After I secured a job in San Francisco, I was offered a room in a house by the landlord of one of my labmates. When I arrived to the house, the landlord and labmate sat down with me to discuss the housing situation. I asked if she'd be OK with a pet rabbit I'd bring and she eagerly accepted. We agreed upon me living on a month-to-month basis, so I put down a security deposit (in cashier's check) and first month's rent after signing the agreement.
After moving in, I started noticing a few things about the house. There was a hole in the ceiling that was patched up with cardboard. The refrigerator available for tenants to use was half-power/turns off intermittently. There were numerous cracks in the interior and exterior walls of the house. I saw one mouse ever and the kitchen is a bacteria-ridden zone in which everything is covered in this sort of sticky film.
Fast forward 6 months later. I am leaving SF to go home for Thanksgiving when my labmate texts me and says that the landlord wants me out of the house before January. Telling me through the labmate, her reasons ranged from my rabbit producing smells (which I clean carefully) to "forgetting" to mention that someone before me had signed a lease for my room that would begin later on (unsure if this is even true). The labmate said she got the vibe my landlord was now making excuses to kick me out.
My first mistake was accepting a job in San Francisco where the rent is notoriously high. My second mistake was never getting her assurance that I would be able to stay indefinitely in writing. I doubt I'd be able to survive San Francisco with its high rent, and if I can't find another place to live I may have to leave my job. I had stopped my search for housing when she assured me that I could stay as long as I wanted.
What I want to know is what I can do besides search for another house. I feel as if I've been deceived. What's worse is how she told me through a labmate/housemate and said she was not taking no for an answer. I plan to discuss things with her politely in person when I return to San Francisco, but I'm concerned she won't be so accommodating. I'm just confused as I'd never gave her any reason to worry about the room I was staying in.
I normally wouldn't stoop this low, but I'm going to need the extra cash if I'm to be booted out so quick. Given the state of the house (searching on Nolo for tenant/landlord laws), I think it's safe to say the house is uninhabitable and a cause for withholding my rent (can I withhold my last month's rent?). Would I be able to keep my rent if she doesn't fix the house within the 60 day period? Also, from my understanding, she needs to give me 60 days' instead of 30 days' notice after notifying me. I usually wouldn't live with someone who doesn't want me there, but I absolutely cannot move anytime soon due to personal reasons. Please let me know how I can deal with this situation in the event my landlord won't relent. I appreciate any help I can get.
Submitted November 24, 2016 at 03:13PM by suchfeelstho http://ift.tt/2faoJSU legaladvice
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