I currently signed a lease on a 4/3 home on 13 acres. When I signed the lease I was showed a few things that the landlord said would be taken care of before the start of my lease which was June 1st. On May 29th I was told the home was ready for me to move in. Almost nothing was done, there is a huge pile of trash, metal, paint, furniture, etc 20 ft out the back door, mold growing in the 4th bed, the a/c no longer works, and the water line into the house is busted. And they also have a whole room full of furniture they wanted to store there. I have not moved into the residence yet. The landlord told me to and they would take care of the items and just to "shut up" the bedroom with mold and they would get to it soon. I have 2 young children, can I terminate the lease and get back my money since the home is unlivable and somewhat occupied as of the lease start date? Also the have had the whole month of May to repair and move out!! HELP PLEASE!

Also to add, after the contract was signed they said they were in the process of splitting the land to sell, I'm renting it as it was advertised for $1200 a month, which in my area is a little over average.

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Originally Posted by inneedofhelp

Also to add, after the contract was signed they said they were in the process of splitting the land to sell, I'm renting it as it was advertised for $1200 a month, which in my area is a little over average.

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Then you were ripped off.

Never offer them full value, always negotiate.

Re: Your problem. Tell them you want out. If they sue you, take them to court.

Do you have any proof of what you said here? Did you take pictures?

Get proof.

If I were in your position I would not accept the property in its present condition. It was advertised as 4 bedrooms but only 3 can be used. If the water line is broken then that means there is no water and the house is not habitable. If it was advertised as having a/c and now there is no a/c then they are not delivering what was promised.

I would hand deliver a letter to the landlord informing him that the property is not habitable and you are therefore terminating the lease. Also demand a complete refund of all monies you paid within 10 days.

Thanks, you all answered what I wanted to know. Yes I do have pictures of everything, the only thing I don't have is the listing, it was not advertised in a paper, it was a sign posted on the property, I would have taken a picture of it but I never thought I would need it! I just didn't know if I would be able to terminate the contract and get my money back. They said they could get the 4th room taken care of by Monday or Tuesday, I seriously doubt since today I went by and nothing has been done, but I just have a feeling that if I'm having these problems now what is going to happen over the next year!

Again thanks for the advice, I'm now typing up a letter to them!

On Monday morning put in a call to the Health Dept. in town and let them know that the landlord is trying to rent out a house with mold in the bedroom, a pile of garbage in the backyard and no water into the house. If the situation is bad enough they'll shut him down.

I wouldn't put any effort to get authorities involved until negotiations with them is at a standstill and they won't refund your money.

Thinking that you paid too much will only lead to trouble for you. So will letting them procrastinate!

Basically, the place should be spick and span on June 1 and if it is not you deserve your money back. End of story.

Thanks,

I did speak with her on Sunday June 4th. She said they planned to bleach the walls and then repaint. I told her there was no way that would fly, you can't just bleach drywall with mold and then repaint! I told her my rights as a tenant (from what I have read and been given info on) that legally I could walk away from the lease with a full refund and that was what I was choosing to do. I did make it known that I would go further if need be but she told me that she had no problem returning the full amount paid to me and letting us go elsewhere. But as of today I have yet to receive anything, I did speak to her again over the weekend and she assured me it had been mailed and if I didn't receive it in a few days to call her and she would take care of it. But I did mail a certified letter and kept the pictures if for some reason she decides to give me problems.