Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in New York

Haunted house for rent

Spetember of 2005 I rented a full home for me and my three daughters. When I looked at the house their were some minor items that concerned me, paint, holes in the walls, broken panels/doors, window screens. But the realtor assured me that she had spoken to the landlord and the open items would be completed & repairs would be done.Unfortunatley I trusted that the items would be done, & did not look at the house again. I signed the lease and gave them $2200.00 three times (rent, sec. realtor fee). Repairs were not done at all, I called the realtor to tell her, she ignored my calls. Nov. is almost here and things are worse! Electrical wiring is horrible, power goes all the time, I have been sparked by the electric outlets, they are loose, my daughter got sparked and even my mom on a visit! The stove doesnt work properly, heat is horrible (we freeze) & hot water doesnt last longer than five minutes. The refrigerator is on the blitze,AC Units dont work and my front door doesnt close properly (its off the hindges so it looks like its open, dont have the top lock key. The security lock is still on the hook around the front door! I do have a 1YR Lease. I threatned to hold the rent they threatned immediate eviction. PLEASE HELP-THANKS!


Asked on 10/31/05, 10:12 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Andrew Nitzberg Andrew Nitzberg & Associates

Re: Haunted house for rent

Haunted house sounds right! There are many such unscrupulous landlords about and you have found one.

The best remedy is one of these:

(a) refuse to pay rent until the house is fixed (if you choose this you must put each month's rent in a separate bank account and give the landlord a list of the problems),

(b) look for another home and apply your deposits to the rent until you leave (You will later have to defend a civil court lawsuit, but you would win if you documented all of the problems.), or

(c) hire a lawyer and require the landlord to fix things through legal action.

You are welcome to a consultation for no fee.

Read more
Answered on 11/01/05, 12:22 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Landlord & Tenants questions and answers in New York