Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in New Jersey

I want to take my landlord to court and receive compensation/reimbursement for paid rent to live in unfit and unsanitary conditions for the past 6 months. I rent an apartment in New Jersey with my fiance and our newborn daughter (2 months) and our son (3 years). Upon viewing the apartment prior to rental, we saw the conditions of the apartment and noted that they were poor, however our landlord insinuated that it was currently undergoing rennovation. When we moved in and noticed nothing had been fixed, we notified the landlord, gave him a oral list of what needed to be fixed. After a month of no help from our landlord, we filed a complaint and had the apartment assessed by the Department of Health. The Health Department assessed the living condtions twice, taking note that within a 3 month period nothing had been repaired. Due to the colder months and debris in the backyard which has not been cleaned since we've moved in, we now have a huge Rodent infestation. (Rats to be exact) which could potentially cause fatal illnesses and diseases to us, the tenants, and our children. We notified the landlord of the rodent infestation 2 months ago, and nothing has been done. They had remained in our walls and not in our home up until last night, one rat got into our apartment through the holes behind our stove. I called our landlord and notified him of the issue, demanded he bring someone out immediately. He did, and the person he sent out was completely unprofessional and advised me and my husband not to contact the Health Department and that rats do not carry diseases of any kind. I want to know if I take my landlord to court, with the documentation from the Health Department, do we have a chance to receive reimbursement for the amount of rent we have paid to live in an apartment which is a health risk to myself and my children?


Asked on 11/19/10, 3:54 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Davies The Davies Law Firm, P.A.

You sue him and fight to get your money. I can help. What a jerk.

Give me a call, make an appointment to come see me, and let's get moving on this for you.

Robert Davies, Esq. 201-820-3460

My contact information can be obtained from the links below, just click on the Attorney Profile link. Let my secretary know you found me through LawGuru.

Please keep in mind that my response is just a general comment on your question, and not legal advice. Your question and any response does NOT create an attorney-client relationship between you and this law firm. The exact details of your situation and things that you have not mentioned in your question can completely change the answer to your question. You can not rely upon what I have written, because I do not have all of the formation that I need to advise you, I only have the very small amount of information that you put into your question. For me to give you any legal advice, I would need for you to hire me to be your lawyer, and then we would need to discuss this in detail and go over the documents.

To get legal advice that you can rely on and use, please contact me directly. I would be happy to assist you.

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Answered on 11/24/10, 7:00 am


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