No hot water for months in shower. Is landloard obligated?

Well sure, but they *do* sign leases, I sincerely hope, and they *do* have legal rights, correct? Landlords can only do those things... or I should say get away with it, if making them stop isn't pursued. We can all be stepped on if we don't care about our rights.

 

The landlord is definitely obligated to fix that and there should be no reason he's delaying the fixing of it. Whoever actually owns the place NEEDS to have it fixed. They make tons of money off of people, it needs to be done. I would complain everyday until it was done. Or find someone who is higher up than the landlord if possible and contact them. That's not okay, especially in the winter.

 

There are landlords who could invent alibis in order to delay the repairs of their holdings. Like our former landlord who said that the owner of the adjacent apartment had been remiss in maintenance such that the whole 6 doors are infested with termites. Amid the complaints and reports of the tenants, the landlord played deaf. Maybe the landlord wanted the tenantt to leave so he can have the apartment repaired and have it leased at a higher rent.

 

I would send the landlord a letter by registered (signature required) mail stating your complaint, and state that you will begin withholding rent. Place your rent in an escrow account to be safe. He will need to use a court order to evict you, which will likely be denied when you show the judge, assuming he is so stupid to think he could intimidate you with eviction. At eviction counter sue for like $20 per day of no hot water.

 

You can do that if you have no occupation. But for a busybody with an office work and a family to raise, you have to think twice if you live in the Philippines. A court case crawls and it can go on for years. My point is you just have to be diplomatic and try to persuade the landlord for whatever needs your apartment unit requires. An eviction would ruin your peace of mind.

 

That's terrible, Corzhens... that things would drag out that long just to get something that should be basic taken care of! Terrible! If I'm not mistaken, this original question was from the U.S., though, and not the Philippines, so I hope that a judge would expedite a matter so important to health and well-being.

I'm thinking that trying to persuade a landlord if they're already like that would do no good and there isn't really an option but the certified letter, etc. that were mentioned here... and going to court if nothing else works. I hate the litigious mentality as much as the next person *if* it's not warranted, but hot water... that's not a frivolous lawsuit.

 

The usual advice that warring tenants and landlords gets from the local community court is to make peace and compromise. If they would pursue a case out of that hot water issue then it is like wasting your time on nothing. Besides, it is not really a good feeling to live in a house when the owner is not in good terms with you. As a tenant, I think one should be on the defensive and avoid being the aggressor when it comes to complaints. But I also understand that there are landlords who are very strict and capricious.