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September 2, 2008 7:30 AM

Landlord stalls needed repairs

Posted by Elizabeth Rhodes

Q: My son rents a house King County. There is a faucet leaking on the outside of the house. The water has begun to seep into one of the basement bedrooms. It is saturating the carpet and the drywall resulting in the growth of mold (or mildew). Also in another basement bedroom there is a door to the outside that is not weathertight. Water runs in under the door. I believe the landlord is required to repair both problems. There are other problems that indicate that there is no interest in maintaining the property. What do you advise?

A: You're right. The landlord is responsible for making these repairs.

To initiate them your son must put his request in writing and send it to the landlord. Just telling him verbally about the problems isn't sufficient to require the landlord to act.

Then if the landlord doesn't do the work, your son can hire someone to get it done and deduct the cost from his rent.

(He cannot withhold his rent in order to force the landlord to act.)

Please see the Tenants Union Web site for the particulars on how to carry this out because state law regarding repairs is quite specific.

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