Check out some similar questions!

Jcliff C · Jan 7, 2009, 06:18 PM

My family is currently renting a home which was damaged by hurricane Ike. We have paid full rent each month, while having no air conditioning or heat since September 12th. We have repeatedly asked the landlords about discounting the rent, but have thus far received nothing.
We had no kitchen for 1 full month and had to eat out every night. Is there any form of compensation we can seek? If so, in what form would it be and how much could we expect?

twinkiedooter · Jan 7, 2009, 06:27 PM

Why did you rent this place in the first place in that deplorable condition?

Jcliff C · Jan 7, 2009, 06:44 PM

We moved into the house the week before the hurricane. There was no damage at that time. The rent is $1500.00 per month.

LisaB4657 · Jan 7, 2009, 07:11 PM

In the past I've seen judges use the percentage method to determine something like this. They ask the tenant "What percentage of the property was not usable?" For example, if you could not live there at all then it was 100% unusable and there should be a 100% discount. If you could sleep and bathe there but not eat there then it might be 25% or 35% unusable.

Once you figure out a rough percentage, tell the landlord that you want the rent discounted by that much for those times and a credit should be applied to upcoming rent. Make sure that you put your demand in the form of a certified letter and keep a copy of it. If the landlord refuses or doesn't respond, then you can file a lawsuit.