What to Do When Landlord Will Not Fix Damaged Front Door

When you to live, you can reasonably expect it to be somewhere you can feel safe. However, a broken-down front door makes you feel exactly the opposite. While a landlord should normally take care of this kind of issue (and fast), some decide they don't want to do their job. If you're stuck in a situation where a , let DoNotPay help you.

What Are My Rights as a Tenant?

As specified by law, tenants have a right to a safe and clean dwelling while they rent property from a landlord. This would obviously include a working front door, as that's the first line of defense against intruders and the elements. A landlord refuses to fix something this major would definitely be a violation of the law.

Additionally, landlords are responsible for conducting repairs on the property unless otherwise specified in the lease. For the most part, this would mean that your landlord is, without a doubt, the one who should be handling this request. Refusing to do so is not allowed, nor is putting it off for an unreasonable amount of time. Most states specify that a landlord has up to 14 days to respond to a work order before they're in trouble, so keep this in mind if they're dragging their feet.

How to Withhold Rent if Landlord Refuses to Do Repairs

One recourse renters have against landlords who refuse to do repairs is withholding rent. Not only can you report or sue a landlord like this, but you're also legally allowed to withhold rent for as long as it takes to complete the repair after the waiting period is over. To do this, simply inform your landlord that you will not be paying the rent until the repair is completed. Cite the applicable state laws related to this to strengthen your case, and, of course, make sure that this interaction is documented via email, recording, or some other means.

Things to Know About Withholding Rent

It is legal to withhold rent if a landlord refuses to complete reasonable repair requests on the property.
A landlord cannot charge late fees on rent withheld through these means.
If a repair is completed, you will then need to pay any withheld rent like normal.

How to Ask Your Landlord for Repairs

In most cases, asking a landlord for repairs is as simple as an email. Sending a work order isn't a complicated process, and many apartment complexes have an automated message system that you can use to file these requests. No matter what, though, make sure there's documentation of your request, as this will ensure the landlord can't pretend you never brought the issue to their attention.

Make a formal request.	If you first asked to have repairs done in conversation or by text, write a formal repair request letter, or request it by whatever method your lease states. Describe the issues you are having and any issues it is causing--such as poor draining or leaking. Make sure to be polite and straightforward.
Know your rights	Check your lease, as well as state and local laws to determine if the landlord is required to provide dishwasher repairs. If so, the letter can state any ordinances or clauses from the lease.
Contact a tenant advocacy group in your area	They may have advice about how to convince your landlord to make repairs.

How to Compel a Landlord to Fix a Damaged Front Door On Your Own

While it should be easy to get your landlord to do what they're supposed to do, many simply don't want to and refuse to change. Making them fix your damaged front door is possible, but it might involve a lot of dragging feet and headaches. Lessen that effort with DoNotPay's help, and let us take on the most tedious parts of this job for you. If you'd like to give it a go by yourself first, though, here's what you can do:

Identify what needs repairing (in this case, the front door).
Draft a letter to your landlord specifying you need the repair. This can be a physical letter or email directly to them or through a property's work order system. Either way, keep a record of this communication for yourself.
Get confirmation from the landlord that they've received the request.
Wait the required length of time for the repair to be completed. In most states, this is around 14 days.
If the repair is still not complete by the end of the waiting period, you can take action by filing a complaint with the health department.
If you've reported your landlord and nothing has been done, you can file a suit in small claims court against them. For this, you'll likely need an attorney, but you've already got plenty of evidence collected throughout these steps to help build your case.

Make a Landlord Fix a Damaged Front Door With DoNotPay

DoNotPay can help you make your landlord do their job and fix a busted front door. To get started, just follow these four steps.

Search for and open the Landlord Protection product on DoNotPay.
Select which issue applies to you.
Answer a simple set of questions, so our chatbot can collect the necessary information to create your demand letter.
Choose whether you want DoNotPay to send the demand letter to your landlord or roommate on your behalf. If you already tried sending a demand letter, and it didn't work, we can help you start the small claims court process.

And that's it. You should hear back from your landlord directly once your demands are sent.

Sue Anyone With DoNotPay

Helping you get legal restitution for problems is second nature for DNP. With our Sue Now product, you can sue just about anyone easily and successfully, whether it be your landlord or someone else.

DoNotPay Can Help With Rental Issues Across the Board

If you have an issue with your landlord other than getting repairs done, DoNotPay can still help you. For example, if your landlord tries to unlawfully keep a security deposit or drags their feet on returning it, we can get that sorted. If your landlord wants to evict you, especially without cause or notice, we'll protect you. If you've gotten stuck with a bad roommate, we can help find ways to make them leave. We can even file complaints against or sue a landlord for you.