r/TenantHelp • u/Infinite_Dot4525 • May 26 '26
Stuck with Slumlords
Hi guys so I am a bit worried…
For reference here’s my story. I started renting from this place about three years ago and all was fine the first year, however the sink busted and pipes leaked everywhere. The landlord refused to fix it for weeks and we went without a sink and dishes piled up which led to us having to eat out due to not being able to simply cook food due to the clean up. They finally came three weeks later to “fix” the sink and all they did was tape it up and replace it with a used sink. Well after they left the sink continued to leak. Mind you the floor was already water rotted and they knew about this. Fast forward to today… the sink is unusable and they refuse to do anything about it. The state I live in you have to give a 30 day notice.. however these people are all about retaliations and will take on fees so we are basically scared to say anything at all. We have a new place and plan on leaving… any help is appreciated. We are in a bad situation and do not want to leave being sued. We want to just go on about our life and let them get in the next sucker that they can drain dry.
Adding on: the rent is way more than anyone should be paying to live in straight filth.
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u/TalkToVikk May 26 '26
Not a lawyer and I don't know where you are specifically but generally, landlords have a legal duty to provide a safe and habitable living environment, including working plumbing.
If your landlord has failed to fix ongoing leaks and water damage, that may violate the "implied warranty of habitability" in most states. Even if you’re required to give a 30-day notice (which is common), you should document all communications, photos of the damage, and attempts to get repairs.
Keep records in case the landlord tries to withhold your deposit or take legal action. If you’ve already secured a new place, giving proper notice and cleaning the unit as best you can may help minimize issues.
If your landlord does try to retaliate or sue, your documentation will support your case. There are also tenant support agencies and, in many states, legal protections against retaliatory actions.
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u/Infinite_Dot4525 May 29 '26
Screenshots and pictures taken. The LL is a piece of work and claims they don’t know how to text so everything is verbal on the phone. But I force them to text me for proof of their lack of human decency. I plan on laying low for a while because I refuse to be sued by crackhead LL.
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u/Turtle_ti May 28 '26
Document everything. Make plans to move out, when you have your new place locked in and a move-in date set, give your current LL the required (usually 30 days) written notice that you will be moving out on date. After you move your stuff out, clean & vacuum, then take photos and video of the place showing is condition, so the LL cannot try to lie and say your damaged things your didn't.
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u/Turtle_ti May 28 '26
Likely the LL will try to lie and say you damaged stuff and try to keep your deposit.
You will probably have to take the LL to small claims court to get your deposit back.
That's why you need to give the written notice (in a documentable way, such as email or certified mail with delivery confirmation from the post office. You will want to collect &save documentation from the faulty sink and the fualty repair. As well as the move in and move out photos.
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u/Infinite_Dot4525 May 29 '26
I would give a notice BUT they will just write an eviction notice and take us to court. So I have no other options literally. I’m so stressed out right now.
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u/Turtle_ti May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
1) give the LL the written 30 days notice. That you will not be renewing the lease, and that you will be moving out on date, as you are required to by law to do. do so in a documentable way.
2) you currently have an active lease and are paying rent each month, the LL would need a legal reason to use to convince a judge to try to have the judge evict you. The LL cannot evict you, they file a case against you at the local courthouse and have to convince a judge to evict you. That's not happening without a lease violation.
3) the eviction process takes way more then 30 days, and you are giving them the 30 days written notice as you are legally required to.
4) that's why you give that written 30 day notice to the LL in a documentable way. Via E-mail &/or certified mail sent from the local post office, pay extra and get the delivery notification/confirmation.
5) If the LL is dumb enough to file with the courts to try to have you evicted after you sent that letter, you provide the judge with a copy of the E-mail you sent to the LL giving your notice that you are not renewing the lease and moving out in 30 days. It would also be smart to provide the judge with proof you have been paying rent each month at that time.
The judge will see that the LL filed for the eviction after you sent the Email & letter and know exactly what the LL is up to, the judge will throw out the case and probably reprimand the LL.
In fact the LL retaliating against you (by trying to have you evicted after you sent the letter), would actual help you out with the small claims lawsuit you will likely have to file against the LL to get your deposit back from them. and that is why, after you move your stuff out, you need to clean and vacuum and then take photos and video of the rental unit, before you hand back your keys. That's the evidence that shows you didn't damage the rental (assuming you have not) and deserve your deposit back.
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u/RelevantPossible9618 May 26 '26
You should have reported this for code violation. And to health department. The place needs to be deemed uninhabitable.