Can anyone help with Landlord retaliation; such as referring to a good attorney? just for beginners.?
April 2nd, 2011 | 
Author: My children and I have had no hot water for 2 months. Are living in growing mod and now yesterday the LL had my car towed away; stating I was illegally living here. My son and I have been very sick and he has been suffering a constant dry cough the minute he walks in our home? I cant get any help becuase I am on Social Security Disability. HELP
LET ME PRE-PEND THIS LETTER WITH; I LIVE IN WASHINGTON STATE.
THE ONLY REASON I CHOSE NOT TO PAY WAS DUE TO THE ONGOING MOLD/ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING PROBLEMS INGNORED CONTINUALLY AND THE FACT THAT HE CHOSE TO TURN OFF MY HOT WATER AS RETALITORY TO MY COMPLAINING. ALL THESE OTHER ACTS HAVE COME SINCE.
I PRINTED AND READ MY STATES RCW.S AND AM THE ONLY PARTY ACTING LEGALLY.
I FIND IT AMAZING MOST ASSUME THAT THIS IS A PAYMENT ISSUE.
Posted in Landlord Tenant Law
look for pro bono lawyers.
plus, you need your lease. i dont know what your lease says(or what state you live in), so i cant help you too much on that..but get your lease, if it is up, then it should have a notice period(it should be written on the lease somewhere). has he given you a notice? if you are illegally living there, then he would have most likely evicted you…oh, did you pay your rent this month?
Contact the legal aid office in your city. Do you have a lease? Is the landlord being paid?
He can’t harass you or turn off your utilities, but he can evict you if you are not complying with the terms of the lease.
It ALWAYS comes down to this:
What is the language in your lease?
The lease you signed is “YOUR Bible”.
The lease spells out ALL the terms of your tenancy AND the price.
EXAMPLE: You don’t have any hot water.
Does your lease specify you pay for or supply the hot water? If it does, that’s the way the lease is written. That’s what you agreed to.
If your lease stipulates you have a $100 repair deductible. That means you pay the 1st $100 and the landlord pays for everything over and above that amount.
It just cannot be made any clearer than that.
Thanks for asking your Q! I enjoyed answering it!
VTY,
Ron Berue
Yes, that is my real last name!
What state do you live in? Without that it’s hard to help you as the rules very greatly. Having your car towed away is illegal in every state. It may even be grand theft auto. In most states it is also illegal shut off your utilities and that would probably include the hot water.
*He is required to provide hot water. He only has 24 hours to fix the “problem.” Sorry, but you aren’t allowed to withhold rent in Washington state. You can give him written notice and if he fails to repair the problems then you can send an estimate through certified mail. At that point he has five days to repair it. If he doesn’t you can deduct up to two months rent to cover the repairs (Per year). I’m guessing it would be cheaper and better for your son’s health to just move if you can and the landlord knows it. You could of course get the repairs done whether you or moving or not to keep him from getting paid to take advantage of the next tenant.
If your disability is severe enough then it could fall under abuse of a vulnerable person. At that point you could sick DSHS on him.
The ones assuming it is a payment issue are mostly admitted landlords and are taking their fellow landlord’s side. They want people to think they are powerless so they don’t have to keep their properties in good repair. Seriously if you can move you would be much better off without the slumlord making your life hell. He has already broken the lease by law and can not penalize you. If it the building is bad enough to be condemned and the appropriate agency condemns it then he may be required to pay relocation assistance. Like swood said look for pro bono lawyers. Washington State does not like slum lords.
Quit your complaining and move. If you have paid your rent on time and have complied with all the terms of the lease then in most cases your landlord will take care of the problems. If they don’t then go somewhere else.
If you landlord is towing your car, he has to have just cause to do so. Therefore, if it is parked legally, then you can have file a complaint against him for that action. But chances are, there is way more to this story than you are telling.
Great post! I completely understand your question. Money is hard for a lot of people right now since the enconomy is going down. My friend told me about this website of an organization that gives people up to $1500 towards their rent or mortgage. It’s available in most areas, so I think you should check it out.
http://www.ffrumster.com
Hope this helps!