Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Louisiana

I just moved into a house in New Orleans, LA. When I moved in the house was filthy, had not been cleaned and there were several major problems such as a non working smoke alarm and holes in the hard wood floors. 5 days after moving in a quarter of my bathroom ceiling caved in. Nobody was hurt and no property was damaged (of mine, the tenant) however I feel that I am owed a reduction of rent for the remainder of my lease and a full third party inspection to make sure the rest of the house in habitable. What are my rights?


Asked on 8/10/09, 12:40 am

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

If you have a written lease, the lease terms are "the law between the parties". That means that if the lease states any terms that address the issue, the lease terms are what the court will look to. Generally, the law allows a tenant to demand that necessary repairs be made. Those demands must be in writing. If the landlord fails to make those necessary repairs after a reasonable time, the tenant is allowed to hire a professional to make the repairs and deduct the cost of the repairs from the rent. The receipt is turned in in lieu of that portion of the rent.

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Answered on 8/20/09, 6:13 pm


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