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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    3

    Default Rental Home is Not Properly Maintained

    My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: Washington State
    My husband and i moved into our rental home on July 1st 2013 and have been occupying the house for almost 6 months. We currently have a 1 year lease. Initially when we decided to rent the house it was based on the description that was in the rental listing as well as liking the home. The problem we are running into is most of the things that were included on the listing are not in working order. Examples being: Broken hot-tub, broken sprinkler system, detached 2 car garage no accessible. I sent an email shortly after we moved in asking for the keys to the garage and they said sorry I’ts not included. I sent in a maintenance request on 9/24 to have both the sprinkler system and the hot tub fixed. With the response "sorry the hot tub is not included " even though it was included in the rental listing. As for the Sprinkler system nothing has been done. Furthermore the back deck is rotting i have put in two maintenance request. They came out once and replaced a board, secondly thee guy that fixed the board went back to company and told them more needed to be fixed. I put in an additional maintenance request for the deck as i feel it is still a liability for my family and dogs. They came out today to take photos but as far as what i have been reading in the RCW's they have 10 days to fix things that i put maintenance request in. It is now winter time and we are paying roughly 500.00 a month to heat the house and merely just tired of dealing with the rental company and want out of the house.. BTW i have copies of EVERYTHING.

    My first question: Since they included everything in the Rental listing is this Illegal and considered "bait and switch advertising"
    Secondly: Based on the information i provided do we have enough leverage to break our lease and get our deposit back.

    Thank you so very much for your time, Kirsten

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Posts
    1,026

    Default Re: Bait and Switch / Breaking Our Lease Help - Rental House

    Is "Good afternoon" a state?

    There's a reason this site asks for a state. State requirements vary.

    Does your LEASE (NOT the rental listing) describe what is covered in the rental unit; i.e., the hot tube, sprinkler, garage?

    Typically "getting out of a lease" due to it being uninhabitable (and thus not facing a lawsuit over this) requires more than a broken sprinkler system and broken hot tub as well as not being able to get into the garage.

    Gail

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    3

    Default Re: Bait and Switch / Breaking Our Lease Help - Rental House

    Sorry about the confusion of "Good Afternoon" and no that is not a state as you well know. We reside in Washington State (i edited the listing). There is nothing in the Lease referencing what exactly is and is not included in the rental. On the Inspection report regarding the Sprinkler system it says "in good working order". I pointed out that this information is False as the pipes that were underground for the system are sitting behind the garage. When we looked at the house and i asked about the hot tub they told me it worked but the tenet before us did not like it so they did not use it. We in turn cleaned it, bought the chemicals and tried to use it and is was apparent is was not in working order. Hence the maintanence request. The bottom line is i feel like we were Cond into renting this house under false pretenses when in fact no amenities were actually included in the house due to lack of maintaining the property over the years.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    OH10
    Posts
    17,019

    Default Re: Rental Home is Not Properly Maintained

    Do you have an overt need to watch water flowing in the yard or am I missing something? Generally, sprinklers and hot tubs are drained during the winter due to the high cost of maintaining them in the cold. So they fixed the deck but not to your liking? Why is the garage "not accessible"?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    16,474

    Default Re: Rental Home is Not Properly Maintained

    Quote Quoting Disagreeable
    View Post
    Do you have an overt need to watch water flowing in the yard or am I missing something? Generally, sprinklers and hot tubs are drained during the winter due to the high cost of maintaining them in the cold. So they fixed the deck but not to your liking? Why is the garage "not accessible"?
    She stated earlier that its because the landlord has it locked and has verbally told them (after the fact) that its "not included".

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    OH10
    Posts
    17,019

    Default Re: Rental Home is Not Properly Maintained

    Yeppers, I forgot. You don't have a pencil sharpener you can lend me long term do you?

    Quote Quoting llworking
    View Post
    She stated earlier that its because the landlord has it locked and has verbally told them (after the fact) that its "not included".

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    3

    Default Re: Rental Home is Not Properly Maintained

    I have been asking for it to be fixed since August. The deck is still not fixed. There is MANY MANY rotten boards. My kids have fallen through it twice and they have still not fixed it.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    OH10
    Posts
    17,019

    Default Re: Rental Home is Not Properly Maintained

    Call city code enforcement for a look-see.

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