Written by Martin J. Young, former correspondent of Asia Times
Question: Last year, my friends and I went hunting for an off-campus apartment. We wanted one thing–a super-cheap place–and we found it. The place was perfect, by which I mean it was awful, but super affordable.
Well, the landlord must have noticed that the place was pretty run-down, so–lucky us–he decided he would fix the whole place up. The water damage in the basement, some problems with the wiring that we didn’t even know existed, and more. The only problem is that he didn’t manage to get this done during the summer. So we all arrived and moved in, and pretty soon after were joined by a steady flow of contractors tearing up walls and replacing appliances.
We’re not complainers, and we’re not picky (remember, we just wanted a cheap place!), but this has become unbearable. We’re woken up early almost daily by contractors who are making big changes to the apartment, and we’re blocked out of whole rooms for days at a time. We asked the landlord to stop doing work until the next time we’re on break, but he said no. We’re not sure how much longer this can go on–or what we’ll do if it never ends. Help!
Answer:
It’s hard to say how long the work will go on without knowing a bit more about the specifics of the projects your landlord is focusing on. Plumbing experts tell us that water damage can mean extensive work–depending on the severity, it could even require structural repair work from construction contractors. Electrical experts agree that repairs and improvements can take wildly different times to complete depending on the details. While statistics tell us that the average electrical job will cost $316 and take only a day or two, more extensive jobs like re-wiring can take much longer. And even if we did know exactly what the contractors are working on right now, that wouldn’t protect you from the possibility that your landlord might decide on a new project as soon as the current one is complete–as it sounds like he’s already done once or twice this year.
In other words, this isn’t necessarily something you’ll want to wait out. The question then becomes how you are going to handle the situation.
Given the fact that you’re looking for a low-cost solution, you could try to negotiate a rent discount with your landlord. Be careful, though, and remember that these discussions–including verbal agreements–could come into play if this situation ever finds its way into a court of law.
Speaking of the law, you may eventually need a lawyer if your landlord refuses to relent. If you want to get out of this lease with your credit score intact, it may be time to speak to an attorney that specializes in real estate and renter’s rights. Renter’s rights are important and increasingly recognized as such, perhaps because renting households have gone up by 9 million between 2005 and 2015, the largest-ever ten-year increase. But protections for renters vary by state–for instance, in Pennsylvania, you may be able to recover a deposit of up to $12,000–so it’s important that you get advice directly from your attorney.