we need a new carpet because we have had the same one for 19 years,it smells and no matter how many times u vacuum it, dirt still fills up the bag, our water heater started leaking boiling hot water THIS MORNING, no hot water now, our kitchen sink leaks under the sink, our tiles in the bathroom can easily be tapped through the wall due to wood rot, im assuming. we can not afford to move, my mom has cancer and is sick, and these living conditions are not sanitary, i live in california. she does not want me to contact the landlord in fear of him raising rent or evicting us.. can he legally do that, and can he legally not repair or update things in our run down home that we pay for?what can we do?

Kstar4u

I'm not an attorney but I have been in the property management business in the past. Normally, I believe you are required to inform your landlord in writing of the problems with the rental property. If the landlord doesn't respond in a reasonable amount of time with repairs... you can pay for the repairs yourself and deduct the cost from your rent. I don't know how long you must wait for them to repair the problems or what specifically may be required in the notice to the landlord. It may depend on your local codes. It would be a real good idea to contact a local legal service organization (there are free legal clinics out there to help folks just like you). You can also contact your local health department for advice. Good luck and God Bless you.

Fr_Chuck

Iwould ask, can you afford to live there ? Obviously the landlord is not wanting to fix things, you are going to end up in court to get them fixed, so if you can't afford to move, can you really afford an attorney right now.

You may check into some legal aid departments to see if you can get some help there.

You can also contact code enforcement for your city and see if they can put pressure on them