The law requires the owner to cover certain costs essential to the health of the accommodation. Faced with a persistent refusal, the tenant has a little-known but powerful lever of pressure to assert his rights.
Living in a home is not always easy. There can be water leaks, insulation problems, a broken window, a damaged pipe and many other mishaps. When we are an owner, it is often up to us to pay for repairs, unless we are in a co-ownership and it concerns common areas such as the roof. This is why it is important to find out before taking out your credit card in order to know who should pay the bill.
And when you’re a tenant, it’s even different. Indeed, the resident must pay a certain number of costs to maintain the property as soon as a small part is damaged, such as a door handle, the paint, the floor, a broken window or even a damaged seal. On the other hand, there are certain more substantial things that are the responsibility of the owner.
This is the case for replacing the door, radiators, windows, boiler, water column or water supply pipe. If they have become out of use. In this case, the tenant immediately notifies the owner of the damaged item in the apartment so that it can be repaired.
Unfortunately, some do not respond or refuse to pay the fees. They are then illegal, but don’t you dare stop paying your rent as a protest, because it could come back to bite you. Yes, because the law punishes those who take justice into their own hands, whether the reason is good or bad. You risk receiving a bailiff’s letter, then ending up in court and even being evicted from the accommodation.
On the other hand, if you are the one who legally denounces the landlord’s failings, you may be authorized to no longer pay your rent. Here is the procedure described on the PAP (Individual to Individual) Instagram account: contact the conciliation commission to report the breach, go to court to request that the work be carried out under penalty, a reduction in the rent or compensation for disturbance of enjoyment (yes, cold showers count!) and notify the CAF which can suspend the payment of housing assistance to the lessor and authorize you to pay only the balance of the rent.
You now have all the cards in hand to enforce your rights and stop being let down. Good news for tenants who thought they were in a dead end.
