My Landlord is a jerk!!

[Dunkopf]

Renting sucks.

 

[Stacykins]

Talk about a major health risk having sewage in the yard from a broken system. I am sorry you are in such a sucky situation.

 

[Carols Clucks]

I am going to suggest you find a new place to move too.

I would send him a certified letter and an email, stating the problem and requesting it be fixed now, habitation issue.

If he does raise your rent by a lot, he will have to give you 60 days notice.


On the other hand, $400 in CA is a deal so be prepared to look for something closer to the going rate for your area.

I am going to assume you do not have a washer to fill your septic system and are regularly adding something similar to yeast to keep the tank "happy"

 

[Boudicea Farms]

Contact an attorney or someone in the state and find out what your rights as a renter are. As a former landlord it was my responsibility to make repairs to the home I rented out. I had tenants that expected me to replace burned out light bulbs, I did, it was easier to keep them happy then to lose rent and have to find new renters. Rule of thumb if it was rented with the house it has to be replaced or repaired by the homeowner unless otherwise stipulated in the rental agreement. (ie appliances provided by landlord, I provided stove and refridgerator but also a washer and dryer, the washer and dryer were as long as the items worked type deal, and written in the lease agreement) I would say the septic is the owners responsibility, it should be maintained on a schedule as not to cause damage to the property or create a health hazard for the tenants. Some states will allow you to with hold rent until items are replaced or repaired but before you attempt contact an attorney because failure to pay rent is grounds for eviction.

 

[FunkyPizza Inc.]

We have added in enzymes in the past but was told they really don't work so we haven't bothered in a while. Also as it turns out the owner knew for a while that the system had serious problems, this we learned from the company that drained the tank in the past. They told him that the system needed a firewall for waterproofing, now the ground above the tank is waterlogged and depressed. I always wanted pond in the backyard but NOT one like this.

I've been looking online for the average cost of the repairs needed and I know that HELL WILL FREEZE OVER before he pays that kind of money. I will find out what my rights as a renter are but since this isn't getting fixed anytime soon we have no other choice than to leave( for our own health) and see if we can be reimburst for the cost of the repairs we made ourselves.

 

[emvickrey]

I remember when living in the country was the cheaper way to rent. Now it's town thats cheaper. Around here anyway. So many people are tired of the crime in the city, the bigger cities, they want the quieter life in the country. The city people are pushing us country people out. We too are looking for affordable houseing that will also let us keep our animals. We've only had 1 landlord that was a good one and he passed away and his dad ended up with the place and he was another slum lord. He had a trailer park that should have been shut down. A real fire hazard they all where. I know because we looked at his before he directed us to his son. He was a great landlord. He lived just down the road and he would mow everybody's yard once a week. I mean everybody on our side of the street. If anything went wrong he was right there to fix it.

Sorry to hear your going thru this and I hope you find the perfect place and get a dream job.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i'm sorry! You've gotten a lot of good advice so far, so not sure i can add anything. Do get those receipts together and take him to court after you move out. Stay positive that you will find some place where you can keep your animals. Maybe advertise on craigslist, asking for a house to rent that allows chickens. Put the word out and follow all leads. There has to be the perfect place for you somewhere.

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

Take pictures of the standing water...document everything! Even if you do move out. I would call the health department myself.
Here in florida if there is a dispute we go to the court house and pay our rent into the court system...then they hold it until repairs are done . That way you can't get evicted for not paying rent.

 

[Redcatcher]

It sounds as if you have an implied agreement with the landlord that in exchange for giving you a break on the rent, he is leaving it up to you to either help out with any repairs or make the repairs yourself. IMHO, either you can have it one way or the other, but not both. $400 is unheard of for a home in the country in CA where you can keep chickens. If the septic tank needs replacement, it is likely because of lack of maintenance. Normally, it is the renters responsibility to have the septic tank pumped out. If this was not done regularly, (if you could not afford to do it) it could have caused the system to back up, which may be why it needs to be replaced now. I would rather not speculate but there are things you can and cannot do to a septic systems (some are really fussy) and it could be that you contributed to the problem without realizing it. At any rate, I think the repair problems should be shared equally even if you have legal recourse.

 

[Dunkopf]

Septic will last a long time if it's sucked out on a regular basis and the leech fields don't get crushed by livestock or have grease put in them. Hard to say who's responsible. For 400.00 a month it sounds like the house isn't in too good of shape and probably needs quite a bit of work anyway. Like the last guy said, it's probably implied that the landlord is just letting you stay there dirt cheap and he doesn't want to spend any money on the place. Maybe you can get him to give you some chamber pots. I feel for you. Septic systems are a real nightmare when they get plugged up. That and the well are my two biggest worries. I can fix anything else on my house except the foundation.