Realtor Responsibilities

[dylanesque29.livejournal.com]

Hi all-
Myself and my roommates rented a house near Davis Square, through a realtor in Davis Square. Since we moved in, there have been numerous issues, including woefully inadequate/unsafe electric arrangements. Shouldn't there be inspections every time an apartment changes hands? I'm surprised the realtor doesn't request up-to-date records from the landlord when they show the place.

Comments

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

I understand that you didn't know the condition of the electrical system, but couldn't you tell that the windows were broken before you moved in?

Most buildings in the area are old, with old electrical systems and broken stuff. Nobody is going to work harder to make sure the place you're living is safe and functional than you do.

Do some reading about your rights as tenants. What offenses you can withhold from the rent for, how/if complaints about the safety of the unit protect you if the landlord decides to evict you, etc. It's possible that her failure to give you a reciept for the security deposit does more than void her ability to withhold from it, it might make her subject to damages. Have you been receiving monthly interest for the amount of your security deposit?

Honestly I think you should expect to get a new apartment. This landlord is never going to like having you as a tenant, and you're never going to like living in this apartment. But I also think you should do everything to protect your legal rights until then.

And you might want to contact the realtor's company just to let them know why you won't be using them in the future. But I wouldn't expect a response.

(Full disclaimer: I'm a non-absentee landlord. I like to think I fix things pretty quickly. But there are lots of junky things about our house, and our tenants know that most of them are going to stay that way. Old houses with cheap rent are like that.)

[dylanesque29.livejournal.com]

No, because they looked old, but not vulnerable to weather. I noticed one of the living room windows has a piece of wood jammed in the hole in it to disguise the fact.

From my understanding, interest on deposits isn't due til the anniversary date of the tenant moving in, but I'm going to mention that she never gave us a reciept, or the name of the bank/address/account number of where it's held.