Nick Perry identifies three repairs that trigger tenant lawsuits: mold that can't be painted over, missing heat or hot water, and pest infestations. Housing codes flag these in red ink. Ignoring them creates a paper trail that establishes liability.
Landlords, 3 things can put a lawsuit on your desk. Not another leaky faucet. These repairs sit in the code book with red ink around them. Mold, heat, hot water, ventilation, and pests. Number 1, mold. A tenant sends one photo of black spots crawling above the shower. Paint dries by Friday, the complaint lands Monday. You cannot hide it under a new coat and call it handled. Paint dries, evidence stays. 2, No heat, no hot water, or dead ventilation. When the apartment drops to 58 degrees and the shower runs cold, your inbox becomes a paper trail. Then pests, droppings under the sink, chew marks by the baseboard, a tenant email you left unread. The day you knew and did nothing, liability starts walking toward you. Follow for landlord compliance and fix these before the lawsuit fixes your calendar.
