Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Louisiana
What can I legally do about my landlord's refusal to make essential, non-cosmetic repairs? It's been a month since my first request for repairs.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Under Louisiana law, if a landlord refuses to make necessary repairs after being informed of the need for the repairs in writing, a tenant may hire a professional to make the repairs and deduct the amount of the repairs from the rent.
The notice to the landlord of the needed repair must be IN WRITING and you must give him a reasonable time after that notice to make the repairs himself.
What is reasonable depends on the repair needed. A reasonable time for a leaky faucet or a broken interior door may be 4 weeks, whereas a reasonable time for a broken exterior door or a broken air conditioner may be 4 or 5 days.
The process calls for the tenant to give the landlord notice, wait the delay, hire a LICENCED contractor to do the work, then deduct the amount of that repair from the rent.
The one thing you CANNOT do is just refuse to pay rent. If you withhold rent without following this process TO THE LETTER you will be evicted.
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