There are some bold claims out and about regarding what may or may not be occurring in rentals within the City of Meadville. This post is not here to investigate whether those claims are legitimate whatsoever. The purpose of this post is to make you aware that as a renter, there are rights that protect you right now. You do NOT have to wait for some Rental inspection program to come along, you can do something right now if your rights are being violated in any way. This blog post is intended as a resource and not as a supplement to proper legal counsel.
Let's say that you have one of the alleged issues that the Vote for Meadville campaign talked about with rental units.
These are just some of the comments that have been made by Joe Tompkins, who volunteered with the VFM campaign, and was at the most recent lunchtime meeting regarding the inspection program.
The fact remains that in this very moment, renters have protections. The PA Supreme Court has ensured that tenants have the right to a decent place to live. This guarantee to decent housing is called the Implied Warrant of Habitability. What is that? So glad you asked! Read on to find out.
The right to a livable home cannot be waived in a lease!
Notice how all of the items that Joe had previously stated in comments are on this list? Folks, you do not need the City Council to play middleman for you. If you are experiencing the issues above, and your landlord is not actively working to remedy the situation, YOU HAVE RIGHTS! Please, don't pickup the phone to call the Mayor, read on and we'll tell you how you could handle the situation. Once again disclaiming, this is NOT a substitute for proper legal advice. This is just knowledge that everyone should have and be able to implement if needed.
Now, you hopefully are still reading here and are now questioning what remedies you have. Let's continue, shall we?
The main thing needed, make the landlord aware. Do so in writing, date the letters and be very specific. If your landlord provides an email for communication, maybe you email them and then follow up with a written letter mailed to them. Whatever the means of communication, document it. This is an important and necessary step.
But wait, if I exercise my rights, won't my landlord just evict me? The short answer, no. IF you exercised your right PROPERLY. That is the single most important word you will read in that sentence, properly.
Please read and reread the statement above. Key takeaways are; Proper legal advice is invaluable, and PA law prevents your landlord from evicting you in retaliation because you exercised your rights properly.
Ok, but who do we contact if we have these concerns? Won't I need proof? Is this covered under the warranty of habitability?
Meadville does in fact have building code enforcement, so here's who you contact;
Alright, that's all well and good, but my landlord still didn't fix the issue and I can't afford legal counsel. Well, we have good news for you. There is a resource available to you.
So, legally what can you do if you have properly notified the landlord and gave reasonable time for repairs? Call in your complaint. Wait the reasonable amount of time. What's reasonable? It depends on the situation and the time of year. See the example in the screenshot below (there was also one in a screenshot up above);
We waited a reasonable amount of time and still nothing. Now what can we do?
Please take note of the sentence that reads "A warranty of habitability defense is more likely to be considered if you have not spent the rent money on something else." That is a very important thing to note. The final very important thing to note, once again, is that none of the information contained within this blog post is a replacement for proper legal counsel.
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