How can I get out of my lease?

[Andrea Ramirez]

Its almost a month since I moved into a rental property, and it has been a headache form day one. The landlord asked me to move earlier assuring the property was move-in ready, but it wasn’t.

The day I moved, I found no mirrors in any of the bathrooms, no rods or shelfs in the closets/bath, and one of the showers was not draining correctly, among other things. I tried to negotiate on why some basic necessities weren't available, but the landlord refused to work with me.

Now the oven is not working. Ive tried to reach out multiple and in many way, but not response.  His unreliability is making me take a different approach.

How can I get out of my lease, or how can I protect myself?

[Richard F.]

Aloha,

It is pretty customary to inspect the unit before, or at, move-in to document conditions in writing and by taking your own photos, at that time. If you rented it without seeing it in it's "finished, ready to rent" condition, that is your mistake. Check local law, but you can choose to walk out, turn over the keys, and keep paying rent until the landlord finds a new tenant to take over. Landlord will need to make a "good faith" effort to re-rent it, but you signed a contract. Cosmetic items, towel bars, mirrors etc. will get you nowhere in court if they were not there when you signed the agreement. Oven is a different issue, assuming it was included without any limitations in the rental agreement, there is likely a specified number of days that is the maximum before repairs are required to be "initiated".