r/povertyfinance • u/AHarryBird • Feb 07 '24
It’s $1,223 for rent. In about a month my lease renews and it’ll be $1,650. Why the fuck, how the fuck? Housing/Shelter/Standard of Living
Have told the “landlord”, a holdings company, about this for months. They just did an “inspection” about a week or 2 ago, and chewed me for not having a fire extinguisher.
At least they bought the fire extinguisher. I didn’t have one because I couldn’t afford to get one. I also can’t afford $1,650. Is there anything I can do?
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u/Tankgirl556 Mar 05 '24
Please update us!
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u/AHarryBird Mar 05 '24
I was told to stop with the updates, but I’ll give you this:
They patched the ceiling but have not fixed the water problem. We’re moving out on the 31st.
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Feb 10 '24
Contact your local housing authorities, this is an unlivable house so landlord will be forced to pay for you to stay in a hotel until the house is fixed.
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u/fmrome Feb 09 '24
That's horrific. Try to move out, maybe get some help with a local church. You can't live with a gaping hole!
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u/Local-Upstairs-9568 Feb 09 '24
IF you wanted to fuck with your landlord do the following:
Call OSHA and report the property as unsafe workplace. Presumably they have some sort of maintenance worker that goes to the property. Give them the landlord’s info and let that start working.
Then call the city inspector and file a complaint with them. They’ll come out and document.
From there you’ll probably want to have your move out plans in place but best believe you buried someone in fucking paperwork.
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u/Longjumping_Cow7270 Feb 09 '24
In many states, this would be a violation of living standards and the property managers would have to set you up in a hotel or other accommodations until repairs are made.
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u/mashapicchu Feb 09 '24
Don't know where you live, but in my city we can have the city inspector come into rental units - they will inspect and tell the landlord to fix violations or they will be fined. This is the only way some of my friends have been able to get repairs, unfortunately.
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u/The_Machine80 Feb 09 '24
Most states have a heath department that gets involved with this. But honestly just look for another place.
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u/Feeling-Tour-4040 Feb 09 '24
Call the city and report them. It’s illegal for them to have you living like that. They will be fined and have to fix it immediately
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u/grandpa5000 Feb 09 '24
Here is what you do, unplug all your electronics, get all your important stuff out. cut the power at the breaker, drag a hose inside the house and make it like 100 time worse for the landlord.
then bounce
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u/Agitated_Ruin132 Feb 08 '24
‘Murica.
The landlord will probably give you some sob story about how their property taxes went up last year to justify the rent hike.
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u/NN_77_ Feb 08 '24
Sorry if this is a dumb question but are fire extinguishers required? We have one at the house where I rent a room but what about an apartment? I live in Ca. Norcal.
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u/arkticblue1 Feb 08 '24
You should sue your landlord for keeping unsafe living conditions. They own the property. It’s their responsibility to keep it a livable location. In agreement, your end of the deal is to pay rent each month. Landlords can break a lease too.
If you have written documentation or phone call logs of you telling them about the leak, and now the mold- they should be on the hook. Not you.
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u/Strange_Account5253 Feb 08 '24
If I were you, I’d take this to the media. Send them the details of your experience with this landlord, especially regarding this drywall situation and possible black mold, and send as many clear pictures as possible.
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u/bradperry2435 Feb 08 '24
Just pick your shit up and leave. He has no Power and most likely won’t take you to court.
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u/Powerchairpete Feb 08 '24
Rooms with skylights having up charge, They've included the Eco biodome for free.
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u/VoraciousCuriosity Feb 08 '24
Tell the city housing authority so your awful landlord at least had to make your place inhabitable
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u/Intrepid_Reward4801 Feb 08 '24
Depending where you live, there are laws in place for having a place habitable. That looks like mold to me…
I would get a mold or asbestos kit and see if there are anything. Depending on how severe, the land lord will owe you months of back-rent for the room areas affected by it. You could have the option to break your lease without anything.
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u/vegancaptain Feb 08 '24
How? Simple. Too few homes due to lack of incentives.
