Landlord hired someone to paint inside of the mobile home now only 1 window opens and the smoke detectors were never put back in over 6 months at least(Whidbey Island)

Submitted by strangehitman22 t3_122btb8 in Washington

Hi folks, I signed a rental agreement today, the landlord will replace the missing smoke detectors(There is a current tenant living here already) but how safe is it to move into a house if only a small window is able to be opened? Whoever painted the house did not do a very good job, none of the living room or bedroom windows can be opened. Should I wait for them to fix the windows or is it ok to move in now? Could I get someone to fix the windows and then send the bill to my landlord?

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Collie_Mom t1_jdptqeo wrote

You should've addressed these issues with the Landlord before signing the Lease. You can use a straight razor on the window seal to break/cut the dried paint to free up the window. It's also required by Law to have the proper amount of smoke/ Carbon monoxide detectors in the residence.

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kvrdave t1_jdr3ngo wrote

>Could I get someone to fix the windows and then send the bill to my landlord?

Yes, but it isn't quite as easy as that. You give written notice, there's a time frame, then you have it done, you pay for it, then you take it out of rent. Talk to a tenant group to find out exactly how it's done. /u/pullmantenantsunion is one that I know of.

Here's our state's Tenant Landlord Act

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strangehitman22 OP t1_jdr9k8b wrote

Replying to BeKindDontBlind (#2,371,921)

that's... A very good point (I have no fucking clue what I'm doing 😭) for all I know the other tenant took them down at some point but I know for sure they did not paint the house (The tenant confirmed they hired someone to do it(

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BeKindDontBlind t1_jdrafx4 wrote

Replying to strangehitman22 (#2,372,126)

My guess is these are wood casement windows that were painted. The only thing the handyman is going to do is what someone else said and run a box knife type razor to break the paint seal.

If you want to start off on the right foot with the landlord and you can fix it yourself without much hassle, why wouldn't you?

Can you install a carbon monoxide detector yourself?

Are you dealing with an individual or a property manager?

If dealing with, let's say an elderly couple, are they not able to do it themselves? Have they tried hiring someone and just can't find anyone?

I would approach this as a partnership, and not start off adversarial and threatening to bill them over small, easy fixes.

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