Is my landlord required to paint and clean in between tenants? I moved into an apartment recently. When I viewed the place (through a rental company) someone was still living here. I had many concerns, which I addressed with the agent. I was assured the apartment would be move in ready. Almost 3 months have now gone by and new concerns are popping up left and right. Currently my furnace is on the fritz. Now, I will say my landlord has quickly responded to new complaints. However, old concerns have not yet been addressed. Aside from the putrid mustard yellow color most of the rooms are painted in, there are holes and gouges in the walls of every single room.In my son's room, someone actually had drawn on the walls.My landlord in an attempt to "fix" this merely scrubbed the walls so hard most of the paint came off with the writing leaving an odd color and texture. He hasn't touched it since.In addition, the place was left positively FILTHY by the previous tenant.So much so that months later I am still trying to clean the layers of dirt in every single nook and cranny of every room. Now, I know you're probably wondering why I have let it go so long. Well, we were actually not even given our keys until we nearly had to threaten the rental agent several days after our lease had begun.By that date, my son was to start school (and I my new job) the very next day. Between work and parental duties, I am lucky to get a few moments a day to try to tackle some of these messes. Now it is getting to a point where I not only have to keep up with the day to day cleaning, but I'm also having to try to clean and repair things that should have been done prior to us moving in. The building is over 100 years old and I kid you not, there are areas that look like they have NEVER seen water and a sponge. Here's the kicker: WE HAD TO PAY A SECURITY DEPOSIT. For what exactly? If I were to never clean again for the entirety of our lease, we would STILL be leaving the place in better condition than it was given to us in. Obviously I'm rambling here, so let me get to the heart of my question: Prior to a tenant moving in, is my landlord required to:
-Repair holes in walls
-Return the color of the walls to a neutral color
-Ensure the rental is clean
-Ensure included appliances are in working condition
Secondly, what can now be done about everything? If I paint (or hire a painter) can I deduct that from my rent? What about cleaning costs, especially since it has been so long? Is there really any action at all that can be taken? What if I have had been able to attend to this sooner, THEN could I have really done anything about it? My boyfriend (whom I live with) has been telling me to give it a rest, but I am the one having to take the brunt of the cleaning now that my hours have been cut back at work from 50+ (part of the reason this has taken so long). For as much as I pay for this apartment (I live in Chicago) I really don't feel as though I should have to live in a dump with holes in the walls and caked on dirt lurking in every corner.Am I wrong in thinking that? Am I just screwed here?
>>> Is my landlord required to paint and clean? (Illinois)?