Rental Dream House Needs Repairs (lease, rental property, inspection, legal)

[Spooky31]

I am getting ready to move and recenltly found my 'dream house'. It happens to be a rental property, but one
I desire to live in very much!
The only problem is that the property, while amazing on the inside and from afar on the outside - appears to have been less than adequately maintained where the exterior is concerned. My guess is that it has been at least 2 years since the exterior was (power) washed, and has peeling paint in many areas. This guy has owned the property for 7 years and has been renting it out for the past 6.
There is a portion of the gutter that has become disconnected, so water is not properly routed away from the house when it rains. I believe there is some mold on the exterior walls/stone as well, but did not detect any sign of mold/mildew/water damage on the interior of the home. I have allergies and asthma and certainly would have had a reaction if there was a problem on the inside of the home. I did not notice any drainage problems on the property either. There is a wooden privacy fence in the back yard and one large section of it has fallen away from the rest and is practically laying down on the ground.
I'm tempted to advise the landlord that the property would not be up to 'code' if an inspection was performed, and address the things that we expect to be fixed before we move in. The big clincher here is that this new potential landlord is an attorney! I don't think he specializes in real estate law, but still.. he could give us a hard time about being 'picky'.

I don't want to come off demanding and ruin the deal, as we have not yet signed the lease. I would hate for him to rent to someone else just because they don't care about the appearance of the house. I didn't notice any signs of structural problems or any indication of water damage on the interior. However, isn't the landlord required to keep a rental home up to par with city housing codes? From what I've read about the KCMO housing codes, the things I mentioned would have to be repaired.

Help! What should I do?

[Katie1]

Are you able to do the work? IF you are then offer him a deal.

[Spooky31]

Well, my boyfriend is a carpenter, so he could probably do most of it. I just don't know what I will do - or where I will live - if he's like "forget it then, I'll rent to somebody who is happy with the property as-is".

It's probably a bad idea to sign the lease and then discuss the repairs...?? Right?

[Katie1]

I would talk 1st. And as a busy lawyer he might even be grateful.

[Siobjuan]

You may even suggest that the repairs come out of your rent. If you itemize and agree on a labor charge, he will probably be willing to deduct a portion of your rent each month. You are only improving the value of his property!

(but beware, when all the repairs are done, he may want to up the rental price!!)

[Katie1]

Not if they sign a lease...Spell EVERYTHING out.

[ESFP]

Originally Posted by Siobjuan

You may even suggest that the repairs come out of your rent. If you itemize and agree on a labor charge, he will probably be willing to deduct a portion of your rent each month. You are only improving the value of his property!

(but beware, when all the repairs are done, he may want to up the rental price!!)

That's very common! If he's a good attorney, he'll know not to be his own client, so I wouldn't worry about him pushing his lawyer weight around. Treat him as any other landlord, use an impartial attorney for any legal concerns. And, as quoted, specify what work you'll do, who will pay for the materials, how rent will be affected (be specific), and what happens when you're finished. I'd want an option to continue renting with a 1-year lease of no rent increase. If he's a good attorney, your rent is not going to make or break him, and he's either building a property empire, or just renting the building rather than selling in this poor housing market. Either way, he'll want a guarantee that the work you do is satisfactory. Just because you paint or landscape, doesn't mean you're any good at it. He'll want assurances, too. You'll need to be very specific with each job inspected and signed off as done to satisfaction. Be a savvy tenant, get everything in writing. A lawyer would expect no less.