Getting electricity turned on

First you need the meter number, and you might need a $200 deposit. That's what they had my husband pay to set it up. The website for electric is aeepr.com and customer service is 787-521-3434. You might be able to find a link for local offices there. I'll try and find one for dorado. Good luck!

A bill of the previous person may help also.
Explain your leaks comment

I was able to find this. Dorado is considered Bayamón area. http://www.aeepr.com/Servicios/oficinas.asp
You might want to give them a call first before you head down so you know exactly what to bring to have it set up, like a renters agreement, ID, etc.

Thanks everyone!

As for leaks... the roof leaks, and the water falls onto the stairs and the hallway floors. I slipped in the dark the other night not knowing it was leaking. I could've fell down the stairs and naturally, sued the owner... however, he's requiring that I get insurance to protect him against that. I guess that's much cheaper than fixing the leak... I'm trying to figure out if that's an "unliviable" situation. The lease states that if the unit is unliviable I pay no rent until it's fixed.

time to check with your lawyer

I would think your landlord would be able to direct you as to what to do regarding the electric.  The leak sounds disturbing to me.

Exactly.

It's a laundry list of issues. Most of them small and honestly I don't know what to ask for to get fixed. In the states if something is in/on the property, it has to function as intended, otherwise it must be fixed/replaced. Here... I don't know. For example, the smoke detectors, most of them are disabled due to having no batteries. I mean, yeah, I can go but batteries, but isn't that the landlord's responsibility? At least for the first month, the agreement is the landlord is 100% responsible for everything. Then after that, I cover the first $250. Then the covering over the terrace is torn in several places making it unusable because if it rains, well you'll get wet. In the states that would need to be repaired. Not sure about here in PR.

Try contacting the realtor and tell them everything that needs to be fixed. The landlord should definitely fix it. Unless, you fix it and tell the landlord it's coming out of rent for the next month.

In PR the rental laws are very loose and there are few protections spread over many laws, the contract between you and the owner is the governing document. You can check with a lawyer and go to court but it may be many months before the case is seen. You may want to break the contract and lick your wounds since you may loose in court and still have to live there in whatever conditions until either the contract expires or the case is seen by the judge. By the way in order to break the contract you will need to negotiate with the owner unless there is something in the contract that covers it.

I am sorry to say that, You are basically shit out of luck. Lots of these items should have been checked before you put your money down and the contract is signed.

Justpeachyy wrote:

Try contacting the realtor and tell them everything that needs to be fixed. The landlord should definitely fix it. Unless, you fix it and tell the landlord it's coming out of rent for the next month.

Most likely this is what the landlord will do. Get a quote of how much will it cost to repair and talk to him about discount it from the rent.

The thing is, I came down and found half of these items. Some of them you just don't know are there until you move in. For instance, that the toilet runs. There was no running water to know that prior to me moving in. It's the same for any rental even in the states. He did fix a number of things, the wall oven was replaced, the cooktop, and replaced a non working AC unit with an inverter. My wife thinks it's a case where he genuinely doesn't understand why the roof is leaking. Me being handy can see the problem clear as day. But the fact he fixed those other things makes me feel as though he isn't a total slumlord. It's a bunch of small things, and the dude is rich so it's not like money is a problem. I'll review the lease again concerning repairs.

But I agree with the notion of me fixing it and being reimbursed. I'll do a good job, and am capable and just have it taken out of the rent.

Repairs to a roof can be several thousand dollars, the landlord likely knew about that issue and most others but has chosen to do nothing about it.

Even if he does not rent the place, the damage will get worse over time. He knew about it and may be counting on you to repair it or just force you to leave but still have to pay the full contract. If you leave he will likely not fix it and have the next victim also go thru the same. Never rent from him again he is an abusive landlord, he knew what was going on!!!! The leak been there at least a few months and the previous renters told him about it.

That's a possibility. Especially with the condition the last renters left the house in. They seemed angry. Or very dirty. Or a combo of both. He also mentioned they didn't pay him the last 6 months, lol. Thing is, he still loses. Once I e-mail my broker and his, with the issue, he HAS to fix it. If he doesn't he's already breached the contract. So if I don't pay him, what can he do? Silly tactics if this was his plan. The reason why I suspected this as well is because he was adamant about the liability insurance that protects him in case, "someone falls down the stairs". LOL. But really, the leak looks like it can be fixed with some silicone no problem. It's a villa and the roof is open with a bar up there, but if water gets too close to the wall, it gets in the house through grout that's not there. So... sealing it should fix the problem just fine. But yeah, he could've got ridiculous quotes. The guy that he hired to come "fix" the sink didn't do a fantastic job as it still leaks. He also bought the wrong size breaker for our hot water... and he charged $195!

You'll probably be better off finding someone for repairs. The last thing you'll want is the landlord blaming you if something goes wrong.  Some small things you'll just have to live with because they might just not want to fix it. Be firm. Don't let them take advantage of the fact you being new to the island. That leaky roof is a hazard.

My recomendation is to talk to the neighbors and try to find a local fix it upper guy. He will get you a better deal and will do a better job since everyone knows him. That's what I did on my house, when we build here we didn't know anyone from this area. I went to the local hardware store and ask there for someone they knew. The guy we found is great, he do all my work and make sure the house is clean before we get here. I will recommend him to anyone, unfortunately you are on the other side of the island.

You should be paying for renters insurance, he should be paying for all other insurance, if he is asking for you to cover his property and keep him out of a suit, then he is either an idiot or he thinks you are.

When showing an apartment or house, the water, electricity and gas should all be running, otherwise there is probably something wrong and you have no way to do a proper inspection. I tend to like to see a house in a raining day to also see how well it does in the rain and if it drains properly. It should also be reasonably clean, you should not have to clean it unless you want to. Always carry a strong flashlight with you to check under cabinets, closets and to inspect the walls and ceiling under bright illumination. Any stains or dampness may signify water filtration, spot painting in the ceiling may be a sign that the ceiling leaks and try are trying to hide it, paint peeling off the ceiling or ceiling mold means trouble, the older the paint the more likely that it may contain lead, you don't want paint flakes in your corn flakes. Also get a copy of the contract to examine before you commit and have somebody else read it and look for any liabilities, repair stipulations, break of contract and other possible issues. While you may consider not paying or discounting self repairs from the rent, that may not be allowed by the contract, you could end up in court and also with a bad entry in your credit report.

If something is not in the contract, then there is no agreement about that subject. Request making changes to the contract if it does not have good enough protections for you. Every month he does not rent the place is a month he looses money so be firm, the worst that can happen is that you have to rent a different place because this landlord is not flexible. If you can take the unfilled contract to a lawyer and have him add items to the contract that you want. The owner may want a little more to accept those conditions but it is probably worth it for your peace of mind and health.

I do understand that you are in a rush to get a rental unit because you are staying at a hotel or BNB which is not cheap, but a year contract in a lousy place and a lousy landlord may cost you more.