My landlord won't fix my broken appliances.. What can I do?

Question

I've lived in my current apartment for 4 years, and my landlord is quite strange. In that 4 year stretch I've met her in person a total of 2 times. I mail post-dated cheques to her work address, and usually if there's an issue with the suite, there's a caretaker who lives in the building takes care of it.

3 weeks ago, my 20 year old dishwasher broke. It's REALLY broken and needs replacing. I called her, and she said "Well it sounds like you need a new one. After the weekend I'll look into getting it replaced" So I waited, and nothing happened. Since then, I've probably called and left her 40 voice-mails. She doesn't answer the phone anymore. I only have her cell number and work address. No other means of contacting her.

I thought of just replacing it myself and taking the cost out of rent, but I've heard that withholding even part of your rent is grounds for eviction, she would need to agree to an arrangement like that for it to work.

What can I do??

Answer 1

Is Canada the only place in the world with a Residential Tennency Board? There must be some kind of governing body for rentals in your area with clear, outlined laws and rules. Contact them and go through the propper channels. If your landlord is responsible to provide a new dishwasher, then you would pay your rent into trust with this governing body and they would enforce the law making the owner put in a new working dishwasher.

Answer 2

I am surprised you have not asked the caretaker [who actually lives in the building] why you are unable to get hold of the landlord. No doubt the caretaker is in contact with the landlord on a regular basis or knows exactly how to contact the landlord in the event of a major emergency. Talk to the caretaker and ask him where his employer is.



It is quite possible the landlord was remiss and it is an oversight. If for example she took off on holidays [without her cell phone] that could explain why you haven't been able to get hold of her. I'm not saying that is what happened I'm just giving her the benefit of the doubt.



If the caretaker cannot help you out then I suggest you make inquiries where she works to find out where she is. If she's at work then either call her there or send a registered letter detailing the problem and that you expect an answer shortly telling you when the problem will be fixed.



If you still do not get satisfaction then it is time to escalate things. If the dishwasher has been listed on the lease agreement then it is covered and must be repaired/replaced by the landlord in a "reasonable" amount of time. You will need to contact the agency that deals with tenant/landlord disputes. They will give the landlord a certain amount of time to resolve the problem and if it is not resolved they will reduce your rent until it is. Only they have the authority to do that. Ontario has the Residential Tenancy Board. British Columbia has The Tenancy Dispute Resolution Office. Other provinces have other agencies that deal with such matters.



As others have said it would be a serious mistake to hold back rent in any amount. You will be asking to be evicted if you do and will not have a leg to stand on.

Answer 3

Do you have a lease still or are you month to month? If you're on a lease, then read it and see if your dishwasher is included (sounds stupid but it has to actually be written). If it's not, then your landlord is not required (in most provinces) to repair or replace it.



And you are right, it is illegal in most provinces to do repairs and deduct it from rent unless it's agreed upon with the landlord (preferably in writing so they don't back out and say you didn't pay your full rent amount bla bla bla).



You legally have to put a request in WRITING for repairs. So send a request through certified mail to her office that way there's proof she received it. Then you wait it out (depending on if the dishwasher is in the lease or not).

Answer 4

It is true that you cannot hold back rent without a court order.



I recommend that you contact the local Legal Aid Society.



The Attorneys for the legal Aid Society are excellent and they do not charge any money for their services.



The Attorneys for the Legal Aid Society are very aggressive against greedy landlords.



Usually a letter from one of the Attorneys with the Legal Aid Society takes a lot of the arrogance out of the greedy landlords and usually results in an improvement in the behavior of the landlord.



I recommend that you give Your local Legal Aid Society a call. They are great people and they scare the daylights out of greedy landlords.

Answer 5

The dishwasher is sensible. once you've a disposall contained in the sink, yo will fin dthat the drain line is likley clogged, so the dishawasher isn't draining accurate. ordinary fix. merchants are a diverse tale. Sned a WRITTEN request for fix. The lacking door, paint themes, and by no potential staying on the tracks you receives nowhere with. lacking door and paint are beauty, LL has no legal responsibility to fix.