Slum Housing and Habitability
Landlords and property managers are responsible for upholding and maintaining safe and healthy living conditions in an apartment, condo, townhouse, multifamily home, or duplex. Therefore, as a tenant, you have a right to appropriate living conditions, and to ensure that you are provided with appropriate amenities and conditions. This includes your landlord needing to promptly fix any issues or problems with your rental unit that affect its habitability.
Uninhabitable living conditions include the following:
- Living areas that are infested with roaches, bedbugs, and rodents, due to the landlord’s failure to conduct pest control or fumigate.
- Lack functional plumbing, heating, electrical, or other utility service.
- Living areas that have not been repaired to adequate living conditions, causing a risk to the tenants.
- Severe mold contamination.
- Ineffective weather protection and waterproofing, causing leaks or other issues.
- Plumbing that is not in good working order.
- Lack of hot and cold running water.
- Inoperable electrical appliances.
- Floors, stairways, railings, elevators that need repair.
- Unsanitary conditions.
- Dirty trash receptacles.
- Inadequate ventilation.
- Improper wiring.
- Malfunctioning mechanical equipment.
- Broken windows or doors.
- Deteriorated foundations or floors, buckling walls, sagging ceilings or crumbling plaster.
When a landlord violates these laws and refuses to address the situation in spite of reasonable requests, the Harouni Law Group should be contacted. The attorneys at the Harouni Law Group are experienced in uninhabitable housing conditions. You do not have to live in such conditions, and should be compensated if you have been forced to live in uninhabitable conditions.
With the help of our attorneys, you can seek remediation of the issue and in many cases, receive financial compensation, including a refund in rent paid, out-of-pocket expenses, and emotion and medical damages.