Your landlord does come to court
In housing court, what happens depends on whether or not the landlord comes to court.
Here are the different outcomes when your landlord does come to court
A: You, the landlord, and HPD agree to adjourn the case.
This might happen if:
- You have more evidence you could bring to court.
- HPD missed some violations and agrees to inspect again.
If this happens, the HPD attorney or court attorney might ask you to sign an agreement to postone the case to a new date. Only sign if you agree to the adjournment. And make sure you get a copy of the agreement.
B. The landlord agrees to fix all of the bad conditions in your apartment.
If that happens, you would enter into an agreement called an “Consent Order to Correct” or a “Stipulation”. You must get a copy of that agreement and it should:
- List what the landlord is agreeing to fix
- State how long the landlord has to make the repairs
- State what you can do if the landlord does not fix things on time or properly
C: The landlord agrees to fix some of the bad conditions in your apartment but not all of them.
In this situation, two things will happen:
1. For the conditions the landlord agrees to fix, you enter into an agreement called a “Consent Order to Correct” or a “Stipulation”. That agreement should:
- List what the landlord is agreeing to fix
- State how long the landlord has to make the repairs
- State what you can do if the landlord does not do the repairs on time or properly
2. For the other problems that the landlord refuses to fix, your case can be scheduled for a trial at a later date. (Go to this resource information about trials.)
A trial will also be scheduled if your case is about harassment and the landlord won’t admit to the harassment.
D: The landlord does not agree to fix any of the bad conditions and is unwilling to admit to harassment.
If this happens, your case will definitely be scheduled for a trial at a later date. (Go to this resource information about trials.)
Your landlord does not come to court
In housing court, what happens depends on whether or not the landlord comes to court.
If your landlord does not come to court, then the judge will hold an inquest.
An inquest is where the judge hears evidence from you (the petitioner) to decide whether to order the landlord to make the repairs or stop the harassment.
In an inquest make sure that the judge sees:
- The affidavits of service you brought to court
- The HPD inspection report
- Any evidence you have brought to court with you
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