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Virtually all Florida cities have passed ordinances requiring rental housing to comply with minimum safety requirements set forth in the Standard Housing Code. This code regulates every aspect of housing, including such things as plumbing, electricity, heat, ventilation, structural defects, and roofing. The Florida Landlord-Tenant Act requires rental housing to comply with housing codes.
If you want your apartment or home inspected by a city or county inspector for possible code violations, contact your city or county Housing Code Unit. An official will conduct an inspection with either no charge or a minimal charge. A written report will detail any housing code violations. The law puts responsibility on you to notify your landlord of these problems.
The city I live in is telling me they don't send out inspectors unless I pull a permit. The county told me they won't help and had never even heard of the Florida-Landlord Tenant Act
Is there something I'm missing? I've got a leaky roof and serious water damage causing cracks in my outer wall for months now. Unfortunately I didn't put it in writing immediately, a stupid mistake I'll never make again. In January I did do it in writing because they had a temp that was actually following instructions, literally everyone else I've spoken to including a maintenance person that came in, called the property manager in front of me and the PM photos was fired. They even sent me a work order indicating it as high priority. We're now in February and still nothing has been done. When I asked them about it today they told me I'm not the only resident and hung up on me.
I'm trying to get a city official to come out and document it so I can then submit to them a formal document with a time-frame to rectify it before I start withholding rent.
Does anyone know about this? How do I get a city official to come out as a renter?
If you have told the landlord, and the landlord is uwilling or unable to fix it... and you don't want to fix it yourself... why not just move? Assuming you are 100% right about the condition of the apartment, involving the city will most certainly result in a hostile relationship between you and the owner of your apartment. Who wants to live like that?
Code enforcement in my area will respond to all complaints and open a ticket in their database, which will require the owner to address it. It's a system that's easily abused by tenants, in my opinion. Had that happen recently, where a tenant decided to go that route instead of submitting the requests for a few relatively minor issues through my office. I got the owner involved as soon as I got the notice from the tenant that they were withholding rent, and work was completed. When the code enforcement officer came back to verify the work, the tenant brought up other items, which were then entered into their system, further delaying the process. Rinse/repeat. I put up with it for a few weeks, then I terminated the management agreement with the owner, as I could see no reasonable ending for my company being involved. Not sure what went wrong with that tenant and why they all of a sudden decided to go that route, but I thought it was pretty crummy of them to do it.
If you have told the landlord, and the landlord is uwilling or unable to fix it... and you don't want to fix it yourself... why not just move? Assuming you are 100% right about the condition of the apartment, involving the city will most certainly result in a hostile relationship between you and the owner of your apartment. Who wants to live like that?
Why not move?
Cause I like where I live and just want my wall properly fixed. I'm trying not to involve litigation and lawyers. If I move or fix it myself then I'll have no choice but to hire an attorney to get back all of the expenses and time.
Cause I like where I live and just want my wall properly fixed. I'm trying not to involve litigation and lawyers. If I move or fix it myself then I'll have no choice but to hire an attorney to get back all of the expenses and time.
I agree, you shouldn't have to move if you don't want to or can't afford to.
Why don't you contact the floridalawhelp.org and see what they have to say about what the inspector's office told you? I am sure they will give you some good legal advice that you really need.
Cause I like where I live and just want my wall properly fixed. I'm trying not to involve litigation and lawyers. If I move or fix it myself then I'll have no choice but to hire an attorney to get back all of the expenses and time.
Don't get too comfortable where you are. You have already become the squeaky wheel so you can garuntee once you begin calling the city on them your chance of renewal is zip.
Don't get too comfortable where you are. You have already become the squeaky wheel so you can garuntee once you begin calling the city on them your chance of renewal is zip.
Damned if you do and damned if you don't. OP either lives with a leaking roof in uninhabitable conditions while paying agreed upon rent and abiding by their lease or they report the LL who is not abiding by the lease and try to get things fixed and OP jeopardizes getting a lease renewal.
Makes sense to me! Not. And then people wonder why LLs can get such a bad name. We wouldn't even think of treating our tenants so horribly.
Fight it OP. You have nothing to lose if it is uninhabitable. And you shouldn't have to pay rent living in such conditions. Just get some good legal advice on each step you need to take and don't stop fighting it. You do have rights. And LLs can not retaliate against you for fighting for your rights.
Damned if you do and damned if you don't. OP either lives with a leaking roof in uninhabitable conditions while paying agreed upon rent and abiding by their lease or they report the LL who is not abiding by the lease and try to get things fixed and OP jeopardizes getting a lease renewal.
Makes sense to me! Not. And then people wonder why LLs can get such a bad name. We wouldn't even think of treating our tenants so horribly.
Not damned if you don't. Not at all. Don't give good money for a bad product. Stop supporting bad landlords and trying to guilt and harass them into being good ones. They won't be good ones.... But they can destroy your peace.
If the place is not what you want... move! Turning your living arrangement into a battle is no way to find joy.
Not damned if you don't. Not at all. Don't give good money for a bad product. Stop supporting bad landlords and trying to guilt and harass them into being good ones. They won't be good ones.... But they can destroy your peace.
If the place is not what you want... move! Turning your living arrangement into a battle is no way to find joy.
The damned if you do and damned if you don't was only in response to what AZM stated.
And again, I don't think/believe the solution for the tenant is always having to move. That is an extremely expensive and time consuming option and why should a tenant have to be out all the money, time, etc just because of a worthless slumlord? A tenant has rights and more tenants should stand their ground and fight for those rights. Then maybe, just maybe, fewer LLs would be pulling this kind of crap.
What a concept, huh?
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We wouldn't even think of treating our tenants so horribly.
