Q: Can my landlord raise my rent because there was a Gas leak also stop any repairs.
This past Sept 2017 my gas was turned off and the meter taken off. The gas company told me a licensed plumber had to come check the pipes under the house/ground. I told my landlord he got mad that the gas company got involved. He said now he had to pay for a permit and hired a licensed plumber. The gas leak was repaired, my landlord told me it cost him over $3000.00. He raised my rent $50.00 it will take affect this November 2017. He told me if I didn't pay the $50.00 he added to the rent I would be evicted, he also said he would no longer pay for any further repairs to the house. He had already raised my rent 5 mos earlier May 2017. He made a comment to me saying it's no longer the tenant it's all about money now. The gas leak was not my fault, the gas company said the gas leak happened due to the age of the house. My question to you is can a Landlord raise the rent due to the gas leak and refuse further repairs to the house, evict me if I don't pay the extra $50.00 on the rent.
A: My initial reaction is no, your landlord can't break the lease by raising your rent based on the types of repairs involved. Keep in mind that you need to have an attorney review your lease and any correspondence you have with your landlord before advising you one way or the other.
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