Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

We have new renters moving into our house in 3 days. The lease agreement has been signed and we are scheduled to get the first month's rent and deposit tomorrow. Today, we discovered a major plumbing problem that requires one of the two bathrooms to be demolished, fixed, and rebuilt. This will take up to 2-3 weeks. We need to know how much to reduce the rent and what legal steps we need to take during this plumbing job. We have a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with 1,328 square feet of living space. Your advice will be truly appreciated. Thank you.


Asked on 1/26/11, 12:25 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

There is no hard and fast legal rule that I can give you on the rent reduction. You need to work out something fair with the tenants. If you have a good lease they must take the property subject to the repairs. As far as legal steps during the repairs, make sure your insurance is paid up and will cover any damage the contractor does to the tenants things, or injuries to the tenants. Make sure the contractor is licensed and has liability insurance. Communication will be key, so make sure to keep the tenants informed about what to expect day to day, and get them involved in the contractor's scheduling, dust abatement and similar plans for making the intrusion manageable.

Read more
Answered on 1/27/11, 5:59 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Landlord & Tenants questions and answers in California