If the hot water has been off in my apartment fora total of 20days in the last 2 months, is the landlord legally obligated to reduce the rent for next month?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If the hot water has been off in my apartment fora total of 20days in the last 2 months, is the landlord legally obligated to reduce the rent for next month?
Am I entitled for an offset for the out of pocket expense and inconvenience due to not having hot water?The apartment that I live in charged a late fee of $50 after 3 days, plus a $10 per day extra fee for every additional day thereafter.
Asked on October 29, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Texas
Answers:
MD, Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
You are entitled to do a few things. Here, if the landlord could not fix your hot water, you would be entitled to have it fixed yourself and deduct it from your rent. Reducig it to self help like rent reduction absent any work on your part is reall not a good idea because it leads to stuff like late fees. In this situatio, you can consider and should consider that it has created uninhabitable living conditons and you should not only contest the late fees but ask your rent be free for the 20 days (so have the landlord pro rate your rent for each day you went without hot water). Then, contact your state's consumer protection bureau to discuss this matter and make sure this matter is reported.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.