Help! Landlord retaliation (lease, broker, lawyer)

[chesapeakepeg]

We moved in March 2, 2011 and had no heat. Put it in writing. We continually complained. Oil company could not fix. So...no heat.

Hurricane "Irene" hit and knocked over propane tank, and broke it w/60 gallons of fuel. Owner did not look for two days. Refused to call any certified plumber/pipe fitter company's because he "owns" the tank. Did not properly fix tank-leaked continually until we were forced to call codes and compliance's, whom called the fire department, whom TOLD the owner it MUST be fixed by 5:00 p.m. that day. Another bad fix. Leaked until yesterday.

Less than 24 hours after the fire department left: Owner reported to Broker that 1) they were fired and 2) we must move as soon as possible; as owner has "other" plans for property.

Owner lives less than 20 feet from us and pulls his car up next to our windows and revved engine EVERY MORNING at 5:00 a.m.

Comes home earlier and earlier and roams the property we are renting saying he's throwing grass seed.
He refused to clear out advertised shed, so we have had to continue paying for storage of my displays @216.66 per month
He refused to fix heat (while the whole time we recently discovered-HE disconnected it in 2003)
He refused to fix plumbing in only bathroom in home for six months
He came once to fix plumbing; but never returned. When plumbing literally fell from the sink, the Broker had it fixed immediately.
He refused to have the propane tanks properly repaired, and as a result; we feel it has been threatening our very lives from August 28, 2011 thru September 22, 2011 when an oil company guy fixed it for me "on the house".

What can I do to recover some of our losses? And stop this nut case from intimidating me. He refuses critical issues, yet wants to throw grass seed?

[gallowsCalibrator]

Contact a lawyer.

[D train outta nowhere]

What Rita said: request free phone consultation with a lawyer. While I don't completely care for the profession, and the hyper-litigious U.S. climate they've helped to create, I'm glad there are some people willing to wade in and sort through this kind of crud.

[PipPip]

Contacting a lawyer is your best bet. Be prepared, though. Usually you have to pay the legal fees up front and they far outweigh what you get for a settlement.

I would add contacting the broker, as a suggestion. As long as you have a lease, they should have a lawyer on retainer and available to you through them. Most property management companies can't actually be "fired." The contracts between them and the owners are pretty hard to break...even with documented cause. Most of the resources available for recourse are directed towards the property manager not the owner...which I have to ask what was their (the brokers) role in all of this. They usually can fix problems whether the owner wants to or not. They normally have the repairs done and take the payment directly out of an owners reserve fund or out of the rent, before rent money is forwarded to the owner. If the owner doesn't like it, too bad, too sad.

Sorry, I dont have any better answers for you, but I hope you are able to get it resolved. Good Luck!

[spencgr]

First things first, you need to move. Even with a lawyer, it looks very likely that you will go into the winter with no heat or plumbing. Once you find a new home, you can look at suing the old landlord for rents you did pay.

Continuing to stay in this house will not help your case.

[Erma]

http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/Homeles...t_Handbook.pdf