Problems with Landlord will not do repairs.

By Doris Buzbee

I am 58 years old and recently rented an apt. to be closer to work.  It is an older house that has been converted into 3 apt. units.  2 upstairs, mine is the smaller of the 2 upstairs and then the entire downstairs is the biggest of the apts.  I did not find out until after moving in that there is absolutely no insualtion in the attic whatsoever the heat is with Alagasco and I live alone, the apt. is very very small, and I have to be ultra conservative as it is only me and I live on lower salary ie no matter how many hours I work it pays the same.  My heating bill was almost $300 which I find extremely expensive for a very tiny apartment and I keep the heat turned down below 70 and in the daytime while I am at work I turn it down even lower.  My bedroom has not even 1 outlet in it which means I have had to use heavy duty extenstion cords which I feel is unsafe and a tripping hazard.  I cannot get the landlord to fix anything.  I told her after moving in that the bathroom faucet was leaking, she said it was not, well I may be older but I do believe I can see where a faucet is leaking it was leaking at the faucet itself and also underneath.  I ended up buying all that and at my own expense replacing that.  I told her the toilet was running continuously that the guts in the back needed replacing she would not do that so again at my own expense I had that replaced.  I told her the deadbolt and locks on the only exit only door I have out were not working properly and very very hard to lock, she would not replace them.  So once again at my own expense I put new door lock and deadbolt lock of lot better quality.  Well after this weekend’s rain storm, the roof is leaking and I feel sure she will not fix that either and I cannot afford to have that done.  Also I told her where the hot water heater is located behind a funny door in the kitchen beside the stove will not stay shut it needs replacing as there is just open space there all around where the hot water heater is located and you can feel the cold air coming in around that big space all the time therefore all this adds up to making heating and cooling this small place very very expensive.  The only thing gas in the apt by the way is the heat so hopefully you can understand why I just about had a stroke when getting a bill for almost $300 for 1 month.  As I said this is a very very small apt. and I am the only person living here.  I want to know what my rights are.  I have always understood that the landlord is responsible for repairs as all the ones mentioned above not the tenant????  I really cannot afford to move and I need help and advice please???  What are my rights?  Where can I go to get help?  Does this place not have some kind of building codes it has to meet also?  HELP?  When moving in I paid 3 months rent right up front 1st months and last months and another month.  ( the last months is to be kept by her until you give her a month’s notice to move out.)  And I have been paying my rent ahead of time each month so I am not behind on any of that.  Can someone please help me or tell me where I can get some help on this?  email:   oliverangel0153@yahoo.com

Related posts:

Holy Cow, we couldn't find any other related post. Sorry. :(