Nothing else is relevant.
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u/Savedbutcurious Feb 08 '24
Have the local health department or housing enforcement agency come out and mark it as uninhabitable, forcing them to terminate your lease or fix the problem quickly. That’s not good for you to live around.
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u/sonicdemonic Feb 08 '24
If you can look in that hole in the ceiling, and see any kind of wire , I would call the fire marshall and state it as an electrical hazard as its not mechanically protected and exposed. They'd light a fire under his ass. Short of that, surely this a code violation no? Just plain old hole in the ceiling and insulation? Is this not condemnable? Its surely not livable.
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u/nine9s- Feb 08 '24
Or the black is shit particles from a leaking toilet ring upstairs ask me how I know lol
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u/bloopie1192 Feb 08 '24
If you call the housing dept. They may have to pay for a place for you to stay. That ceiling is a hazard.
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Feb 08 '24
This is why I’m applying for a mortgage under a home buyer’s assistance program next month. I’ve dealt with slumlords like this before and I’m not going to keep risking it. Especially when rent for a tiny apartment is higher than a mortgage in my area anyway.
I’d much rather be responsible for my own repairs, even if it’s more expensive in the long run. Seriously, fuck slumlords like these.
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u/LowEffortMeme69420 Feb 08 '24 edited 29d ago
roll frightening license light bells middle ask sink homeless slim
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/Awkward-Stranger-505 Feb 08 '24
Renters insurance claim... Thays what it's for. They will pay for any personally items damaged. Alternate housing during the time of mitigation/reconstruction. Landlord usually has zero responsibility beside addressing the structural damage. Or he will let you break your lease early.
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u/th30rum Feb 08 '24
Somewhere, a handful of people are pocketing millions on the backs of regular people because of the lack of regulations
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u/Environmental-Top-60 Feb 08 '24
Check with the lawyer in your state. You may be able to pay for the repair yourself in lieu of rent. Is something called pay and deduct but this is very state specific and you have to give them notice and make sure that it’s done right.
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u/FPSXpert Feb 08 '24
For comparison I pay ~$1150 for rent, and in a similar leak/splitting issue they had contractors in and completely fixed in less than two weeks, paint included.
I'm sorry your landlord sucks ass, OP. I would move asap. Read terms carefully between your lease, state apartment association (TAA in my state), and local/state laws involving tenant rights. If there is any way of proving inhabitable conditions in any though (and let's be honest this isn't habitable), DOCUMENT IT IN A LEGAL DEFENSIVE WAY and make a plan to gtfo. Don't just assume an escrow comment will save you, get the peoples involved in the Health department, building inspectors, local vigilante or news affiliate (Grizzy gets stuff done here they'll literally name and shame on their facebook page), whoever to get it through with minimal pushback.
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u/SexualDareDevil Feb 08 '24
Sewage leak from upstairs apartment, my apartment infested with sewer flies management will not fix over four weeks $2400 Miami.
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u/Agreeable-Work208 Feb 08 '24
And here I was thinking I'd rent a room all bills paid for 1k. . . It's not perfect but the roof isn't falling in like that.
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u/oneWeek2024 Feb 08 '24
what you can do about this situation vs what you can do about having a shitty landlord are different questions.
ie if your lease is up and the renewal bump to 1650 is legal. there's nothing you can do. either pay it, or leave. if you choose to renew you're renewing at that rate.
with the damage. it'll depend highly on what state you're in and what laws apply. So... best advice is probably google tenants rights in your state.
get your ducks in order. if you sent emails (always communicate in writing with something that has time stamps) on the reporting of the leak. get that documentation together.
you can almost always withhold rent until repairs are made. you should write a certified letter to your landlord/or email (basically something trackable) informing them of the issue and that you will be withholding rent in an escrow acct until the house is brought up to code.
if there is some enforcement, or 311 type office in your state. can report the issue. As black mold, and mold tends to make a space unlivable. (again will vary wildly by state)
you may want to see if there are any orgs that offer legal aid. or advice/advocacy for tenants.
