Enrichment · Life Skills

No heat, day 14.
Here is the record.

A repair request that lives in a phone call is easy to forget. Log the problem, every notice and every reply; the page counts the days, points out when a written notice is missing and when it is time to call the inspector.

Log a problemWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Life skills kit, $29 for 28 items.

Your repair problems

The worked example is made up: no heat for two weeks, a text and a letter sent, no repair yet; and a pest problem never put in writing. Saved on this device only.

Loading the problem form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Life Skills$5

What you finish with
A record per repair problem: what and where, when it started, whether it threatens health or safety, what it is like, whether rent is paid, every notice with date, method and reply, and eight steps. Counts days since it started and since the first notice and the notices sent; flags no written notice, an urgent problem unfixed a week after notice, local heat rules, the rent-withholding caution and retaliation protections.
Who it is for
Renters, students in off-campus housing, and families helping a relative with a landlord.
Format
Browser log with a saved record per problem. Prints a dated record for the landlord, an inspector or legal aid, every problem in a table or a blank log; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Life skills kit ($29) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Life Skills space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Describe the problem and when it started.
  2. Send written notice and log it.
  3. Photograph it with dates.
  4. Log every reply, call and visit.
  5. Call code enforcement if an urgent problem is not fixed.

Log a problem

Getting a repair made

Getting a repair made1Tell the landlord in writingWhat is wrong, since when, anda date to fix it by2Document itDated photos, temperatures,receipts for costs3Allow accessLet repairs happen with thenotice the lease says4Code enforcementAn inspector can order therepair5Get helpTenant unions and legal aidknow the local rules6Keep everythingNotices, replies, photos,inspection reportsGetting a repair made1Tell the landlord in writingWhat is wrong, since when, and a date tofix it by2Document itDated photos, temperatures, receipts forcosts3Allow accessLet repairs happen with the notice thelease says4Code enforcementAn inspector can order the repair5Get helpTenant unions and legal aid know thelocal rules6Keep everythingNotices, replies, photos, inspectionreports
Rules on repair deadlines, rent withholding and repair-and-deduct differ by state and city. Code enforcement and legal aid can tell you which apply where you live.

Habitability

In almost every state, landlords must keep rentals fit to live in: heat, water, safe wiring, working locks, no serious leaks or infestations. Local housing codes spell out the details, and a code inspector can cite a landlord who does not make repairs.

Careful with rent

Some states allow withholding rent, paying it into a court account or repairing and deducting the cost, but only through exact steps. Doing it wrong can give the landlord grounds to evict. Keep paying unless legal aid or the local tenant office says otherwise.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Tenant rights, laws and protections by state (hud.gov).
  2. Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (1972, revised 2015), landlord duty to maintain premises (uniformlaws.org).
  3. Legal Services Corporation. Find legal aid (lsc.gov).
  4. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Renter resources (consumerfinance.gov).

The worked examples are made up. Repair, withholding and retaliation rules differ by state and city; this page keeps a record and is not legal advice. Check with code enforcement or legal aid where you live. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.