Options to legal screw over my (soon to be former) landlord

My wife and I have been renting a house and we recently bought a house. Our lease is about to run out on the other house and I want to have options in my backpocket if things go badly at move out.

The house is a complete piece of crap. The gutters all leak. The siding is rotten. Both gates fell off the fence (which they kept saying they would fix but never did). It took 4 months to fix the dishwasher. The toilet starting leaking and when they "fixed" it, it kept leaking. The hot water line burst under the slab and there is still a hole in the wall. Basically it has been hell especially this last year.

I have the obvious option of leaving bad reviews on the Internet. But do I have the ability to do anything beyond that? I have heard that some rental properties can not get insurance. Is there a way to report the house to insurance? What about government is there anyone that I can go to?

Realistically, what you need is video of the place when you moved in and video when you move out. A narrated video pointing out pre-existing damage is pretty bombproof for getting your deposit back or defending yourself against lawsuits. If they aren't attacking you, why are you attacking them? You stayed there by choice.

Also: code enforcement. Check it out.

From a mental health perspective,I would just move on to a happier place and be glad to be gone.

Yep, you had grounds for complaint and possibly withholding rent until repairs were made while you lived there, but once you are gone I doubt there is much you can do. Document, document, document. Where do you live? Some counties have all the possible legal paperwork you can file online for you to review. It would give you a heads up on what you can do to get your deposit back, or what type of paperwork he might file against you in an effort to keep it.

Kylini wrote: Realistically, what you need is video of the place when you moved in and video when you move out. A narrated video pointing out pre-existing damage is pretty bombproof for getting your deposit back or defending yourself against lawsuits. If they aren't attacking you, why are you attacking them? You stayed there by choice. Also: code enforcement. Check it out.

Honestly I don't know I will do anything. Even if I don't get the deposit back, I just want something in my back pocket if they try to screw me. I don't know why I wouldn't get it back though. The only damage we have caused is a couple paint and oil spots in the garage and a towel rack that fell off the wall (due to being installed badly).

Also I feel bad for the neighbors and the people that will be moving into the house cause unless they fix somethings on the outside of the house it is going to be in serious trouble soon.

Just walk away. You can not fix the root problem that the owners just don't care.

Take the high road.

Take the low road: arson.

I have had an old slumlord try the lawsuit thing. Good luck, the scumbag landlord I had to deal with wanted way more than just the security deposit. I left the place I barely lived in, in better shape than it was when I moved-in. They wanted money to replace an oven I never once used, replace an entire fridge because the butter door was missing (from before I moved in), replace carpets that were 20 years old...

Lawyers won't touch your case unless you have documentation, as already suggested do it before its too late.

If there are problems the landlord is responsible for fixing, remind, bug, annoy them as much as possible before moving out. Save emails, record phone calls, write letters in duplicate, whatever. If you move out they can come in and say you are responsible for fixing the leaking toilet and so on. Document with photos dates and details. Mailing yourself an envelope with photos (and not opening your own letter once you get it back) was one method of diy date stamping. It would be better to send them to a lawyer, and send rent money to an escrow (if your state requires it.)until they fix the issues.

patch up the hole in the wall for him in good faith, with a few frozen fish in it. Should take a few days to melt, then a few more to start to stink. not that I would condone such acts, it's just an option

Walk away and forget it. There is no use in torching anyone as you better yourself. Karma is a bitch, ya know?

Going through life anticipating people screwing you over and planning to screw them over first or in response just makes you a nasty and bitter person. Don't be "that" guy.

There's probably some sort of government agency - maybe code enforcement, maybe it's called something else where you live - in charge of enforcing laws about what constitutes adequate rental housing. You can send your documentation to them as well as saving copies in case you get sued.

Beyond that, there is no point in holding a grudge against the landlord - grudges tend to be as bad for those who hold them as those they're aimed against, if not worse. I'm with FoxTrapper here. If you want to send off the documentation to the government, go ahead, but just leave it at that.

dean1484 wrote: Just walk away. You can not fix the root problem that the owners just don't care.

This. If the owner is the kind of douchebag that neglects his contractual obligations like that, he's the kind of douchebag that will try to screw you over in retaliation for anything you might do. And he's probably got a lot more practice at it.

What documentation should I do? Pictures of the outside siding, gutters, hole in the wall. I have the document from the initial walk thru. I was thinking of getting a mold test as well.

Like I said I don't want to do anything but if they try to hit me for more then the deposit I want some ammo.

93EXCivic wrote: What documentation should I do? Pictures of the outside siding, gutters, hole in the wall. I have the document from the initial walk thru. I was thinking of getting a mold test as well. Like I said I don't want to do anything but if they try to hit me for more then the deposit I want some ammo.

The problem you want to avoid is having no proof that your tenancy didn't cause the damage/poor living conditions. At minimum, you want photos before move-in and after move-out. Match what you already have from your move-in inspection and add as necessary.

Again, consult your local housing authority. My town's housing ordinance requires that structures are painted/protected, reasonably watertight, reasonably weathertight, and kept in good repair; that every apartment has a fire extinguisher and smoke detectors; that HVAC is capable of safely heating all habitable rooms to 68 degrees during winter and is tenant-controllable; and that appliances are safe and in operable condition. Note that generally crappy apartments are fine as long as things work. Your local laws will determine if there's a violation or not and if there was, it's a legal problem only when the unit is occupied.

Not a single thing you listed in your original post would violate my town's housing ordinances, by the way....