As a tenant, you can give your landlord written notice of the issue that needs to be fixed and state that you will terminate the lease if the proper repairs are not made. If your landlord fails to make the necessary repairs within 14 days, you can terminate your lease. An exception would be if the repair would be unreasonable to fix within 14 days. If your landlord starts the repairs in the 14-day window and is diligently working to complete them, the landlord would be given a reasonable amount of time to finish such repairs.
If the landlord willfully disregards his obligations regarding maintenance of his rental unit, a tenant can file a complaint in magistrate’s court seeking an injunction or recovering damages against the landlord. In addition, a judge can order the landlord to pay for the tenant’s reasonable attorneys fees.
