At this point, most landlords will confirm your repair request. If the owner still refuses to perform the required repairs or fires them, it is time to upgrade your case. You can take the following actions.

Report to the building or health inspector. If your repair work is urgent in nature and poses a health or safety risk to you and your family, you will need to take a lot of photos and videos about timestamp issues. Give a copy of your photos, videos and letters to the inspection department of your county or autonomous region. These offices are usually located in the Department of Health and Human Services of the local social services department. For urgent problems that can lead to illness and injury, county inspectors will quickly take action to check for damage. If it is determined that the necessary repairs are urgent, the agent has the right to force the owner to perform repairs on a certain date or face significant legal penalties.

Detain the rent. You can only do this if the state and local laws allow it, as well as your research. Even if you are allowed to do so, you may need to deposit your rent into an escrow account. This is to show that you don't want to live in the hotel for free. If you are not allowed to detain rent, you may be expelled and prosecuted.

Repair the problem and deduct it from the rent. This is called repair and deduction and is not allowed anywhere. Even if this is allowed, it is only a major residential issue. Here you can repair with your own money and deduct it from the rent. If the problem is costly, this is obviously not the best course of action.

Move out. This can be temporary or permanent. In some states, if the court enforces repairs, the landlord must pay for temporary housing. If the landlord cannot solve your problem, you can terminate the lease without any impact.

Sue your landlord. If the property does not meet the living conditions, you can file a lawsuit. Most of these lawsuits seek to lower interest rates. This basically means the difference between the rent paid and the actual value of the rental unit. If your property is damaged, you can also sue, such as your private furniture from the leaking roof.

When can I report the landlord to the inspector?

Here are some of the potential reasons why you can report your building or landlord to an inspector.

Pest: If there are mice, cockroaches or bed bugs in the house, you can report it to the health inspector.

Mold: Mold should be reported as it may cause respiratory problems.

Lead: Old properties may have lead paint, which may pose a health risk.

Lack of important services: If you don't have running water, electricity or heating, you can write a report.

Plumbing: Tenants have the right to use plumbing.

Garbage accumulation: If you do not collect garbage, you can report it to the landlord.

Structural problems: If the building structure is not sound and there is a potential hazard, you can contact the health department.

What is the landlord's revenge?

This refers to any illegal activity that the landlord has done after reporting to the authorities. This may include raising rents, refusing to renew rents, filing eviction suits, or causing any minor inconvenience such as draining the pool or cutting off cable services.

You can bring your landlord to court. The good news is that many states have laws in place and retaliatory measures are taken if any such behavior occurs within a certain period of time when the landlord is reported. Be sure to check local and state laws.

Can the landlord let the tenant pay the repair fee?

Determining whether you or your landlord pays for repairs usually depends on the content of the damage and how the damage occurred. If the damage is caused by you or your guests, you usually have to pay for the repair. Your landlord is also not obligated to repair or pay for any repairs that do not affect the appearance of the house. In short, the landlord is only responsible for repairing anything in the water pipe, heating or rental agreement that has not been damaged by you.