Landlord Problems

Hello everyone! I have a bit of a problem. My good for nothing landlord seems to be threatening us to get rid of our pets. She sent us a copy of our contract which states that pets are not allowed without the owners consent. Well, our dogs have lived with us for 10 years. We've had her consent for 10 years and now she's threatening to have us remove our pets? What the hell??? My dad is an old man about to retire. He has a pacemaker, thin blood, high blood pressure and stress and the dogs help him therapeutically. To put it plain, they make him happy (they make me happy too). He used to be able to pay half of the rent when rent was due and the other half a couple weeks later. He and I both struggle financially. He takes care of most of the bills and I have an hourly job where hours got cut down to 15 hours weekly. I make $12.75. I can barely afford to take the bus to work and back and buy food. She has told my dad that she now wants the money in full at the start of each month. All of a sudden, after almost 15 years this is a problem?

We have an apartment which is in bad condition. We have a restroom where the tile on the wall is falling off. She had us put a plastic bag over it and said she would have it fixed in a few weeks. It's been half a year or more. We have a leak in both the restroom and the kitchen. We have windows that can't open or shut without a knife because the handles don't work. Our heater hasn't worked in 20 years. We've brought all these issues to her for years and nothing.

Guys, is this legal? We have rent control and pay a lot less than what she wants. Our neighbors are paying over $4000 and we're paying less than half. Do you guys have any advice? We're going to start fighting back for the sake of our pets.

I forgot to mention that she is also using our adress for her mail. We receive all her letters and put them in a box for her. Everything she does, her very existence pisses me off.

I would pray about it and then tell her exactly what you have told us (be real with her) and trust God to give you favor.

We have an apartment which is in bad condition. We have a restroom where the tile on the wall is falling off. She had us put a plastic bag over it and said she would have it fixed in a few weeks. It's been half a year or more. We have a leak in both the restroom and the kitchen. We have windows that can't open or shut without a knife because the handles don't work. Our heater hasn't worked in 20 years. We've brought all these issues to her for years and nothing.

No, those things are not legal.  You need to document every time you mention to her that they need fixing.  Remind her frequently especially if you can prove that you are caught up on the rent.  Read your agreement and make sure when you have to pay her.  You can force her to fix things especially if you can get your neighbors to band together.  It may take some media attention, though.  Also, be prepared for a retaliation.  If she fixes things, she could try to force you all to pay more.

what alldat said  sounds like you got a bonefide slumlord

Sadly I know nothing about rental law in common law countries. Nasty business, getting in a legal battle in the USA... Best of luck to you!

Each state has their own laws governing these type of issues..You need to look into the laws of California where you live...Your city may also have some additional laws. Essentially however the lease is the law...whatever your lease says is what the judges and courts will rule with. Landlords generally have the right to enforce any part of the lease at any moment....and generally if the landlord gives you notice (usually 30 days) they have the legal right to change the lease or add an addendum. We have lived in apartment's for years so I am very aware of the situation. Where we live now they have changed the lease twice and they enforce it to the hilt. You may need to consult an attorney and be sure to read and study your lease....and be prepared that you may be forced with the reality of giving up the pets, possibly keeping the pets and paying pet rent (we pay $20 a month pet rent and had to put up $500 deposit to have our dog) or move...

Sorry to hear all this.  SA is right, the lease is the law.  If it says no pets, but she let you have them anyway, you should have asked for an updated lease when she first let you have them.  If she goes to court with the current lease signed, the judge can make you have the pets live elsewhere.  (sorry bro, that was a mistake on your part)

As far as the repairs, I would offer (to her) to fix them in exchange for a reduced rent.  My wife and I were renting her house (since we're married and she lives with me in my house) to some of her friends and they offered to do that for us, and we accepted - just deducted the cost of materials (they saved their receipt) and had a verbal agreement on "labor".  It was a good deal because we didn't have to fix anything, and they had a lower rent to pay.

If I were in your shoes though, I would offer to fix those things for her for free as sort of a "deposit" in exchange for letting your pets (remind her they've been there years already) stay. If she agrees, get it in writing!

If she refuses to let you fix it for a reduced rent or to let your pets stay, then document that and go to the judge before she does.  Actually, either way, you want to go to the judge before she does because the first to tell their story holds more weight.

Why does she receive her mail at your place?  Why the sudden change of heart regarding pets / rent? Did the dogs make a mess or tear something up?  There's got to be a reason she's doing this - I would try to talk to her about it, level with her.

Man am I glad I'm a homeowner and don't have to mess with this.

My current lease wont let me replace any of the pets I have if they were to die. Sucks but from the slumb I was living in I bit the bullet on that. I think its time to move on, easier said than done believe me it took me years to find a place that would allow us to keep 3 dogs depsite the fact that 1 is very elderly and probably wont be around much longer (as he starts showing signs of not being able to control his bladder) but seriously id start looking for another place

Man am I glad I'm a homeowner and don't have to mess with this.

Me, too!  I can do pretty much whatever I want since I own the joint!  Sure, there are some laws in every city that governs what you can do with your property.  However, I can paint anytime I want.  If my cat tears something up, I can replace it whenever I feel like it.  Home ownership is the way to go.

The smart thing to do with home ownership is decide how much house you actually NEED and how much you can spend.  I live in a quaint 760 square foot 2 bedroom house.  For two people and a cat, that's more than enough.

The lease is the legally binding document, so you will have a hard time fighting the order to get rid of the pets.  IMO, from what you have said it seems entirely possible that she is trying to get you to want to move out so she can fix the place up and rent it to someone who will pay more.  It is possible that rather than spending your time and money fighting this battle, you may want to look for other housing options.

Home ownership is pretty great.  I don't know what real estate values are where you live, but you might find that you can find a house that meets your needs with mortgage payments at or even less than what you are paying in rent.  Yeah, owning a home means you are responsible for your own upkeep and repairs, but it also means you don't have to wait around for someone else to get it done (or not).

Thanks for the advice guys. We pretty much went to the rent control center and showed thr pictures of my shower, windows, walls, etc. and the woman was shocked. She told us someone will come by next month to look at the apartment and see what can be done about them. They're also saying that the lady is going to have to fix it and that it's possible that she may have commited fraud. The cobtract says it was signed in 2008, my dad says he hasn't signed a contract for the apartment since 1985 or 87. So something is definitely fishy.

As for the dogs, the lady said because it's been so long that they have been with us that the removal of the pets will not be easy. We can even ask a doctor to say that my dad needs dogs for his stress. Anyway, I won't know anything until next month.

Hope it all works out the best for you.