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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
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    1

    Default Suing Your Landlord for an Illegal House

    My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: Michigan, Detroit

    I was unfortunate enough to end up renting a house from a slum lord who tried to evict us after we withheld rent for two months. The judge dismissed the case after we proved it was retaliatory and ordered him to fix everything within two weeks' time in order for us to pay him. In the City of Detroit any property or room in a property must be inspected and registered with the City as rental property and alicense obtained. During the preparation for court I found out that the house is not registered as such. Can we sue him for the rent we already paid? the argument being we could have used the money to pay rent in a place able to be legally occupied.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
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    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Suing Your Landlord for an Illegal House

    You have been to court, made your complaint, and received your relief. If you have any additional basis to bring a lawsuit, you should expect that the court will apply it from the date of the past judgment going forward.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Posts
    18,340

    Default Re: Suing Your Landlord for an Illegal House

    Quote Quoting thecount1
    View Post
    Can we sue him for the rent we already paid? the argument being we could have used the money to pay rent in a place able to be legally occupied.
    You won't win unless your city building codes specify that it's illegal to collect rent on an illegal dwelling. Do they?

    Another reason you won't win is that you willingly took the place when it was in poor condition and continued to live there. If things were that bad you could have just moved out.

    (Yeah, I know, lots of reasons why you think you couldn't just move out. Don't need to see them.)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Posts
    252

    Default Re: Suing Your Landlord for an Illegal House

    Lawsuits are about damages. What damages have you suffered?

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