Re: Reasonable to request a rent reduction? - Landlord Forum thread 317617

Re: Reasonable to request a rent reduction? by Stacey on April 17, 2014 @15:40

I haven't decided if he should reduce it- that is why I asked here if it was a REASONABLE request. Of course I expect the LL to cover the cost of repairs. It is his house. That's why I am renting right now- I don't want the responsibilities of home ownership at this particular point in time. When I am ready for those, I will purchase a house and undertake the costs associated with that. The rent I am paying far exceeds what my mortgage would be on this house if I owned it.
As I have stated, my LL is currently working to make the repairs ASAP, and only after we wrote a letter requesting said repairs did he start moving to do them. I am satisfied with his efforts at this time to get the repairs made properly and get the room back to a habitable status. However that does not negate the almost 3 weeks that the room has been unusable to us at a big inconvenience. I have never been in this situation before and so that is why I came here, to ask if it was reasonable to ask for and receive a rent reduction for the time the room is unusable. I don't plan to move or walk away from the home if the LL doesn't agree to the reduction because so long as he makes the repairs so the room is habitable again I'm not going to spend $$ (well over the cost of the reduction I am requesting) to move to prove a point. Thanks for your opinion.

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Re: Reasonable to request a rent reduction? by Anonymous on April 17, 2014 @21:11	[ Reply ]

You're welcome.

Re: Reasonable to request a rent reduction? by Garry (Iowa) on April 17, 2014 @23:04	[ Reply ]

I stand by my earlier post. This was an act of God. It just came in the form of cold weather to freeze ground deep enough, that when the "rain" came in the form of deep snow, and then was melted from the sun and warmer weather, the water had no place to go, except into your home. It is extremely hard to fight Mother Nature.

Re: Reasonable to request a rent reduction? by Anonymous on April 17, 2014 @23:35	[ Reply ]

I agree with you, G. That's what I was also trying to convey. With a winter like this past one, where records were set across the northern part of the country, and many cities recorded the first or second-most snowiest season on record, homes and infrastructure were stressed to the max. This was indeed an "act of God," in insurance terms. That is why I said that I would make repairs as soon as I could find a capable contractor, but I would not grant a reduction in rent.

Re: Reasonable to request a rent reduction? by Garry (Iowa) on April 18, 2014 @08:47	[ Reply ]

I assume by the wording on this post that it means you are the LL/owner. I would still suggest that you make a 1/3 rent reduction for April to compensate your tenants for their loss of space. (and maybe May also if the reconstruction goes into May) The 1/3 rent reduction won't "kill" you, and it could head off your Ts giving you notice to you that they will be moving at the end of their lease Besides, to me, it just seems like the right thing to do in this unexpected situation.

Re: Reasonable to request a rent reduction?