Breaking an apartment lease (Denver, Boulder: apartment complex, renters, lawyer)

[torc214]

I am currently stuck in a lease until this upcomming February.
My girlfriend has a baby on the way and we are trying to break the lease for health and none complience reasons.
My apartment complex was supposed to fix 15 items around the house, and I've called several times for them to fix them, and nothing has happended yet. The apartment is falling apart as it is. Faucets are leaking and running down through the walls (has to be moldy by now)uncovered insulation, spider and other insect infestation, and absolutly horrible management with no sense of urgency or care for their current residents.

Does anyone having any advice on how to get out of a lease, or at least legal action that can be taken?

[Spot]

Generally speaking, poor maintenance is not enough of a reason to break the lease.

One option for you is to hire one of the attorneys listed by the CO Bar Association as specializing in landlord tenant law. Some of them do pro-bono work or will work for reduced fees in certain cases. Here is that link.

Find-A-Lawyer, Colorado Bar Association

If you can't afford an attorney, my advice is to contact legal aid in Denver and ask for assistance or a reference. Here is their website.

Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado

Whatever you do, don't just stop paying your rent until you have a chance to speak with a lawyer. I know that bad landlords are difficult to put up with, but you don't want to compound your problems by defaulting. Good luck!

[2bindenver]

HB 1356

Warranty of Habitability effective 9/1/08. Please look this up Do renters have rights? : local : ColoradoDaily.com Boulder, CO.

[WhyTee]

You need to send those complaints using a certified letter. Make sure you're documenting everything. Read your tenant landlord relationship laws, usually under property codes. I don't know the CO laws on landlord/tenant relationships but I totally understand your frustration. As spot said, don't just stop paying your rent because you could still be evicted.

Read over your lease and see if they have broken the it, because typically aside from them providing an uninhabitable dwelling by the definition (which should be in the property codes) there would have to be a breach of contract. Your options in the event of a breach of the lease agreement might also be found in the property codes.

I did a quick search and I'm not finding a government site for CO with the laws listed in it. A lawyer would probably be the way to go if the landlord doesn't fix the issues after a certified letter.

[2bindenver]

Landlord Tenant laws are county specific.

[Bruce Heilbrunn]

Landlord tenant laws are not county specific they are state wide . [ mod cut ]

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Actually, the State of Colorado has no landlord tenant laws that address livability standards. It's up to the individual county or city. Some have adopted the International Building Code Property Maintenance Code, and some have adopted their own version of a housing code. Enforcement varies from city to city, so I would suggest calling your local government and asking. Make sure you are clear on what your lease says about property maintenance. And follow the other posters above who gave suggestions on contacting an attorney; you'll probably need one.