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Can a landlord charge you for damage from a lack of repairs?

On Behalf of | Apr 10, 2020 | Landlord/tenant Matters |

You’ve been living in your home for some time, but there have always been some minor problems. You let the landlord know, but nothing has been done to repair the issues you presented.

Over time, you noticed that the mold issue you reported in your bathroom was getting worse. You reported it to your landlord a second time, mentioning that it appeared like it was worsening. They said they’d send someone out to take a look. Nothing happened again for another week.

You don’t want to sound like a broken record, but you do want this repaired. You broke down and tried to clean the area yourself, but the wall fell apart as you worked. It was simply too damaged to clean up yourself.

When your landlord finally did come to see the problem, they acted like they were angry at you for not reporting it sooner. They said they’re going to charge you for the damage.

You have records showing that you reported it several times. Now what? This kind of dispute can be handled in a respectful way. You may want to discuss what happened with your attorney and make sure they have copies of your interactions with your landlord (like maintenance request forms or text messages).

In some cases, it makes sense to charge tenants for repairs, but if there is an issue you’ve dealt with for many weeks or months and your landlord never came to make repairs despite multiple calls, you may have a strong case against being charged for the damage that wasn’t your fault.

If you’re struggling with a problem landlord, find out how an experienced advocate can help.

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