Q: Can my landlord legally disregard a maintenance request because i owe unpaid rent?
I am on housing and have lived here since 03/2022 and my fridge has not worked since i moved in i informed my manager and she still hasnt sent someone out to fix it but she never forgets to ask me about my unpaid rent. Which os a whole other story. My question is can she legally procrastinate on getting that fixed based off of my debt. I have a two children in my home one of them is only 5 months old. I have been using a cooler and ice for 3 months to keep my kids food from spoiling and theres roaches here as well theres ants my fridge/freezer and dishwasher dont work. This has to violate some kind of landlord/tenant law. Someone please help me so i dont make a fool of myself when i confront her about it. Please
A: No, a landlord has the absolute obligation to maintain appliances and the dwelling in general as long as the tenant is in possession - regardless of rent payment status. Be sure you document the times you have reported the problem or requested maintenance. Once it has gone 10 days or so without response, you likely are entitled to a reduction in your rent to compensate you for the loss of services that are otherwise included in your rent. If the landlord continues to stall, you can always go to court to ask the Judge to order the landlord to comply with their statutory duties - and if you win, the landlord should also be on the hook for your court costs and attorney's fees. All in all, if you continue to have trouble, consider reviewing it all with a local landlord-tenant attorney. Good luck.
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