withholding rent

[TrekGuide.com]

I think tenants in an apartment are responsible for the insides of their own apartments, such as the walls and furniture and appliances they own, but the owner of the building is responsible for the outside of the building, such as the roof and the driveway and other common areas that no one is renting.

If the electricity keeps going off, the roof is cracking and leaking, and the floor is sinking several inches when you step on it, then those are definitely structural problems.

If you have sent a registered letter to the building's owner, and nothing has been fixed in a reasonable amount of time, then you could hire a contractor yourself, and deduct his fees from your next rent payment.

I don't know if that's true where you live, and I am not a lawyer, so you should take my legal advice with the same skepticism as the time travel theories on my Web site.

 

[Scout101]

if your place is that much of a dump, move out. strongly-worded letters don't fix structural problems, and your place sounds like a big enough dump that it won't be a quick fix even if the landlord agrees with you completely.

the "i like the neighbor" excuse is pretty weak. if you're actually friends, shouldn't be a problem to still hang out, or get another place close by. neighborhood can't be THAT great, if your apt is in that kind of condition...

given all of your posts about drug use, though, your lifestyle may be a consideration in all of this, as well as available money to actually move out and get a nicer place...

 

[Mr Awe]

Move the fuck out of there! Vote with your feet! Strongest way to send a message.