Who has to pay for housing while home is tented?

Q: We rent a single-family home and found out it must be tented for termites. The landlord told us she would reduce our rent for the time we need to stay in a hotel. Money is tight, and a few days of rent reduction will not cover a hotel and meals. We want her to pay for these too. This is a massive inconvenience. We would never have rented here if we knew this would happen. Does she have to pay all our expenses? — Katherine

Probably not. To know for sure, you will need to review your lease agreement.

If your lease matches the minimum requirements of the law in this regard like most do, your landlord only must abate your rent for the time you cannot use the house. While I have seen a few leases that go beyond this minimum, they have been few and far between.

Termites can destroy a home and must be taken seriously. Tenting is not cheap, so I doubt your landlord is doing this unless it is necessary.

Being a landlord is running a business, and like any business owner, your landlord wants you to be happy, or at least content, in your leased home. You should speak to her and explain the hardship and ask her to help out beyond the minimum.

This is basic customer service — but remember to be reasonable. While it is true the squeaky wheel gets greased, it is also true that if it keeps squeaking, it often gets replaced.

If you have a good reason to delay the tenting, your landlord should work to accommodate you. If your landlord won’t do more than she is legally obligated to, you still must move out for treatment, or there can be consequences.

Though the most common reason people are evicted is due to nonpayment, a landlord can take legal action against you if you do not cooperate with their efforts to maintain their property.