Code violations cited
for free rent trick 

April 2008

Below is a list of code violations cited against landlords on behalf of tenants playing the free rent trick, showing how minor the violations are. Usually, just a few of these justify not paying the entire rent. Note how many of these could have been done deliberately by tenants. “Quotation marks” are exact words of inspectors.

Loose electrical outlet; broken refrigerator shelf; loose windows; missing sash cords; missing electrical outlet cover plates; missing shower nozzle; missing smoke detectors; missing screens; “No hot water available. Water heater shut off.” (by tenant); broken windows; holes in walls; hole in ceiling; brand new tub surround removed by tenant and put on porch; mildew on linoleum; mice droppings in a pile on kitchen counter (saved and placed by tenant, mice don’t go all in one place); tub not draining (tenant had flipped lever; inspector never checked lever); bathroom tile “needs some grout”; no hand railings in back hallway; tenant storage materials in back hallway (exitway); aluminum ladder in rear stairwell obstructing egress; missing thermostat cover; door bell not ringing (wires pulled off transformer); termites; damaged sink, stove and refrigerator – all had to be replaced; missing doorknob; doors broken off hinges; small opening around electrical outlet; toilet loose – side to side movement; low water pressure; towel holder missing bar; missing wall-to-wall carpeting, only subflooring (tenant removed carpeting); worn window blinds; cockroaches; door is not plumb (vertical), unable to close and secure for privacy; no weather stripping on apartment front door (not main front door); no electrical outlet in very small room (not required by code, but cited); no hot water (heater turned off – by tenant); mildew on shower valve; kitchen stove not working according to tenant, plumber repairs it, still not working, stove replaced; refrigerator not working (but always working when owners came to fix it); tenant possessions on ground outside window; stains on hallway and living room ceilings; windows not weather-tight; slender gap in basement door; small crack in ceiling; plugged toilet; no lockable partition in basement; boiler “lack of maintenance”; loose towel rack; loose electrical outlet behind refrigerator; linoleum “not secured at perimeter”; “Inside corner perimeter of ceiling and wall area next to heat pipes has stain (small amount)”; “Switch outlet missing cover”; “Wall has small hole at ceiling corner”; “Floor area around radiator is spongy and gives when stepped on”; “Insufficient illumination in hallways; must have proper lighting at all times”; “Living room ceiling improperly finished. Restore ceiling back to its original condition”; missing smoke detectors; no battery in smoke detectors (Owner: “I just changed it”); holes in kitchen wall and rear common hall; loose door lock on kitchen rear door to hall; kitchen faucet leaking; water pipe leaking in basement; cracks in kitchen flooring; stove knob missing; peeling wallpaper in hallway; leaking kitchen sink base; door knobs missing or loose; torn screen door; broken balusters on front porch; bathroom ceiling tiles broken and stained.