Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Texas

Normal Wear and Tear and Labor Charges
After living in a rental property for over two years we are being charged for items I thought were normal wear and tear. We are being charged for paint (but we painted before vacating), stove light, a toilet seat, and mini blinds. I understand the blinds but not the rest. The owner does the maintenance himself but he is charging me $175 to paint, $75 to clean, and $10.70 to put up blinds. What is normal wear and tear and can he charge for doing his own work? He refused to make repairs the whole time we lived there. As a matter of fact, a cat dug under the porch, ripped into the air ducts, and had kittens in there. Is that a health issue? All the air from the ac goes straight under the house due to the holes. We were paying over $300 a month at times to cool a place of less than 900 square feet. This owner is really ripping people off with his property. What can I do about the charges? Is there any way I can turn him in on the condition of his property so noone else has to deal with the headache?

Asked on 8/28/07, 12:19 pm

Sharon Campbell Sharon K. Campbell

0 users found helpful

0 attorneys agreed

Re: Normal Wear and Tear and Labor Charges

No, a landlord may not charge for his own labor. It does sound like ordinary wear and tear.

Answered on 8/28/07, 1:08 pm

Keywords

Match Any Match All

Country

State

Area of Law