The move in disaster
Before moving in to the apartment that I'm still living beneath, the place was in shambles. The roof in the basement was caving in and some cords were sticking out of the ceiling. Black mold was everywhere. Carpets were stained. I was told that the place would be cleaned up exhaustively and this was the only reason I agreed to signing the lease.
On the official move-in date, the place was still a wreck. The painters left their paint buckets, the windows were painted shut, the mold was still everywhere, the ceiling still caving in, and the carpets still stained. To top it off, the oven was missing the silver pans which are situated beneath the burners... and someone had relieved themselves in our downstairs potty without flushing.
The landlord agreed to knock only $50 off of our next month's rent of $590.
The nightmare continues
Unfortunately at this point the nightmare wasn't over. We were told that all we would have to pay for was electric. Turns out the heat in our building was electric. Go figure. All throughout the winter, all we had to keep warm were barely functioning electric wall heaters. The place was so cold that on one extreme day, we were able to see our breath!
Fast forward until a month ago. Our bathroom sink began to mysteriously clog. Bottle after bottle of liquid plumber solution wouldn't do the trick. I take a walk downstairs and realize that some pipe had a crack in it and that every time we used the water in our bathroom, some would splash on to the basement floor. Needless to say, disgusting mold aside from the already existent black mold had grown everywhere.
At the same time in which our sink began to clog, the washing machine went haywire as well. As I made my way down to the laundry room one day, I discovered the laundry machine clogged full of water. I called maintenance. I called the landlord. No response. It has since been a month and our washing machine is still clogged.
Rotten sewage and black mold. Just like mamma used to make.
I wish I could say this was the end of the story, but its not. Upon moving out, a neighbor of ours had informed us that the prior occupant of our particular unit had moved out due to a huge build up of mold. He was leaving, presumably, because of a sewage leak in his kitchen. He said that no matter how hard he scrubbed his dishes, every bowl of cereal smelled like rotten sewage.
After hearing my neighbor's story, I texted my landlord stating that I simply had enough. I informed him of my blog which averages a couple of thousand daily visits and that I have photos, videos, and testimonies that I'm ready to post. This is where the legal issue comes in to play. Out of my extreme emotional distress, I told the landlord that I want all of my money back ever paid and that I wouldn't raise a hell storm on the Internet and with local media if he satisfied my demand.
My legal questions
My question is, is this extortion on my part? After a while I texted back to the landlord apologizing for the harsh tone I had taken. I explained that all I wanted was the truth concerning the dangerous mold. Still, as it was with the washing machine and broken pipe situation, no word from the landlord.
Lastly, I will ask if I have to pay another month's rent at this hell-hole of an apartment. My lease is up next month, mind you. Oh, and I forgot to add that upon request, our lease was shortened to our desire as if by magic. Just days after the move-in disaster, we had requested a shortened lease from the landlord. Without hesitation- as if he knew our place was a health hazard- our lease was cut down by four months.
What are my options? Your help would be much appreciated.
Before moving in to the apartment that I'm still living beneath, the place was in shambles. The roof in the basement was caving in and some cords were sticking out of the ceiling. Black mold was everywhere. Carpets were stained. I was told that the place would be cleaned up exhaustively and this was the only reason I agreed to signing the lease.
On the official move-in date, the place was still a wreck. The painters left their paint buckets, the windows were painted shut, the mold was still everywhere, the ceiling still caving in, and the carpets still stained. To top it off, the oven was missing the silver pans which are situated beneath the burners... and someone had relieved themselves in our downstairs potty without flushing.
The landlord agreed to knock only $50 off of our next month's rent of $590.
The nightmare continues
Unfortunately at this point the nightmare wasn't over. We were told that all we would have to pay for was electric. Turns out the heat in our building was electric. Go figure. All throughout the winter, all we had to keep warm were barely functioning electric wall heaters. The place was so cold that on one extreme day, we were able to see our breath!
Fast forward until a month ago. Our bathroom sink began to mysteriously clog. Bottle after bottle of liquid plumber solution wouldn't do the trick. I take a walk downstairs and realize that some pipe had a crack in it and that every time we used the water in our bathroom, some would splash on to the basement floor. Needless to say, disgusting mold aside from the already existent black mold had grown everywhere.
At the same time in which our sink began to clog, the washing machine went haywire as well. As I made my way down to the laundry room one day, I discovered the laundry machine clogged full of water. I called maintenance. I called the landlord. No response. It has since been a month and our washing machine is still clogged.
Rotten sewage and black mold. Just like mamma used to make.
I wish I could say this was the end of the story, but its not. Upon moving out, a neighbor of ours had informed us that the prior occupant of our particular unit had moved out due to a huge build up of mold. He was leaving, presumably, because of a sewage leak in his kitchen. He said that no matter how hard he scrubbed his dishes, every bowl of cereal smelled like rotten sewage.
After hearing my neighbor's story, I texted my landlord stating that I simply had enough. I informed him of my blog which averages a couple of thousand daily visits and that I have photos, videos, and testimonies that I'm ready to post. This is where the legal issue comes in to play. Out of my extreme emotional distress, I told the landlord that I want all of my money back ever paid and that I wouldn't raise a hell storm on the Internet and with local media if he satisfied my demand.
My legal questions
My question is, is this extortion on my part? After a while I texted back to the landlord apologizing for the harsh tone I had taken. I explained that all I wanted was the truth concerning the dangerous mold. Still, as it was with the washing machine and broken pipe situation, no word from the landlord.
Lastly, I will ask if I have to pay another month's rent at this hell-hole of an apartment. My lease is up next month, mind you. Oh, and I forgot to add that upon request, our lease was shortened to our desire as if by magic. Just days after the move-in disaster, we had requested a shortened lease from the landlord. Without hesitation- as if he knew our place was a health hazard- our lease was cut down by four months.
What are my options? Your help would be much appreciated.