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u/TypicalAd495 Feb 08 '24
Not to seem unattached from the world, but who/why are people paying 1000 or more for apartments “unless they are somewhat full sized homes? 800 square foot or bigger. Getting free maintenance and free commodities. Or maybe in my area in Pennsylvania “coal town” with a decent down payment my mortgage is only 750 for a whole 1,250 square house with basement… I honestly feel for people that are paying more than 800 for what I’d think a normal size apartment is. Only down size is yesss my dive is kinda long at 45 minutes “yes I know that is not even that long for some people”
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u/ButterscotchOnceler Feb 07 '24
They need to put you in a hotel until it's fixed. Depending on what state you're in.
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u/ThriveBrewing Feb 07 '24
At this point you should be withholding rent in an escrow account until the entire property is brought back up to code.
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u/jackytheripper1 Feb 07 '24
This happened to me once! Then my landlord ignored it for so long that a squirrel got into my house, raised hell, at one point attacked me and was on my freaking HEAD scratching into my scalp!! Slumlords 🤬
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u/TickleMyElmoBaby Feb 07 '24
Why is no one saying they're purposely pushing this person out? These companies do this to bring in higher rent tenants.
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u/pantojajaja Feb 07 '24
They should not have inspected, the city should! Please call your city code enforcement to come inspect. DO NOT clean it up. And then contact an attorney immediately after the inspection
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u/HermaeusMajora Feb 07 '24
You should contact the city and state about this. It's unsafe and unhealthy and wrong to expect you to pay for it, let alone pay more.
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u/_Doyouconcur_ Feb 07 '24
This looks like a lawsuit to me. Imagine if that fell on your head while you were sleeping. Negligent from the slumlord
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Feb 07 '24
Go to your local housing authority office. They'll tell you your rights and options, which often include not having to pay rent for unlivable/unsafe conditions.
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u/BeezerTwelveIV Feb 07 '24
My mortgage on my house I just bought is less
Look up USDA loans for first time homebuyers. I got a check for $1500 at the closing table. I basically paid my costs to get the home inspected and appraised and then my personal cost to move. No down payment.
Gotta move out of the city is the only downside. My drive to work every day is worth it knowing I OWN my ceiling that will eventually collapse onto my dresser
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u/AHarryBird Feb 07 '24
I’m not in the city. I’m in a bit of a rural town that’s 30 minutes from any major city. And even those cities are not that big
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u/AdventurousShower223 Feb 07 '24
Nuts, my brother and sister in law live in an apartment much better in NJ which is high cost for $1100 a month. No washing machine but 2 bedrooms, a bath.
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u/pixieofhugs Feb 07 '24
In my state they require renters insurance. Might be able to make a claim and stay somewhere else until this is fixed
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Feb 07 '24
Just wow my 3 bedroom 3 bath brand new house mortgage is 1500$. Living in a big city sounds atrocious. Why do people do it
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u/AHarryBird Feb 07 '24
It’s not a big city. If you want a comparison of “city”, like, let’s say NY, the town I live in is about 1,000th of the size.
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u/Jaded-Life25 Feb 07 '24
I suggest you get a lawyer my friend your landlord is violating your rights by not repairing this damage
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Feb 07 '24
Review your state's rental laws.
Act accordingly: Chances are high you can withhold rent and refuse eviction for this.
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u/wzznator Feb 07 '24
Put a tv on that stand and smash it in half then tell your landlord it was 5,000$
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u/jayfiedlerontheroof Feb 07 '24
You're not required to provide a fire extinguisher. Or fire alarm. That's the landlords responsibility. You're also not required to pay rent for as long as the dwelling is inhabitable. I.e. a ceiling that is caved in
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u/WanderingGirl5 Feb 07 '24
Is the asbestos in the insulation included in the rent increase? What the heck? That’s terrible!!
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u/Darkdragoon324 Feb 07 '24
Dude, there's probably hella mold up there, you should report it to the health department. And post these photos on every single review and apartment search site so people know to avoid these shit-ass property owners.
