New renter need help! (leasing, townhouse, tenant)

[Micahdarko]

Hi, I'm 23 and just moved into my new house yesterday. The house I am renting was presented and a fancy renovated single family townhouse. On the day I came to pay or it, there were things I spoke about that needed to be addressed with the house things like trash removal from previous renter, sealing around doors to keep things from coming in, and other big things that are less cosmetic but more necessity for living here. Each week I emailed the representative to ask if the owner was taking care of things and was told it would be done by the move in date which was yesterday. When I received my keys yesterday not only did not do any of the things I asked, but the basement had flooding from rain or something else (No visible leaking in pipes) I do not have power in the house until I can submit my lease to BGE to prove that I am a new tenant, because the leasing office did not clear this with them. What can I do at this point not only did I pay first month's rent but a steep security deposit and now that I am moved in I am stuck. What options do I have? I like the house and want things to be fixed, but it seems that after almost a month of being able to do so the owner will not. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

[steppinthrax]

Originally Posted by Micahdarko

Hi, I'm 23 and just moved into my new house yesterday. The house I am renting was presented and a fancy renovated single family townhouse. On the day I came to pay or it, there were things I spoke about that needed to be addressed with the house things like trash removal from previous renter, sealing around doors to keep things from coming in, and other big things that are less cosmetic but more necessity for living here. Each week I emailed the representative to ask if the owner was taking care of things and was told it would be done by the move in date which was yesterday. When I received my keys yesterday not only did not do any of the things I asked, but the basement had flooding from rain or something else (No visible leaking in pipes) I do not have power in the house until I can submit my lease to BGE to prove that I am a new tenant, because the leasing office did not clear this with them. What can I do at this point not only did I pay first month's rent but a steep security deposit and now that I am moved in I am stuck. What options do I have? I like the house and want things to be fixed, but it seems that after almost a month of being able to do so the owner will not. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

I'm a Landlord with property in BalCo.

If the things you speak of are concerning with the "habitability" of the rental then you have the right to file for an escrow account and pay the rent through the courts. However, I would suggest exahust all options with the landlord first. I would send a certified mail to the landlord indicating all the issues before going to the escrow route.

Habitability concerns heating, cooling, water, electrical and safety. If the power outage is a result of external factors beyond the LL control then there is little you can do about it. Everyone' s power is out. However, if the power outage is the result of some internal issue in the unit then you have a case.

In addition the LL should have done a walkthrough before handing you the keys, but that's not a hard req.