We rent and landlord will not fix repairs what are my options? (Denver: attorney)

[djvitamind]

I hope this is the right kind of forum for this question. I am honestly having troubles finding answers.

We currently rent a house in the highlands. This place was a mess until we moved in. Now we have repairs that need to be fixed. Many over a year old now.

We deal with the Realtor and not the owner of the home.
There was an electrical problem and a hole was made in the ceiling by the electrician. This was over a year ago and has not been fixed yet.

There is also broken fence in the backyard.

Do we have any rights here? Does the Realtor have to fix these types of issues?

If anyone has information or could point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

What does it say in your lease?

I would suggest writing a letter, send it certified mail to both the realtor and the property owner, and list everything that needs to be done. Maybe the property owner doesn't even know about these things.

The City may have a housing insepctor who can come out and inspect your house and send notice to the property owner. Of course, the result of all this may mean that the realtor will just evict you for complaining. Make sure you know what your rights are in your lease.

[Minervah]

I have had this problem numerous times in apartments where I live in Portland OR. One place in particular was really bad. I got results by reporting building violations in my apartment to the housing authority. Everything got fixed in a big hurry.

[Sters]

I don't know about Colorado, but in New Jersey the legal tactic is to escrow your rent payment and, by certified mail, inform your landlord that it will be released to them when the itemized repairs are fixed. Escrowing the rent money somehow protects you from being a legal deadbeat and they can't evict you. This is covered under the landlord-tenant laws here, so there must be something similar in Colroado.

[DenverAztec]

There is a landlord tenant dispute process for the city and county of Denver, but they always tell you to review the lease first. Know your rights before you file a formal complaint. Ask for referral information pertaining to your problem from the BBB and the Colorado Attorney General's office. They won't be able to help you directly but can refer you to who can. Best wishes!

[DenverAztec]

I looked up a few links specific to Denver/Colorado to help you out:

Landlord / Tenant Disputes (broken link)

Colorado Tenant Landlord Law Renter's Rights Security Deposit Evictions

:: The Denver Office of Economic Development :: Housing Resources ::

CRInfo -

Colorado Landlord Tenant Laws and Statutes

Apartment Association | Metro Denver

Hope these are helpful to you!

DA