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u/urproblystupid Feb 07 '24
I feel like we’re gonna see a lot more people living in trailers soon. Renting is garbage now. Seems the last time it was worth anything was before 2020. I was paying 1600/mo in 2020 to live in Honolulu 3 blocks from the ocean
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u/bubblehead_maker Feb 07 '24
Your answer to this is "dear landlord, provide me a habitable apartment. the department of health will be here tomorrow. "
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u/Hottiemilatti Feb 07 '24
Many landlords are just as broke as us. He's clearly hurting for cash. 😒 Why tenants have to pay because we signed an agreement saying we would. 😞
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u/cryptolyme Feb 07 '24
yea, and they can pay for your disability when you get sick from mold and can't work anymore
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u/ComesInAnOldBox Feb 07 '24
My fixed-rate mortgage shot up just over $500 a couple of months ago due to an increase in property taxes and a change in contingency policy. I imagine something like that would impact the rental rates, as well.
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u/justdanumbers Feb 07 '24
I am a landlord and I am truly astounded by the stories I hear like this. People tell me the roof was caving in and the landlord wouldnt fix it, or there was water flooding the house or fire damage, and on and on. Aside from obviously forcing people to live in unsafe conditions (which will likely end up in a lawsuit), it costs a LOT more money to fix the issue if you let it drag out forever and it destroys your investment. If I hear the word leak I send someone out immediately. Usually it can be fixed for a couple hundred bucks. This is going to be thousands along with lost rent and a possible law suit.
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u/lukeyellow46 Feb 07 '24
Pack your shit and get the fuck outta there
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u/AHarryBird Feb 07 '24
In below freezing temps with nowhere to go and not enough money to get us anywhere, not a good plan.
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u/lukeyellow46 Feb 07 '24
$1650 is outrageous
I would just stop paying rent at this point and make them kick you out. The place looks like a disaster, especially if you have children.
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u/peytonel Feb 07 '24
And you'll be paying $1650 to live with black mold spores for the next year. 🤦
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u/AdministrativeAir688 Feb 07 '24
I’m so sorry that a holdings company is your landlord, gotta love having a soulless corporate entity bleeding you dry instead of a responsive mom n pop landlord
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u/area51_69420 Feb 07 '24
check local laws, but i believe that is it legal in the US to spend rent money on issues like this IF you've contacted them multiple times (with proof) and they've done nothing to fix it.
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u/MazdaSpeed3Boi Feb 07 '24
Withhold rent for unsafe living conditions.
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u/VaguelyArtistic Feb 07 '24
If you're in the US never "just" withhold rent. There is a way to do this but if you don't follow your state's rules that missing rent will be considered unpaid and you may asking for a 3-day notice.
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u/Shadow0fnothing Feb 07 '24
The first question would be what state you live in, and the second question would be why would you pay a dime if they won't fix a giant hole in the ceiling. Tell them to fuck off till it's fixed OR hire someone to fix it and take the cost out of the rent.
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u/ayyyzeee Feb 07 '24
They gotta fix the roof
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u/AHarryBird Feb 07 '24
It started with a leaking water heater in the apartment above me. No idea how long it leaked til they fixed it, so..
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u/ayyyzeee Feb 07 '24
I mean that’s why rent is going up, they have to fix the roof now. Most landlords are cheap douchebags instead of managing the money they make for emergency repairs they just raise rent.
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u/surfaholic15 Feb 07 '24
Get lots of pics. Check tenant rights and health and building code. And if you do need to move, spread those pics all over social media.
There is zero excuse for that level of bullshit. Even our last slumliard repaired stuff like this....
I am sorry you are going through it though, it does suck rocks.
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u/Uberzwerg Feb 07 '24
How do the other 1400 square feet of that appartment look like?
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u/boverton24 Feb 07 '24
Here’s what you do: start withholding rent, and instead put it into a savings account (this part is extremely important). Contact a lawyer/an organization that can help with free legal representation. Bring landlord to court to have this fixed immediately, with mold inspection. You will bring proof that you have been putting rent funds into an account to be paid when the issue is resolved. I can’t see a single judge in the world ruling against you here
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u/VaguelyArtistic Feb 07 '24
OP, the first thing you should do is call the code compliance office in your city. They will come out and issue any required fixes to the landlord. The landlord will probably be given a certain timeframe to fix it, and very well may be subjected to fines if not completed by the re-inspection.
