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Can a landlord refuse to provide screens for windows on a home he has rented to us, considering we are renting the entire house?
Anonymous2 views2 answers
We asked the landlords to provide screens for the windows. They provided 2 that needed replacing, but they did not replace the ones that were in the living room, which is the only way to get a cross breeze through the house. They said they would not replace them, because cats & dogs tear them up. It seems to me that there responsibility is to provide the screens & then charge us if our animals tear them up. They assumed that our animals would do the same. Our animals never go anywhere near the back of the couch, let alone get to where the screens would be. The thing is this...before we rented, I took the landlord to the front of the house & we checked to see if the windows opened, they did. But then they wouldn't provide screens. There is a horse barn behind this home & thousands of flies.
If your condition is life threatening you should care for your health first. That being said your move in check list should have shown the condition or absence of the screens. If you accepted the premisis without proper screens then the cost of the screening may be on you. The good news is that screen material that is pet resistant is inexpensive and just about anyone can rescreen and if that protects your health it will be cheap over the long run. Your description of the landlord leads me to think all of your future communications should be in writing so you can show it later on if there is a problem. Given the landord's attitude I will guess you will have other issues. You should read RCW 59.18 to get an idea of what the rules are that will impact you in the future. it will seem long at first but it is important.
Good Luck
If you have a lease, there is likely language in the lease regarding what the Landlord's obligations are and what your obligations are. Improvements generally refer to changes to the structure, like painting or installing cabinets or plumbing fixtures. I think it is unlikely that a court would find that a Landlord has failed to meet its statutory obligations by refusing to provide window screens, particularly as the previous lawyer said, when that was the condition when you moved in. I agree that your first priority should be your health.
