Location: Oregon
So, I have some questions about what landlords are allowed to deduct from a security deposit, and about increasing rent rates. As the title says, I am in Oregon.
I rent from a private landlord, one of the rooms. I am only responsible for my rent of the room, and in the past the electric and water has been covered by the landlord/included in rent.
Part of the reason for her paying the electric, is that she has some rather large freezers/fridges on the side of the house, that are actually connected via an extension cord through my bedroom window. She runs a business nearby and uses that as storage, and because of how much that costs and the pain of trying to figure out what to charge me, she has said in the past that it’s all included in the rent. The same goes for the water, because she has a fig tree in the front yard, as well as others plants/etc that she takes care of, and leaves the water running for extended periods of time.
About two years ago, the central air broke. The EM heating works, but its poor quality and expensive. I use a personal heater for my space, and do not have an air conditioner. She has said she will fix it, but there are always delays because of the cost. I stopped asking after a year because it was the same thing each time.
My lease was up at the start of this year and as stipulated by the previous lease, which was 1 year, i would go to a month to month basis after that unless we sign another lease. Here we are now and she has said she needs me to move out, then next week I can stay but she needs to increase the rent by 29% 850 to 1100, because of cost of everything. She said she needed this or I need to move out. We drafted a new lease and inside she changed the electric/water to be that she covers 150$,which she is assuming is her cost of her freezers/fridges, and the tenant(me) am responsible for the remaining balance. The bill is consistently 600$ because of her freezers.
At this point I want to move, but I dont want to continue to pay that much of an increase as a month to month basis until I do so, but she is saying I must move otherwise. I am not trying to squat or stay, I want to leave, just not pay that much more as its a lot andn stuff is broken, and she is trying to charge me more rent + utilities that I, as a single male, do not use. I have my computer and a small heater.
She is also requesting a 1100 deposit to cover damages and repairs. I have lived here for 5 years. She is complaining about needing to replace the carpet and other minor repairs etc that need to be done, and she saying that my deposit would be for that. The carpet was old when I moved in, and its been 5 years.
At the very least I am sure that I need to do a video walk through with her of the space to note things that were damaged before i moved in, or that we agree I am not responsible for(the windows have broken blinds and no screens, like this before i moved in).
I have tried to reach out to two different free legal advice places in oregon for tenant housing but both were just recordings saying that they are too busy and to call back later.
Any help or suggestions of where to go to more help would be appreciated. I am really at a loss of what to do here.