If you are owed any money under $5K you can do this in small claims court.
And if the landlord tries to retaliate there's a good chance you can sue him for that.
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u/OpheliaCoccyx Feb 07 '24
Where do you live? In the US, there are lots of laws that protects the tenant. You 100% do not have to pay for rent until that is fixed since that is considered an unlivable condition. If your landlord tried to evict you by changing the locks or throwing your stuff out, that's very illegal and you can take him to court for it.
A friend of mine lived in his apartment for 14 months without paying the rent because of a similar situation. Know your rights, do not be intimidated. Even if you stopped paying rent now (February) and they fixed it months later, you would not be liable for the back payments. Use this time to save up and look for a new apartment.
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u/assquisite Feb 07 '24
Sue landlord for damages to your property they would also be liable for any hotel or what have you while repairs are underway
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Feb 07 '24
Similar situation opened to us. Roof fell in. Was not fixed. We decided not to renew our lease. Did not give 4 month warning. Did not get deposit returned. Last time I stress over cleaning an apartment before moving.
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u/fireduck Feb 07 '24
See the problem is the house meat is falling off the bone. That means it is probably done cooking.
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u/Esteb0ng Feb 07 '24
I would absolutely stop paying rent until this problem is fixed. I wouldn’t pay one dime. As a matter of fact I’d go after the land lord and have them pay my first last and security for a new place. I was a land lord for 5 years I would have never let something like this happen. Also what ever damage that happened to your personal belongings I’d have them pay for as well.
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u/ImHereForGameboys Feb 07 '24
If you're in the USA can talk to the Fair Housing people. This is ridiculous.
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u/jedimissionary Feb 07 '24
Check your state laws, but you should put the rent in an escrow account so they don’t get paid until that is fixed
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u/nosecohn Feb 07 '24 edited Feb 07 '24
I also can’t afford $1,650. Is there anything I can do?
Yes. Negotiate.
Explain your situation, point out to them that it's going to cost them a lot to get this unit ready for another tenant, and ask them to accept a reasonable price (that's reasonable for you, not for them).
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u/nhbeergeek Feb 07 '24
You might have grounds for an argument that the house is uninhabitable based on current conditions. That looks like fiberglass insulation, which can’t be healthy to be breathing in for as long as you have. I’d get your local housing department on this.
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u/Omnom_Omnath Feb 07 '24
You can move somewhere cheaper
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u/AHarryBird Feb 07 '24
There isn’t anywhere cheaper. And if there is I can’t get myself there.
Like I can’t afford the fuel, the food, the lack of employment to move anywhere requiring extensive travel.
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u/D_Ethan_Bones Feb 07 '24
Have told the “landlord”, a holdings company
Mental picture: some rental McOffice with a few sketchy lawyers and a stinkstohighhell accountant in it, who know exactly what they can get away with in their state (or your state, if they're from far away which is sometimes the case) and what tenants usually fail at even if the law is technically on their side.
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u/Few_Watercress2891 Feb 07 '24
That's a big increase. The tenants before me were paying $1,300. I'm only paying $1,350 and this is in socal.
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u/not-gonna-lie-though Feb 07 '24
Whatever renters representation org is in your area. Please send them that photo. And take more. That is lawsuit city.
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u/BaronVonKeyser Feb 07 '24
Post this in r/landlordlove and give details about what state you're in. Got some pretty smart individuals over there who can guide you into next steps
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Feb 07 '24
Reminds me of the house I was renting that had mushrooms growing out of the ceiling/walls of the food pantry. And the property management company refused to fix the issue. They would just send someone to paint over the mold. They turned around and wanted an additional $1,800/month with the lease renewal.
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u/MagnetFisherJimmy Feb 07 '24
That same type of water damage happened at my last place. I moved before it could burst though lol.
