Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Louisiana

i rented an apartment in gretna,la on 04/29/10 and moved in on 05/01/10 since i moved in I have discovered several things wrong with the apartment such as the electrical outlets, the items plugged into them dont fit properly the plug hangs out, the cable wires inside the walls are damaged, the phone jacks dont work at all and several patches in the ceiling from water damage. i did not notice all these things when i went to inspect the apartment . can i legally put in the notice to break the lease and apply or a new apartment in the meantime. i had to give an 60day notice to get out of the lease and pay 800 but it is not guarenteed the manager will let me out of the lease. please help i dont know what to do.


Asked on 5/05/10, 6:53 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Adam Lambert The Law Office of Adam S. Lambert

No, you can't break the lease. However, you do have options. You cannot simply leave or refuse to pay rent. You must follow this procedure.

Under Louisiana law, if there are defects in the property, you can send the landlord a WRITTEN demand to make repairs. If the landlord refuses to make repairs after a REASONABLE time, you may hire a professional to make the repairs, keep the receipts, and deduct the amount you paid the professional from your rent. Give the landlord copies of the receipts in lieu of that amount of rent.

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Answered on 5/19/10, 10:56 am


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