Repair court case

The court clerk sets a hearing within 14 days after you file your complaint. If your landlord is served later than that, the hearing is set within 14 days of that instead. At that hearing, the city or state agency you complained to must give the court its report on inspecting your home.

At this hearing or later, the court can order your landlord to fix the problems the law requires. The court can also put someone in charge of your building. This person is called a receiver, and collects the rent to pay for repairs.

The court can also order your landlord to pay you money. This can include giving back the rent you already paid to the clerk for the days your home was not fixed.

Your landlord can ask the court to stop this rent payment process at any time. If the court finds the repair problems have been fixed, the court decides what happens to the rent money. The clerk is holding that money until then.

If you sue to make your landlord repair the property, the trial is held within 12 days. The days count from when the complaint (the paper that starts your case) is filed. It is later if you ask for a later date.

You can ask the court to order your landlord to make the repairs. You can do this instead of rent escrow (paying your rent to the court instead of your landlord), or along with it. You can also ask the court to lower your rent until the repairs are done. You can ask the court to use the rent you already deposited to pay for the repairs.

Once your landlord finishes the repairs, go back to the court and sign a release form. This lets the court pay your deposited rent to your landlord.