Renting and the Law: Is my landlord taking too long to make requested repairs?

Q: I can't get my landlord to communicate regarding maintenance or other issues at my apartment complex. He used to fix issues and employ good workers years ago when I first moved in, but now he hires people who have no skills to fix most of the repairs.

When it snows, it takes him three days to clear the snow, any appliance repair takes several days to fix and garbage in the building is a mess. He has no problem telling us he is increasing the rent. How can I get the office to respond with updates/time frames on these types of issues?

A: Landlords in Minnesota have a duty to keep the property in reasonable repair, fit for the use intended, reasonably energy-efficient and in compliance with health and safety laws. It's frustrating when repairs, especially major appliances, take a few days to fix. However, you indicated your landlord is getting to the repairs and getting them done, just not in a timely manner and not with professional workers.

The snow removal is a problem if it's not cleared for a few days since tenants need to be able to leave the premises for work or their other daily needs. If your landlord isn't communicating effectively with you and the other tenants in the building, you should write him a letter or email when there is a necessary repair giving him 14 days to fix it. If the issue isn't fixed in 14 days you can file a rent escrow action in the county where you live.

You could also let your landlord know that you don't believe the building warrants a rent increase when there are so many problems or issues with the property that are not being addressed.

A possible solution would be for your landlord to hire a professional maintenance person to handle repairs and take care of problems that come up in the building. Many landlords will have a maintenance person living on the property and give them free rent or a discount for performing maintenance work on the property such as snow shoveling, fixing appliances and handling other issues that arise. You need to speak to your landlord about the situation and that you are not satisfied with how they are handling repairs and problems on the property.

If you are not OK with how issues are being resolved in the building, it's a good indicator that other renters are also dissatisfied. Since you've lived in the building for several years now, your landlord doesn't want to lose good tenants.

You should set up a meeting, and sit down with him and a few other tenants who feel the same way you do, to see if there is a possible solution that will please everyone. Your landlord needs to be made aware that tenants aren't satisfied with the building's maintenance, so they can make some changes.

If your landlord does agree to hire professional maintenance workers or employ someone on the property for tenants to contact, get the agreement in writing and signed. If your landlord is resistant to making some changes, you will need to decide whether you want to remain at your current place or if it's time to move on.

Kelly Klein is a Minneapolis attorney. Participation in this column does not create an attorney/client relationship with Klein. Do not rely on advice in this column for legal opinions. Consult an attorney regarding your particular issues. E-mail renting questions to kklein@kleinpa.com. Information provided by readers is not confidential.