Before sending a written complaint to your Landlord, you should examine your lease carefully for a clause that allocates the Tenant's and Landlord's respective obligations regarding maintenance and repairs. Your lease agreement may provide, for example, that the Tenant is obligated to maintain the interior and paint, while the Landlord is obligated to maintain the plumbing, heating, and electrical wiring. Before making a request to the Landlord for maintenance and repairs, you should make sure that your Landlord is obligated to make such repairs under the terms of the lease. In order to obligate your Landlord to make a repair or resolve a problem with the leased premises, the Landlord must know about the problem. Notice to an agent or employee of the Landlord is considered notice to the Landlord. However, it is advisable to send your notice directly to the person or entity listed in your lease agreement as the party designated to receive notices from the Tenant. The best way to give a Landlord notice is to send written notice to the Landlord or his or her agent by registered or certified mail. Proof of mailing insures that the Landlord cannot later claim that notice was not received. You may also contact the Landlord by telephone to describe the problem. However, you should follow up the telephone conversation with this letter. The Landlord must have a reasonable amount of time to fix the problem. |