Unresponsive landlords
Answers to real estate questions as appearing
in the Houston Chronicle
By george stephens, CRB, AND Charles J. "Chuck" Jacobus, JD
Dear George: We rent a house in Texas from a man who lives in California. The house's fence blew down during Hurricane Ike and has not been repaired. There have been several break-ins in our neighborhood where the thieves have gained access through damaged backyard fences, and I'm worried our house is next. The leasing agent told me that our owner is not responding to her requests to fix the fence. We have three months left on our lease. What should we do?
Answer: If you signed a Texas Association of REALTORS® residential lease, read completely Section 18, Repairs, items A through F. Among other information, item A should contain a phone number for emergency repairs. If you haven't called this number, consider trying to contact the landlord this way. Item F contains provisions that would allow you to terminate the lease without any penalty; consult your attorney to see if any of these apply to your situation.
E-mail your question to "Ask George & Chuck" or fax it to 281/596-7591. The answers to questions in this column do not contain legal advice. If you wish to obtain legal advice, you should consult your own attorney.
George Stephens, CRB, is the broker of ERA Stephens Properties. He is licensed as a mortgage broker in Texas and a real estate broker in Texas, Georgia, and Massachusetts.
Charles J. Jacobus, JD, is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Residential and Commercial Real Estate Law, and the author of Texas Real Estate Law and Texas Real Estate, both published by Thomson Publishing. He also teaches at Champions School of Real Estate and Houston Community College, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center.
George and Chuck are co-authors of Texas
Real Estate Brokerage and Law of Agency published by Thomson Publishing.
