Repairs and unsafe homes
When the landlord won’t make the repair
Your landlord has to keep your home safe and livable: heat in the winter, water that runs, a roof that holds, no lead paint peeling where children live. When requests go unanswered, we help you document the problem, report it to the city, and use the law to get the work done without putting your tenancy at risk.
What we can do about it
Put it in writing
We help you send a dated repair request that the landlord can’t say never arrived.
Bring in an inspector
We walk you through a city inspection and what the inspector’s report can do.
Protect you from payback
A landlord can’t evict you or raise the rent for asking for repairs. We hold them to that.
Go to court
When it comes to it, we ask a judge to order the repair or lower the rent until it’s done.
Questions tenants ask us
Can I stop paying rent until it’s fixed?
Not on your own. Withholding rent the wrong way can lead to an eviction. Talk to us first; there are ways to do it that protect you.
What counts as a repair the landlord has to make?
Anything that makes the home unsafe or unlivable: heat, hot water, plumbing, electric, a leaking roof, pests, mold and lead paint.
My landlord got angry when I complained. Now what?
Keep every text and letter. A notice to leave soon after a repair request can be retaliation, and that is a defense.