| There are governmental agencies set up to determine | | | | subjected to the condemned property, the landlord |
| if a home or apartment is inhabitable or not, and they | | | | may be responsible for that as well. |
| require that certain standards be met. For example, | | | | As a landlord, you may be able to correct the issues |
| after a tornado or other natural disaster, many homes | | | | that the governmental agency stated that the property |
| could still remain standing but have issues that need to | | | | had, and then, ask them to re-evaluate the property to |
| be corrected before a person can live there safely. | | | | give it a new status. They could be minor repairs that |
| Ignoring the determination of these agencies, could lead | | | | will not cost much money to correct. Once the agency |
| to expensive actions in the future. Some landlords | | | | comes back out to the property and decides that |
| have decided to go ahead and have a tenant sign the | | | | everything has been corrected, then, you can legally |
| tenant forms and enter into a lease, even though the | | | | rent out the property again. Until that time, if you as |
| property was deemed uninhabitable. Though the tenant | | | | the landlord decide to rent out the property, you will |
| has signed the forms and agreed to a lease, the lease | | | | face a bigger loss financially. |
| can be broken at any time when the tenant learns that | | | | If the issues cannot be corrected, you may need to |
| he or she is living in a property that was condemned. | | | | consider starting a new home from scratch. This |
| The landlord must pay for the tenant’s expenses | | | | would involve bull-dozing the old condemned home and |
| because he unlawfully rented out an uninhabitable | | | | replacing it with a newly built home that is in |
| property. These expenses include three month’s | | | | compliance. Sometimes, especially after a natural |
| rent. If the governmental agency requires that the | | | | disaster, this is the only option you have, unless you |
| tenant vacate the property, the landlord must, also, | | | | decide to not rebuild at all. |
| refund the entire amount of the deposit and any | | | | As you can see, ignoring the condemnation order of |
| prepaid rent. Moreover, the tenant may receive | | | | the governmental agency can be costly. The best |
| relocation money from the landlord. If the tenant retains | | | | course of action is to fix the property and get it |
| an attorney, the landlord may be responsible for paying | | | | re-inspected before renting it out. Otherwise, you will |
| the tenant’s attorney fees. If the tenant’s | | | | need to have some money ready to pay the tenant. |
| personal property is damaged due to it being | | | | |