Am i obligated to pay rent??

[tweakchick20]

We have been living here for 2 yrs. We dont have a contract of any kind with the LL... for over a year our tile in the bath room has been falling in on us..we asked him to fix and he ignored us...finally he came in a year later demolishes the bathroom to the point that we cannot shower or take a bath in it (its a 1bath home) and this task that was only suppose to take a week max has went on a month. We have not been able to take a shower or bath at our rental in a month. his soulution was ask the neighbors and to bathe our daughter in the sink she is 2...are we obligated to pay him for the rent?

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

Yes, you are, although you can always discuss diminished rent for the time period this project is going on.

A bathroom that needs to be demolished is typically going to take longer than a week. Is the work still being done? If not, you may have some justification that the rental is unliveable as it is.

Gail

 

[tweakchick20]

it has just been sitting for about 2 weeks they come over once a week and sand a wall for maybe 30 minutes then leave and we dont see them again for another week they have done the major stuff its just plywood up now in the shower and the LL has told us not to use the shower or to take a bath

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

What state do you live in?

Gail

 

[tweakchick20]

south carolina

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

The reason I asked is that in some states, a tenant can place rent in an escrow account (handled by the court system) until an issue can be resolved. In the case of repairs, this temporary loss of rent often "lights a fire" under the landlord to get the repair done.

Other states allow renters to address the repairs (when their landlord has not responded) and bill the landlord or withhold the equivalent amount from their rent.

If the plywood (and hopefully this is cement board for a wet area like a shower) is up around the tub area, the next step is tiling or adding in the bathtub insert. Tiling would take longer since it's a slower process and grout must set for a certain period of time before the area can be used.

However, to be honest, we were able to use our bathtub when we remodeled our bathroom and before the tile was up. We just had to be careful not to splash water on the untiled walls.

At any rate, you have the right to request to your landlord (in writing so you have documentation) that the work on your one bathroom be completed soon so you have access to this area. You also can request that he/she let you know how much longer this process will take as the current status of an incomplete bathroom is certainly an inconvenience for you and your family.

I'm assuming you have access to the toilet in the bathroom, correct? A landlord must provide a living space that includes sanitary facilities (meaning a toilet).

This consumer advocacy service for your state may help..

http://www.thelpa.com/lpa/landlord-tenant-law/south-carolina-landlord-tenant-law.html