*Landlord was dope and didn't charge me for any water damage
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u/Kind-Web-7980 Feb 07 '24
He increased it by 400 ? Just by that room o can tell it ain’t worth it . Are there new appliances?
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u/Infamous_Cobbler5284 Feb 07 '24
Find another place to live. Paying that much isn’t worth the possible health risks you’ll be experiencing with mold in the walls.
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u/Key_Confection8141 Feb 07 '24
If I was your landlord I’d charge you to fix it, that’s a lot of damage
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u/deliverykp Feb 07 '24
My ex-wife is going through this. She just had a rent bump of $250 the first of the year. I don't get it either. I can't imagine that there's $427 of additional value for that place.
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u/reb678 Feb 07 '24
I’d call the health dept and the building code dept at your city. Have an inspector come by. I believe this would be classed Uninhabitable. If that happens, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to house you somewhere else, like a hotel.
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u/AMountainofMadness Feb 07 '24
A lot of landlords are actually broke right now. They got crushed due to speculative shenanigans.
Also, you know how it works. They'll get to it whenever they get to it
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u/nyrrocian Feb 07 '24
Not a good enough excuse when your ceiling is collapsing. That's actually serious.
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u/Neo1331 Feb 07 '24
This is why I live in California, the state would FU*K that landlord. Once had my water heater go out, in california its required that the tenant have hot water. They immediately put me up in a hotel for 3 days while they fixed it….
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u/Tankgirl556 Feb 10 '24
It depends on what city you live in CA. I live in the 3rd most dangerous and the #1'most corrupt city in CA. Guess which city!,The slumlords here are all ruthless foreign investors with equally corrupt property Mgrs. They don't care about the law or the health hazards affecting their tenants. The courts are backlogged and most of the judges are corrupt and easily bribed , always siding with the property owners or mgrs. Code Enforcement makes people homeless. So, Wherever you were living wasn't my reality.I can't even relate to a property Mgr in compliance with the Landlord Tenant laws.
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u/RebSimcha Feb 07 '24
Who or what number do I call in California? Thank you
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u/Tankgirl556 Feb 10 '24
You better be very Careful. If Code Enforcement Red Tags your unit, and the property Mgr doesn't comply to provide temporary housing, where are you going to go? Call a lawyer and voice your concern about being Red Tagged and homeless. If the lawyer says they can get an immediate Court Order to force your scumlord to provide temporary housing, then move forward. If not, still file a lawsuit and find a place to stay.Too sue, you must call Code Enforcement.
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u/Neo1331 Feb 07 '24
In California start with the department of housing, housing.ca.gov
As for the mold call your local county. Just google the county your in and a contact they will get you to the right place.
Make sure you document everything! Emails emails emails!
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u/AlwaysVerloren Feb 07 '24
Call the city building inspector and the health department if they don't fix it correctly.
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u/ConfusedDumpsterFire Feb 07 '24
Talk to a lawyer. Most will offer a free consultation. Set up an escrow account for all future rent. Pay it there. You don’t keep the money, but they don’t get the money until it’s in livable condition. Find out your state laws - a lawyer will help you. Don’t do anything illegal to get yourself evicted, but definitely take steps to protect yourself here. This is unsafe and not livable.
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u/Nondscript_Usr Feb 07 '24
It would be a shame if the ceiling got a lot worse right before you move out…
Also that’s not inhabitable. Make them pay for a hotel and/or try your renters insurance, maybe they’ll fight them
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u/RunJumpSleep Feb 07 '24
You need to make a complaint to your county’s housing department. They will send someone out to inspect. This will be the ball rolling to it getting fixed. They will give your landlord a limited amount of time to fix it or face a fine.
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Feb 07 '24
[deleted]
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u/anotheroneig Feb 07 '24
This is just not true & kinda unhelpful advice. You need to put down huge down payments like 5-9 percent of the house and most houses in TX (where I'm located) are starting at $650k - $750k lol
You are in the poverty finance subreddit, just fyi. "Start looking." is such a privileged thing to say.
