Landlord keeps shutting off water (Cambria: apartments, renters, condo)

[Heart]

I'm fed up and tired of my landlord running over me. Our complex was taken over by a corporation last fall. They began renovation work immediately and it has been hell living here. It began with cutting down trees, ripping appliances out of apartments and hurtling them over balconies as they crash to the ground making a lot of noise. Drilling, sawing, jack hammering, and shutting off water constantly so they can upgrade their plumbing. The owners do not care about us. They have given everyone notices to vacate one by one. The noise level has ruined our quality of life.

They began shutting off water to all apartments for an entire day on a weekly basis. At first they gave 24 hour notices. But after months of it they stopped giving out notices and just shut off the water all day so their renovations to plumbing can go on.

I wrote up complaints. I contacted housing and the city attorney here Jeff Cambria. If none of these people are going to do a damn thing to the landlord for this then I want to refuse to pay rent.

I will be moving April 20th due to 30 day notice. My lease is up May 1. I dont want to pay rent as i dont feel they deserve it. Nothing is worse than not being able to flush your toilet all day. Let alone wash up dishes so you can eat on clean plates. When they shut water off without notice I have to deal with it.

Question is how fast can they act on a 3 day notice to quit or pay. What happens if I dont pay and just move.

Before someone flames me about being some horrible person forget it. I have an impeccable rental history and I'm sick and tired of being run over. I could use that money to move on anyway.
Thanks

[RoadTripGurl]

I would check out landlord and teneant laws in your state. In my state we can terminate a lease and claim that the coveneant of quiet enjoyment was broken, but it would include you having to file a landlord tenenat claim in court (shouldn't be expensive). Visit the court or visit a court clerk and ask questions about how that would work since they gave you a notice instead.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by Heart

I'm fed up and tired of my landlord running over me. Our complex was taken over by a corporation last fall. They began renovation work immediately and it has been hell living here. It began with cutting down trees, ripping appliances out of apartments and hurtling them over balconies as they crash to the ground making a lot of noise. Drilling, sawing, jack hammering, and shutting off water constantly so they can upgrade their plumbing. The owners do not care about us. They have given everyone notices to vacate one by one. The noise level has ruined our quality of life.

They began shutting off water to all apartments for an entire day on a weekly basis. At first they gave 24 hour notices. But after months of it they stopped giving out notices and just shut off the water all day so their renovations to plumbing can go on.

I wrote up complaints. I contacted housing and the city attorney here Jeff Cambria. If none of these people are going to do a damn thing to the landlord for this then I want to refuse to pay rent.

I will be moving April 20th due to 30 day notice. My lease is up May 1. I dont want to pay rent as i dont feel they deserve it. Nothing is worse than not being able to flush your toilet all day. Let alone wash up dishes so you can eat on clean plates. When they shut water off without notice I have to deal with it.

Question is how fast can they act on a 3 day notice to quit or pay. What happens if I dont pay and just move.

Before someone flames me about being some horrible person forget it. I have an impeccable rental history and I'm sick and tired of being run over. I could use that money to move on anyway.
Thanks

Pay your rent and move on. You can always pursue legal options to recover some of that money. But the minute you withold the rent because you feel they "don't deserve it", YOU become the one breaching the contract.

Don't risk your credit and good name on something this stupid.

[Heart]

Originally Posted by RoadTripGurl

I would check out landlord and teneant laws in your state. In my state we can terminate a lease and claim that the coveneant of quiet enjoyment was broken, but it would include you having to file a landlord tenenat claim in court (shouldn't be expensive). Visit the court or visit a court clerk and ask questions about how that would work since they gave you a notice instead.

They told me I cannot file anything to terminate the lease on my end, since they already served me with a thirty day notice to move.

[Heart]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Pay your rent and move on. You can always pursue legal options to recover some of that money. But the minute you withold the rent because you feel they "don't deserve it", YOU become the one breaching the contract.

Don't risk your credit and good name on something this stupid.

