Massachusetts
My family has been in our rental house for just over a month & have already run into so many issues that we are literally counting down the months (only 10 and a half left!!) until we get to move out & not have to deal with it anymoreWhat sucks is that it's a really nice house in a really nice neighborhood & PERFECT for our family
I don't wanna leave!
BUT...our whole dealing is iffy. First off, just getting into the place was weird. It took me almost two months to get acknowledgement that my deposit was recieved & to get a date/time set up to sign the lease. Now that we are moved in & dealing with the landlord & not her agent, things have gotten worse! It took two weeks to get a copy of the lease, which had dates marked out with whiteout due to the agent's errror...garbage & previous tenants' belongings remain in the basement, backyard & shed. Things that need to be fixed in the house are NOT being fixed (screens have large holes in them so bugs fly in...it's summer time & we want the windows open!) and nothing is being done about the trash. When I asked the landlord to remove her belongings & the previous tenants' belongings, she put a padlock on the shed & said we were no longer permitted to use it (that way she didn't have to remove anything). The shed is not mentioned in the lease one way or another, and we actually really need it (store motorcycle & child's play toys in winter, store gardening equipement, etc.) It seems unfair,and actually wrong to decide after a lease is signed where we can and cannot go on the property, especially when it was understood by us when we decided on the place that we would have the use of it. Is there a legal way to get access to the shed, or are we SOL for it?
Also...what we are a bit afraid of...I feel that my landlord is provocing arguments. She knows what upsets my husband & says the things to push his buttons. He's been good about not losing his temper so far, but I'm sure it will blow before the term of the leaseI try to do as much of hte dealings with her as possible, since she seems to stay out of my way for some reason....If she is saying or doing things on purpose, can I ask her to leave the property & come back another time when everyone is cool? The last time she threatened us (the tone felt threatening) by saying that we were breaking the lease for mowing the lawn (lease says she has responsibility for the grounds, but it had been nearly 3 weeks, so my husband just did it since we were having a small party for the one year old)...naturally that made him mad. Is something like that really breaking the lease?!
Okay...my questions again:
1. Is there a way to get use of the shed or put in a temporary structure for our use in the winter months?
2. If my landlord is confrentational & provocting bad tempers, can I ask her to leave the property?
3. How much time can I allow to go by for her to get around to minor repairs that are needed? If it's been too long, can I do them myself & send her receipts?
Thanks everyone!

