landlord refuses to pay for repair

[Mikespecr1]

On jan 27 my furnace started squeeking so I called him and left a message. The first came around and it was time to pay rent so I called him and went to pay the rent at that time I told him about the furnace again, he told me that he would call the guy tommorow. 4-5 days go buy and the furnace got so bad that it would wake you up in the middle of the night and I was getting worried about the bearing starting on fire so I made my own call and arranged to have it fixed. The bill came to 714 dollars so I paid the guy, now my landlord said that he is only going to pay 350 of that because that is how much he could have had it fixed for......
I need legal advice and I want to get out of here asap

[Supa Dexta]

whats your agreement say.. We had a part in ours that said if we had to get repairs done, get them done and they would be covered, if the landlord didnt get to it, or he was away...

[mrbojangles]

What is exactly was the repair? Replaced the blower motor?

Did you initiate one more final contact with the landlord before you called in for the repair yourself? Do you have previous agreement regarding repairs/deduction of rent?

[Weapon_R]

Get out, and take him to court for the damages. But you shouldnt have authorized a repair without getting his approval first.

[Isaiah]

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/reh...isdute_002.cfm

If the responsible party fails to make necessary repairs to the property, the party that is not responsible for the repairs may notify the provincial authorities, sometimes referred to as the residential tenancy office. An application to the rental authority can lead to a court order for the responsible party to make necessary repairs.

When a landlord refuses to make reasonable repairs such as fixing broken door locks or windows, the tenant may need to bring in a local authority. If you find yourself in this situation, consider requesting an inspection from a city or municipal building department. If an inspector finds that repairs are necessary, a work order will be issued to the landlord listing repairs to be completed by a specified date.
fact


Fixing Required
If a tenant pays rent for something, such as a fridge, and it breaks, the landlord must fix it. This includes all appliances provided with the rented premises; if the unit came with a fridge and stove, the landlord must fix them when they break or require maintenance. The landlord is also responsible for maintaining and repairing common areas. These include halls, lobbies, stairways, elevators, security systems, swimming pools, laundry facilities, and garbage rooms.

He is without a doubt responsible for having it repaired and he without a doubt neglected to fulfill his obligation as your landlord. You are fully entitled to compensation, however you may have to obtain it through litigation.

I would politely write him a letter detailing this portion of the landlord/tenant act and requesting compensation (maybe in the form of rent reduction until it is paid) and if he still fails to comply, pursue free local legal advice.

[Mikespecr1]

yes it was the blower motor. Thanks for the help

[nusneak]

700 for a fucking blower motor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! holy fuck i gotta start a heating company
btw. COST, not retail on a new furnace is 5-700

[Whitetiger]

You should had called Enrich at Calcana, he would had given you his 6% commission.

[Weapon_R]

lol i got a blower motor from princess auto for $70 when mine stopped. I think most quotes from furnace repair companies were in the $350 range if they were to send someone out to fix it for me.

[Mikespecr1]

well I made a deal with him i paid 300 of the bill, because we are both at falt and I would never recomend "A 24-HR. plumbing and heating"

[EnRich]

Originally posted by Whitetiger
You should had called Enrich at Calcana, he would had given you his 6% commission.

haha funny guy...

[yellowsnow]

i dunno what u were thinking of repairing something without the landlord's approval... sounds like you just found the most expensive repair guy, and just expected your landlord to pay up.

sure it's the landlord's fault for being so damn slow, but i think you paid way too much for that repair job.

[Thaco]

Originally posted by yellowsnow
i dunno what u were thinking of repairing something without the landlord's approval... sounds like you just found the most expensive repair guy, and just expected your landlord to pay up.

sure it's the landlord's fault for being so damn slow, but i think you paid way too much for that repair job.

If the landlord wanted it done cheap he should have done it himself, it would have taken him 5 minutes to schedule someone to repair it and inform his tenant when it would take place, it sounds like he had more than enough time to have a repair arranged.

