My landlord tried to evict me over a leaky faucet and it actually worked

I lived in a unit in Austin for three years. Paid rent on time every month. Landlord said I caused water damage by not reporting a slow drip under the kitchen sink. Took me to court and the judge sided with him because my lease had a clause about reporting all maintenance issues within 48 hours. I never even noticed the drip because the cabinet hid it. Has anyone else gotten nailed by a weird lease rule like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jason19d ago

That's brutal man. I had a similar thing happen in Dallas a few years back with a 72 hour notice clause for pest issues. My lease said I had to report any roach or bug sightings within 3 days or they could hold me responsible for an infestation. I saw one roach in the laundry room and figured it was a one off thing. Six months later the whole building had them and my landlord tried to charge me for the entire fumigation. I fought it but the property manager showed the judge where I never reported it. Cost me 1200 bucks. The sad part is these clauses are totally legal in Texas because the state basically lets landlords write whatever they want into leases. Makes you wonder how many people get screwed by some tiny print they never even read. I hope you can find a better place with a more reasonable landlord.

sarahhart14d ago

Honestly, I once signed a lease that said I had 24 hours to report a drafty window, guess I'm lucky I didn't get evicted for breathing.