Leaking sink pipes - not able to use sink or dishwasher

[Hany Hamad]

Hi, I moved into a rental house (1 year lease) and found out the next day that the pipes under the sink was leaking and the faucet was on. The sink faucet does not turn off the running water and I'm not talking about water drops, I'm saying the water continues to flow out of the faucet even when it is closed. The water also leaks from the pipes under the faucet heavly and worse if the dishwasher is operating. I had to shut off the main water to both the faucet and the dishwasher. Otherwise we get flooding on the kitchen floor causing a trip hazard. 

I filed a maintenance request 10 days ago and have been following up every day with phone calls and emails. The lease agreement states we cannot do repairs ourselves and cannot get reimbursed for repairs. Can I get a repair estimate done and take them to court to withhold paying my rent until they fix the problem “rent abatement”? Also, how much can I sue for inconvenience caused?

[Bill B.]

Obviously the house shouldn’t have been rented this way. Also obviously this should have been fixed the same day or the next day at the latest. I would check with a local expert but I woulda assume no water means house isn’t legal to occupy. 9 days ago I would have asked for a repair, my money back, or a hotel room at their expense. Then I assume you would have gotten a response the same day. This person should hire a PM if they are a landlord or quite the business, if they are a PM. 

You “forgot” to put your city/state in your profile so a local expert could reach out and help you. At least reply with the city state so it comes up in keyword searches. You’re going to need a local expert to figure out if you’re entitled to leave, rent reimbursement, or anything. Good luck.