I have no respect for negligent landlords, your tenant is paying your mortgage, the least you can do is make sure the place is safe and habitable.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Thaco
I have no respect for negligent landlords, your tenant is paying your mortgage, the least you can do is make sure the place is safe and habitable.

Until the recent property boom, there's little to be made on rental on a year to year basis. And before the boom, you may actually lose money for the amount of investment due to high vacancy.

That said, never fix anything without approval of landlord. $750 is probably because you got it fixed after hours. Not many plumber/furnace guys works outside of 8-5. If they do, they'll probably charge $300 an hour. Your landlord is probably waiting for HIS guy which will cost way less and probably cost you NOTHING.

[TrevorK]

You're only recourse now is to take him to court.

And if he can prove that this wasn't a safety issue, and that he could get it fixed for $350 then he will only have to pay that.


Remember, just because you're antsy to get something fixed doesn't give you the legal right to do so.

[Isaiah]

Originally posted by Thaco



If the landlord wanted it done cheap he should have done it himself, it would have taken him 5 minutes to schedule someone to repair it and inform his tenant when it would take place, it sounds like he had more than enough time to have a repair arranged.

I have no respect for negligent landlords, your tenant is paying your mortgage, the least you can do is make sure the place is safe and habitable.

Agree 100%

Having tenants is a responsibility that must be taken seriously. When you have revenue property, your tenants must be your #1 priority, above everything else.

[Thaco]

Originally posted by Xtrema


Until the recent property boom, there's little to be made on rental on a year to year basis. And before the boom, you may actually lose money for the amount of investment due to high vacancy.

That said, never fix anything without approval of landlord. $750 is probably because you got it fixed after hours. Not many plumber/furnace guys works outside of 8-5. If they do, they'll probably charge $300 an hour. Your landlord is probably waiting for HIS guy which will cost way less and probably cost you NOTHING.

How could you not make money? even if 100% of the rental is going towards he interest on your mortgage, you're still buying a house basically on an interest free mortgage, don't tell me landlords don't make money.

If there was no money there, people wouldn't do it.

[Whitetiger]

Originally posted by Xtrema


Until the recent property boom, there's little to be made on rental on a year to year basis. And before the boom, you may actually lose money for the amount of investment due to high vacancy.

That said, never fix anything without approval of landlord. $750 is probably because you got it fixed after hours. Not many plumber/furnace guys works outside of 8-5. If they do, they'll probably charge $300 an hour. Your landlord is probably waiting for HIS guy which will cost way less and probably cost you NOTHING.

Landlords are taking way more risks than tenants, and most the time the risk/profit/making money part doesn't come into effect until 10+ years later.

[USED1]

^ If that's the case then these "landlords" shouldn't be buying rental properties if they are scared of taking a risk. Don't give me that bullshit.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by USED1
^ If that's the case then these "landlords" shouldn't be buying rental properties if they are scared of taking a risk. Don't give me that bullshit.

We understand the risk. What I'm telling you all is that landlords are laughing to the banks now due to basically doubling in real estate value in 3 short years.

But I know I suffer greatly between 2000-2003. Too high of vacancy rate in a too competitive market. I have to give a month rent free on 1 yr lease in order to attract customers. So between maintenance, condo fee, mortgage and property tax and my time, the rent DOES NOT cover them all and end up to be a loss, every year for 3 years.

While if I keep my $$$ in the bank, I at least get 4% return.

Plus tenants always fuck things up and want their damage deposit back.

Broken appliances, bathroom fixtures, people who do a lot of greasy cooking with build up grease in kitchen etc, etc. Then people who turn your home into a pot op, took a dump in the living room on new carpets, kids who draw or put holes in the walls, I've seen them all. Damages that even 3 months of rent won't cover the replacement.

Like Whitetiger said, it takes at least 10 years before you'll start to realize the gain, if you're lucky. Risk is just a part of investing.

I'm not defending shitty landlords. I'm just trying show the other side.