HELP:about maintaines request (lease, condo, attorney)

[nndlvc]

HI,I am new here.I hope that somebody can help me out about my question
My husband and I recently rented a condo from a person who manages this condo for the owner.There are some problems about this condo.For example,the dishwasher doesn't work.So we asked this agent to repair it.But he always says something like he will let his maintaines guy come over and take a look,but the maintaines guy never shows up.We feel he is cheating on us.The question is that what we can do right now,any information will be appreciated.This is the first time we rent a house from a private owner,so we don't have any experience about how to deal with it.
Thanks a million

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by nndlvc

HI,I am new here.I hope that somebody can help me out about my question
My husband and I recently rented a condo from a person who manages this condo for the owner.There are some problems about this condo.For example,the dishwasher doesn't work.So we asked this agent to repair it.But he always says something like he will let his maintaines guy come over and take a look,but the maintaines guy never shows up.We feel he is cheating on us.The question is that what we can do right now,any information will be appreciated.This is the first time we rent a house from a private owner,so we don't have any experience about how to deal with it.
Thanks a million

Tell the private owner that he is in breech of contract, and that you expect the items that don't work to be fixed immediately. Keep records of everything. What you should to is get it fixed yourself, and give your landlord a copy of the receipt with your rent. Deduct what it cost you to fix it from your rent. Tell him you are going to do this, and see what he says. He might be lazy, his maintenance guy might be lazy...so, you may need to do it on your own time, but not your own dime. Tell him you are going to deduct the cost. If he says no, tell him that you will get an attorney if it's not fixed by a certain date, as the contract you signed guaranteed a working home. Good luck. There are landlord and tenant laws...you might want to google it, and see what you find.

[nndlvc]

Thank you so much! I will write a letter to the owner ,I will update after the problem solved
thanks again

[jessiegirl_98]

Look at your lease too to see what it says. It's helpful if you can cite where he is breaching the lease.

[Eastern Roamer]

I recommend communicating by certified letter, but at the very least, keep copies of all corespondence. If you have to prove that you notified the landlord, you'll need documentation. If this does result in litigation (even if only to get out of your lease), you'll need proof of EVERYTHING.