The Cellar - Where'm I gonna live?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 919331)

It's all documented and photographed and emailed to them over time.

I can see no advantage to playing legal. It's all very complicated, all the possible plays, but what I believe it comes down to is this: I have a lot of rights, but using them to preserve my status in a shithole is a waste of energy.

Yeah, if it's truly a shithole don't fight for it. I'm just saying: don't keep paying for it either.

It's true, if you just didn't pay rent, what's the landlord realistically going to do about it? As long as the rest of the house is livable, you could keep squatting for a good while longer.

I'm liking this approach.... it can't make your credit any worse, right?

....but do you need references for the next place and if so is this one you will need?

LJ that is a marvelous thing of you to offer and you, as always, remain the man. (Footer is currently mah man but being the man is also very important. Look at all the people who the man is keeping down.) My main emergency home is, I hope, with J. I didn't ask her but you know.

I think if this ended OK they would be an OK reference for me. With no credit and no reference I do expect to find another shithole to live in. And in theory there is a security deposit, and obviously there is no chance that I have damaged this place worse than they have.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encycloped...ir-deduct.html

http://tenant.net/Other_Areas/Penn/harris/pa-part2.html

Quote:

Recent new law in Pennsylvania now allows the tenant to stop paying some or all rent if the landlord does not make necessary repairs. A tenant who withholds rent when a landlord has failed to make necessary repairs may have a good defense it the landlord decides to sue for back rent or eviction, if s/he can prove that the house or apartment is worth only the smaller amount of rent. This new law is called "implied warranty of habitability" and gives tenants more rights than the old law did.
...
Under the new "implied warranty of habitability" law, the tenant's obligation to pay rent and the landlord's obligation to maintain habitable (safe, sanitary and fit) premises depend upon each other. If the landlord breaks his obligation to keep the premises in a reasonable fit condition, this may relieve the tenant from his obligation to pay part or all of his rent until the landlord makes all necessary repairs. The landlord must be given notice of defects and a reasonable opportunity to make repairs, but he does not have to promise to repair before the tenant withholds rent. The warranty of habitability is required by law in all leases (oral and written). The repair need not be necessary to prevent further in jury to the property to justify the use of the warranty; generally, substantial housing code violations are sufficient. [...]

It is important that the tenant inform the landlord in writing of his/her intention to stop paying all or part of the rent if necessary repairs are not made in a reasonable amount of time. The tenant should keep a copy of the letter and copies of all receipts for repairs. If the landlord decides to sue the tenant for that portion of the rent which was withheld, the tenant will need these records as part of his/her defense.

I am not a lawyer, I'm just some insomniac sending you words thru a series of tubes.

I appreciate it

I believe what happens in those cases is I don't pay rent, I put the money into an escrow account... which they can then totally have, if they take up repairs. In the past, I have just asked them to take a sector of rent off, which worked out way better for me, because I didn't have to pay the whole thing and I didn't have to set it aside in escrow.

That may be an option if they can only patch, and not repair; I'd be happy to pay half the rent for a few months until I could get my shit together again.

Anything I can do to help, I'll gladly do, brother. The offer to crash stands. Or if you need to pull a trailer, my jeep is equipped for that. Good luck, anyway. Just remember.... It's not what you know. It's who you know.

Tony, have you investigated Section 8, or other options?

I'm not that familiar with Montgomery county, but here's a list of "inexpensive housing" in Montco.

Whoa man, I'm not THAT bad off.

Or, really, to be more specific, if I'm gonna live in a dump, I prefer a private dump.

I don't mind shitting in a 5 gallon bucket, but I don't think it works out if we all do.

And like most Americans, I have immense sympathy for the poor, a charitable heart for the downtrodden, and I will do anything in my power not to interact with them.

I'm gonna eventually wind up in some sort of cottage house situation, perhaps in the West Chester area; which I think I would enjoy very much, if the roof doesn't leak.

Ugh sewage just died, it's not even freezing out, I think that's probably all she wrote on this ex-dwelling.

Backed up or overflowing outside?

welling up with emotion? Oh the septic... ick

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 919537)

Sorry, it sounded desperate.

I've been told that there's section 8 housing that are twin homes in the 'burbs. Hope you find something suitable for a low price.