My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: Florida.
Hey guys
I just signed a 12 month lease on the 4th of may and unfortunately some pretty uncomfortable confrontation has developed. Here is a bit of info to help, I am a 25 year old student living with my girlfriend, however the lease is solely in my name. We just moved into a inlaw/cottage house in the back of a larger home. We live in the downtown district and our new place is an old 1940s era building. When we were viewing the home our landlord, Kim, made mention to the age of the home and the "sensitive plumbing," however no specific warnings were dealt.
A week after we signed the lease, a plumbing issue presented itself to my significant other, I was out of town. Post-potty the toilet decieded to be, "sensitive" and could not flush. A plunger wasn't available and embarrassingly the culprit was left to be dealt with after purchasing one. During this time, the tenant in the front unit reported unworkable toilets in his home and thus Kim came onto the property to asses.
She then called my girlfriend at 3:30pm and left a voicemail requesting we flush our non-working toilet to determine if the issue was in the main line or isolated to the front unit. At 3:50pm she texted us, " Hi Valerie, following my vm I need to go inside and check your plumbing to see if Matt's(front tenant) issue is isolated to his house or if there is a main line stoppage. I'll knock and go in if no answer."
Presently the problem has been repaired at a cost of $400 to Kim, however the relationship between the her and I is extremely stressful. When I returned from my trip I Immediately called Kim to try and gain a understanding of the situation. The conversation was confrontational and I feel I may need to take the appropriate action to legally protect myself. Kim was quite emotional throughout the call and warned/threatened that she has been taking all kinds of photos. She is claiming that we were negligent in our use of the plumbing. She accused my girlfriend of flushing lettuce and feminine products down the toilet, an absurd claim because my girl doesn't cook nor have a menstrual cycle.
I hope you guys made it this far, I tried to provide as much important detail as possible.
My questions:
1. Is the landlord allowed to enter our home in the manner that she did?
2. Is this plumbing problem legally considered an emergency?
3. Do I have any options to nullify my lease? Harassment, invasion of privacy, poor living conditions, toilet hardly works?
Our lease clearly states that the plumbing is the responsibility of the landlord.
Thanks
Mike

