As a tenant, you have the right to live in a habitable rental home. While your landlord might can get away skipping on minor repairs, major ones should be covered. What are these repairs?
Repairs Your Landlord Must Cover
The Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco or the HRCSF cites the California Civil Code Sections 1941 and 1942 to refer to certain conditions and terms to ensure the habitability of a property. These include:
- Waterproof and weatherproof roof and exterior walls, unbroken windows and doors
- Plumbing, gas, electricity, all in operational condition
- Safe, adequate and operational heating facilities
- Electrical lighting, wiring and electrical equipment all installed and maintained to comply with building codes, safety
- regulations and tenant-landlord laws
- Floors, stairways and railings in good condition
- Enough containers for garbage disposal
- Extermination of the building to eliminate rodents and pests
- Garbage disposal services to eliminate trash and rubbish from the building or property
The Warranty of Habitability
Under the Warranty of Habitability, your landlord is required to keep the rental property in habitable conditions. Even if you move in knowing about the broken steps on the stairs or the elevator that’s been out of commission, you have rights to expect that your landlord will provide you with a rental property that’s livable and safe under this law.
What You Can Do
You can write complaints to your landlord. Get help from the Department of Building Inspection and find out how they could help exert pressure on your landlord. Go to the rent board and file a petition. If your landlord still refuses, consider hiring an aggressive and experienced tenant lawyer in Oakland and suing your landlord in the small claims court. With sound legal advice provided by a tenant lawyer in Oakland who’s on your side, you’ll know what you can do to take to stand up for your rights.