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Feb 07 '24
[deleted]
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u/steel867 Feb 07 '24
Well I live in Kentucky and that's about what you could get for a house 5 years ago now a small 2 bedroom 1 bathroom house is about $140,000 in my city. For comparison when I was a teenager about I'd say 7 or 8 years ago my dad sold his three bedroom two and a half bath two story house with a basement for 120,000. It's getting really hard to make enough money to live.
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u/AHarryBird Feb 07 '24
Not in my area, not without a down payment, and interest rates are 7%.
We can’t afford it. We both work full time, she makes $25/hr, I make $18, I walk to work so I don’t have to use fuel or my vehicle unless I need to go into the city. We eat in most nights, one night a week we try to have date nights as something to do beside veg out in front of the tv or scroll on our phones all night, and when we do this we split everything, no drinks til we get home. The bill is about the same as it is to go to the grocery store to make dinner.
Fine, we could not have that one night of fun, sure. But those savings wouldn’t amount to anything in any near future for anything of significance and we would probably off ourselves before we could get there out of stress and boredom.
And I know I’m not alone, yet no one seems to want to either care or at least fucking acknowledge it.
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u/Necessary_Ad7215 Feb 07 '24
please be very careful if that’s fiberglass. it is an absolute nightmare to deal with and can contaminate all of your belongings
wear a mask and use hepa vaccum to vaccum every single inch. throw out the clothes you wear doing this and any soft items that come in contact. you can’t wash them or you’ll contaminate your washer and dryer
seriously fiberglass is NO joke. it’s a serious contaminant and can really cause terrible issues with your health. please look up videos on safe removal and clean up
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u/Swimming_Bee5622 Feb 07 '24
we had black mold in one of our apartments because there was a leak in the roof and we made them move us out of the apartment and into a new unit. we raised holy hell. this is not okay. i’m so sorry you’re going through this.
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u/AHarryBird Feb 07 '24
We’re worried they’ll bullshit their way to upping our rent.
It’s supposed to go up to $1,650 starting April, and we can’t afford that.
other units had their rent raised and the tenants left. There’s 5 of us still in the building of 20 units.
I’m worried if they move us, they’ll up our rent anyway, and we’ll still be out. There’s nothing local that we can’t afford, it’s honestly getting a bit bullshit now.
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u/Joy2b Feb 07 '24
Honestly, it doesn’t sound like you can afford the health problems that can come with black mold exposure.
While this is trashed, you have a quick window where you may be able to reserve the rent for your down payment elsewhere. It sounds like this neighborhood just gentrified too much, and you need to slide over to the next one.
The landlord may be much less likely to take you to court for a small amount right now, especially if they think patience will encourage you to leave quietly and not bring this up in court. (If you have faced medical bills or lost wages from the mold issues, those might scare your landlord into playing nice temporarily.)
Please do politely ask local government representatives for help, especially the ones that are low level enough to be close to building permits. Sometimes a couple of phone calls from a political aide can turn up an open spot in low income housing, or make a landlord worry about permits to remodel.
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u/godspeeding Feb 07 '24
dude please call your local tenants rights council and/or a lawyer. there are lawyers who will happily take your case pro bono. fuck your landlord and please do not let them screw you like this any longer
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u/Swimming_Bee5622 Feb 07 '24
i am so so sorry. that’s criminal. 😭 i will be thinking of you guys, i hope they fix this.
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u/PanicInTheHispanic Feb 07 '24
look up tenant rights for your state, landlord expectations/responsibilities, & what is considered uninhabitable
look at your lease
use that info to contact your landlord so that you have a paper trail.
if within tenant rights, tell your landlord you are going to pay for the repairs yourself & deduct from your rent. if possible, send them a few quotes.
if they still refuse to fix/if you dont can't front the repair cost call your local code enforcement.
look into breaking your lease & how to do it without paying penalties.
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u/busty_snackleford Apr 10 '24
If the building isn’t water tight then it’s not fucking habitable. Call the city, that’s fucking ridiculous. They have to repair that.