Am I liable if I’m being taken to court by a previous landlord over damage caused by broken pipes they were told of but did not fix?
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Am I liable if I’m being taken to court by a previous landlord over damage caused by broken pipes they were told of but did not fix?
The above mentioned landlord kept the home in a state of bad repair including no ventilation in the bathroom causing the whole house to steam up during a shower, despite opening the window. This lack of ventilation would cause the walls to drip nicotine (neither my husband or I have ever smoked). The garbage disposal had been stuffed with paper towel instead of a proper plastic plug, repaired the first week we moved in, yet the pre-existing mildew in cabinet was never repaired. The shower several times had to be repaired and was leaking and once again no insulation or drywall was replaced. etc
Asked on January 7, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Indiana
Answers:
MD, Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Sounds like your landlord wants to pass on his costs or problems onto you. You need to show and prove that the house was in this condition when you moved in (your word may not be sufficient), you need to show the repairs were asked to be done by the landlord and he did not and you need to prove you left the house in the same condition. Check phone records, emails, faxes, copies of letters, facebook posts and messages and ask for notarized witness statements if anyone was around when you had conversations with your landlord. Do not sit on this. Further, you may wish to contact your consumer protection bureau who handles landlord tenant matters and file a complaint regarding this landlord's unfair and deceptive practices.
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