Can you sue a landlord if they prohibit you from using the entire unit that you rent?
Question Details: The previous tenant to the unit I rent, left dog feces all over the deck. I moved in and as the snow melted it uncovered. I left my property mgmt. landlord know and it took over 45 days for him to get it clean. I had to go to his manager to get it cleaned. I would have had it cleaned myself but I have a military allotment and it would have taken months to switch the direct withdrawal amount of the rent and then switch it back. I have asked for 1/10th the amount of rent for 45 days which they refuse to pay. Can I sue in small claims for that and is the amount reasonable?
If part of your rental premises was uninhabitable or unusable, then you could seek compensation (rent abatement) for the period of time you lived with the condition: you could seek recovery for both breach of lease (you're not getting what you paid for) and breach of the implied warranty of habitability (violation of the obligation that rental premises by fully fit for their intended purpose).
How much you could get depends on the impact. The rule is that the tenant is entitled to rent abatement equal to the difference between what he or she is paying, and what the premises is worth in its impaired condition. So the question is what would be a fair rent for an apartment like yours in your area without a usuable deck--that provides the baseline for determining the appropriate abatement.
You may bring this action in small claims court.
