My son is rented a house a few months ago and has discovered a few problems which need to be fixed. According to the lease these should be the responsibility of the owner. For the last 2 months he has been giving my son the run-a round, basically not doing what he says he is going to do. One problem has to do with the heating/air conditioning (the air does not reach the second floor)and the other has to do with the plumming (no water to the downstairs bathroom washbasin nor to the washer in the basement. Since these problems have not been addressed after many calls and e-mails to the owner can we have them fixed and deduct it from the rent?

Probably not. I suggest you call the local code enforcement people about the repairs that are not being done... and ask them if you are permitted to put the rent in escrow. That means paying rent to the municipal court and them not releasing it to the landlord until the repairs are made.

You can dig a bit further into the details by searching your son's state landlord-tenant laws here.

Start with the city, though... and if you're getting nowhere and can't find what you need in the laws, tell us what state you're in and we'll see if we can help further.

You should also read the lease to see what it says about maintenance and repairs. I would also tell the landlord that, unless the items are repaired, your son will take it up with the building inspectors. Before you actually do it.