Open Question: How do I proceed against my drug addict landlord?

6 February 2012, 1:46 pm

I started renting this property back in April of last year. I have always paid my rent on time. I have done everything by the book. Every notice I give the landlord, is notarized, stamped by the post office, and sent certified mail where she must sign for it. Repairs needed to be done in the house and I notified the landlord; however, she refused to fix them even after several notices. I fixed and paid for them myself. I did not take the money out of the rent due to threats. I found out that the landlord spent the deposit money on drugs. Under the landlord tenant code of Delaware it states I must put in writing a request for the location of the deposit. If the landlord fails to give the location of the deposit or the deposit back within 20 days of receipt of that letter then landlord owes the deposit back. If the landlord continues for an additional 20 days after the initial 20 days to give the deposit back then the tenant gets double back. I sent her the letter and 3 months later we still don't have our money. She spent it on drugs. Next up there are several things not working in the house properly. The is holes in the wall from previous electrical fires and the electricity is still unstable. The washer is unsafe, the dryer is a fire hazard. I personally fixed the stove. All this has been put in writing and she refuses to fix. The rental unit came with a storage unit attached to the property. We never got access to that storage unit that was in the lease for our use. So, she owes us storage money. We are currently attempting to move. We contacted her over the phone and she agreed that since she by law owes us double our security deposit that we could not pay rent for one month so we could move. We are attempting to move out next month. She is sabotaging our name stated that we have rented from her for a year and have never ever paid rent. We have receipts proving otherwise. She arrives on the property unlocks the door without notice and walk right into the property. This is also a violation of the landlord tenant code. We call the police each time she does this for trespassing. Recently, today, she did the same things but must of been high. She demanded rent saying we owed close to $12,000. And she was threatening us, stating if we didn't give her the money she would ensure her friends took care of us. When we contacted the police about the threats and the trespassing all they stated that unless actual harm came to me, my family or my possessions it was considered a civil matter. We are having a hard time finding a place to live. We make 4 times the average rent cost around here. But due to this landlord we can't find a place to live. If I take this to civil court whats going to happen? How do I fix this? What do I do? I pay for a lawyer but at $250 an hour is it really worth it?... Read More »

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