I realise that, however, they have certainly breeched the lease, and have broken the law and a list of civil housing codes. They were given a slap on the wrist by the city attorney. That's all!

I won't bother going into how the harassment of this corporation, by the way who goes by AF Evans, caused me to miscarry our child in my 5th month of pregnancy.

I'm not a rich person, by any means. I cannot afford an attorney, and it seems housing honestly is so backed up they cannot do much at all but dole out a few civil codes at me and tell me I have rights.

People claim that renters have rights, but it seems *here* they do not. As mentioned in my initial post, I never had a problem with a landlord in all my years of renting. Why here in California? Why? Good question.....

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by Heart

I realise that, however, they have certainly breeched the lease, and have broken the law and a list of civil housing codes. They were given a slap on the wrist by the city attorney. That's all!

I won't bother going into how the harassment of this corporation, by the way who goes by AF Evans, caused me to miscarry our child in my 5th month of pregnancy.

I'm not a rich person, by any means. I cannot afford an attorney, and it seems housing honestly is so backed up they cannot do much at all but dole out a few civil codes at me and tell me I have rights.

People claim that renters have rights, but it seems *here* they do not. As mentioned in my initial post, I never had a problem with a landlord in all my years of renting. Why here in California? Why? Good question.....

You have rights, but you need to excersize them within the constraints of the system.

I will say it again - no matter what you feel you "deserve", this is a legal issue, and you want to be on the right side of the law, not the wrong side.

[kettlepot]

Pay your rent. Study the law. Gather together a paper trail of what they have done. Sue in Small Claims Court under the appropriate part of the law. I did for the return of my security deposit and won. They may not pay you immediately, but if you win it becomes a lien against the property that they have to remove before selling it.

[Paula Lynn]

As a manager speaking, I lived and managed a 35 unit that was going condo conversion. We gave residents incentives to move, i.e., their full security deposit and $1000 in order to move on with the construction. Unfortunately there were many times that the plumbers turned off the water with no notice. That was not right, that's why the owners bribed the residents with $$$$. No one in my building (including me) could afford to purchase their apartment/condo .... at the end I was the only one left.

If it's an emergency to turn off the water with no notice, then you'll have no choice. However the damn plumbers will "say" it's an emergency, if only for their convenience.

I feel for you.

[artichoke63]

Originally Posted by Heart

I'm fed up and tired of my landlord running over me. Our complex was taken over by a corporation last fall. They began renovation work immediately and it has been hell living here. It began with cutting down trees, ripping appliances out of apartments and hurtling them over balconies as they crash to the ground making a lot of noise. Drilling, sawing, jack hammering, and shutting off water constantly so they can upgrade their plumbing. The owners do not care about us. They have given everyone notices to vacate one by one. The noise level has ruined our quality of life.

They began shutting off water to all apartments for an entire day on a weekly basis. At first they gave 24 hour notices. But after months of it they stopped giving out notices and just shut off the water all day so their renovations to plumbing can go on.

I wrote up complaints. I contacted housing and the city attorney here Jeff Cambria. If none of these people are going to do a damn thing to the landlord for this then I want to refuse to pay rent.

I will be moving April 20th due to 30 day notice. My lease is up May 1. I dont want to pay rent as i dont feel they deserve it. Nothing is worse than not being able to flush your toilet all day. Let alone wash up dishes so you can eat on clean plates. When they shut water off without notice I have to deal with it.

Question is how fast can they act on a 3 day notice to quit or pay. What happens if I dont pay and just move.

Before someone flames me about being some horrible person forget it. I have an impeccable rental history and I'm sick and tired of being run over. I could use that money to move on anyway.
Thanks

Put your energy into finding a new home, not squabbling with your landlord. Most landlords are jerks. You have to pick your battles. My place has all kinds of problems too but I'm not going to spend all my energy fighting battles I can't win. It's just easier to pick up and move on. Once your gone, you won't even care anymore. It's the people who can't afford to move on, we worry about -- those are the poor folks who have fewer choices. You're not one of them!

Artie