I understand that repairs cannot happen over night. But the good thing was, my landlord was really nice and offered a prorated rent, which I readily accepted.

By: Heriberto

Heriberto — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:20:05 +0000

Time and time again, you have been reminded to get renter’s insurance. If you didn’t get the renter’s insurance before, you’ll definitely regret it.