As a tenant, you have the right to safe living conditions. The apartment you rent should meet all safety standards. It should be in good structural shape and also be in good repair. Sometimes a landlord will fail to maintain your apartment and it becomes unsafe. What can you do?
Landlords in Maryland must provide safe living conditions
In Maryland, a landlord must provide tenants with safe living conditions. For example, landlords must install carbon monoxide detectors. They must make sure the apartment has adequate heat and air and lighting as well as electricity. Landlords must also provide hot or cold running water. So long as the tenant pays the utilities, all fixtures must work. A landlord must also take reasonable steps to ensure the apartment is free from pests. There cannot be any structural defects in the building that could pose a threat to the tenants.
Tenants must provide notice of unsafe conditions
If your building is unsafe, you must give your landlord notice of the problem. If the landlord fails to act, you are no longer bound by the lease. If you do not want to move but instead want the problem fixed, you may have to file a lawsuit against the landlord. Tenants recently filed suit against a property management company because of faulty water meters. Because of the meters, the tenants were paying too much money.
If your apartment is unsafe, you must give your landlord notice of the problem. A landlord who refuses to fix that problem violates the lease agreement, and you may have to sue the landlord to fix the problem.