Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Minnesota
gas leak in apartment, landlord wont help
my friend lives in Minnesota (I am in South Dakota and not close enough to help)
she rents and she said she can smell gas in her apartment occasionally ... it is not always noticeable but it can be strong at times
she does not know how to check to see if the pilot lights are out or if the problem is more serious
she told the landlord but the landlord said she is wrong (that there is no gas leak) and ignored her
I do not know if the landlord even came over (I understand she made the statement over the phone)
my friend is afraid of making trouble and getting kicked out
my friend is worried for the health and safety of herself & her cat and the people in the other apartments as well
my friend has experienced fatigue, nausea, and headaches & the cat will not leave the open windows
my friend called the local utilities company that supplies the gas but they said that it would cost $600 for them to come out to check & the landlord will not pay for anything unless they ok the service call (my friend can't afford that kind of $$$)
what can she do ...
what are her rights ...
who can she contact ...
she has no one who can help her (friends or family)
who can she call to make a complaint????
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: gas leak in apartment, landlord wont help
What city or county? Call the Health Dept or City COde inspection ASAP, and until then TURN OFF all gas appliances and leave the WINDOWS OPEN.
Is she NUTS??
Re: gas leak in apartment, landlord wont help
In addition to other responses, we would like to add that the tenant do not have the option to consider the rights of the landlord in this case. Particularly, if it concerns her health and safety. It is recommended that she notify the landlord in writing and keep a copy of the letter. If the landlord do not respond in a reasonable amount of time; in this case five or ten days, then the tenant should contact a plumber to investigate or repair the problem and bill the landlord for these services. The Landlord must deduct this amount from the rent. It the problem cannot be repaired to the safety and satisfaction of the Tenant, she can break the lease with cause and she must have 30 to relocate to a safe environment. If the Tenant is harm by this exposure other legal is also recommended.
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