Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California
Sued for old repairs on rental property
April 2003 rented an older residence, 1st June 2003 the ceiling falls in one of the bedrooms. The evap cooler had been turned on for 1 week prior. 3 days prior to the ceiling falling in, we were up on the roof and checked the float and pads because the air was not very cool.The landlords handyman stated that we had caused the damage by getting the pads wet and must have flooded the attic/ceiling. The insulation and drywall have mildew stains. The wood in the attic has ''tide'' marks. We cleaned up the mess. The landlord took 2 months to repair the ceiling, but did not paint the bedroom or hallway. May 2004 had to move suddenly, vict of crime. In September 2004 we received a letter from the management company demanding payment for the ceiling repair, painting for the whole house (not new paint when we moved in, and we prepped for painting when we left it, assuming they would paint everything at once) and other charges not itemized.We sent a letter back requesting an itemization. we did not hear from them until January 2006, when served with a lawsuit on behalf of a collection agency. No prior contact with either realty co or collection agency. do we have to pay this amount? is there a time limit to sue?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Sued for old repairs on rental property
Your cheeky landlord should be ashamed. You have 30 days from the date you are served with the lawsuit to answer and cross-complain...and you SHOULD cross-complain. Contact an attorney in your area as soon as possible to defend the action and attack. Good luck.
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