Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Massachusetts
unresponsive management
The management company for the area I live in has repeatedly giving me the run-around when it comes to repairs in my apartment. It generally takes more than 3 weeks to get anyone in here to take a look at the problem and another week to get it fixed. If it states in the lease than repairs be made "in a timely manner" and that certain amenities (i.e. air conditioning) will be provided by management, can I use this, amoung other things, as a basis for breaking my lease? OR perhaps getting back a portion of the rent for the months in which repairs were not made? Thank you in advance for your help.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: unresponsive management
You can call the board of health in the town you live in. They can force the landlord to make repairs.
Re: unresponsive management
There are several possibilities.
1) You can withhold (hold back some rent) and call for repairs yourself, but only when you've followed the statute. Write to me ( [email protected] ) or call me (617) 527-0050 for details.
2) You can negotiate with the landlord to agree to an "abatement" (reduction) in rent retroactive for the months or partial months you had less of an apartment than you should have had / agreed upon. You can hire an attorney to do that negotiating for you. Again, write to me for details, or call.
3) You can probably get out of your lease pretty easily with good notice. Again, though, a negotiation beforehand would be wise.
Sometimes interference with quiet enjoyment and violations of certain ordinances mean automatic 3-month penalties (3 months of rent) PLUS reasonable attorney's fees.
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