TaxiDriver
Member
What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Mississippi
This post is on behalf of my neighbors and myself.
Needless to say, a big nasty Hurricane Katrina recently flattened about 80% of the gulf coast. Meanwhile the landlord of my building returns to town and comes around asking for rent (stepping over broken windows, fallen doors and pieces of roofing). She wants rent for September, a month in which we were without power for 2 weeks, had no safe water (and still don't), and in fact many of my neighbors haven't even returned yet from fleeing the storm.
After the hurricane, several tenants moved out immediately, and the landlord quickly fixed only those units and has already begun to re-rent them. We understand that the disaster was not our landlord's fault, and that our landlord must do what she can to stay in business, but for the rest of us who were here first and whose units are still partially destroyed to be threatened with eviction - something just doesn't seem right with this picture.
In this area our roads and telephone circuits are still in terrible shape so it is very difficult to get anywhere or call anyone. I've heard of 1-800 numbers we can call for legal help in the area but like I said it is hard to get through to anyone. Trying to get online has been hit-or-miss as well. I found our state's LL/T laws but I have been unable to find anything about "in the event of a disaster". Can anyone here help?
Do we have to pay rent on half-destroyed apartments?
Can we force the landlord to fix our units?
Is our only recourse to claim the unit is uninhabitable and terminate the lease?
I heard somewhere that if a dwelling is partially destroyed by a natural disaster, the tenant can seek refuge somewhere else until repairs are made (and not owe rent until then). Is this true?
Thanks in advance for any help.
This post is on behalf of my neighbors and myself.
Needless to say, a big nasty Hurricane Katrina recently flattened about 80% of the gulf coast. Meanwhile the landlord of my building returns to town and comes around asking for rent (stepping over broken windows, fallen doors and pieces of roofing). She wants rent for September, a month in which we were without power for 2 weeks, had no safe water (and still don't), and in fact many of my neighbors haven't even returned yet from fleeing the storm.
After the hurricane, several tenants moved out immediately, and the landlord quickly fixed only those units and has already begun to re-rent them. We understand that the disaster was not our landlord's fault, and that our landlord must do what she can to stay in business, but for the rest of us who were here first and whose units are still partially destroyed to be threatened with eviction - something just doesn't seem right with this picture.
In this area our roads and telephone circuits are still in terrible shape so it is very difficult to get anywhere or call anyone. I've heard of 1-800 numbers we can call for legal help in the area but like I said it is hard to get through to anyone. Trying to get online has been hit-or-miss as well. I found our state's LL/T laws but I have been unable to find anything about "in the event of a disaster". Can anyone here help?
Do we have to pay rent on half-destroyed apartments?
Can we force the landlord to fix our units?
Is our only recourse to claim the unit is uninhabitable and terminate the lease?
I heard somewhere that if a dwelling is partially destroyed by a natural disaster, the tenant can seek refuge somewhere else until repairs are made (and not owe rent until then). Is this true?
Thanks in advance for any help.
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