Do I have grounds to break lease or negotiate lower rent?

By Gigi

Shortly after I moved into my new rental house, I found the house all dirty and saw that it’s leaking through the garage roof and therefore I can’t use the garage for storage as I intended…I tried to re-negotiate the price of the rental, since I can’t fully use it for storage as intended, but my landlord wouldn’t have any of it, which I am not exactly paying a low rate. As advised from the property’s management company, I sent pictures and notes with defects (as is) to the landlord, certifield. He got made and said that I am one of those people that will never be happy. I never got my signed copy back. Then I discover that there’s mold in-between the windows and the place smells moldy, the air-intake grate is absolutely filled with dust and now it’s been leaking into my living room. There were also other things broken, but these are the ones that didn’t get addressed. 

Are there any grounds for me to break the lease? I am concerned about the moisture. Or wouldn’t at least be a lower rental rate be adequate? This is not a slum-house-type neighborhood and 640 in these parts top rates for a 50 year old 3-bedroom house!  

Thank you all!

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