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when i lived in philly for grad school my apartment was a dump. it seemed fine when i moved in, but two weeks later the bathroom ceiling collapsed because of water coming from the apartment above. it took weeks to get fixed, all while mushrooms started to grow out of the exposed wood and studs. when it finally got fixed, it fell down again a few days later because they did not fix the leak that caused the problem to begin with. this happened a few more times over the next month, when the landlord decided to just stop fixing the ceiling, rendering the bathroom unusable. i visited a tenants rights organization in the city once they stopped pretending to try, who put me in touch with a lawyer that would do consultations about landlord issues one time only for $100. he told me the info i needed and i took things over from there. first i called the city to make an appointment for a building inspector. it took 30 days for them to show up. they knew when to expect the building inspector, so some new drywall could be put up just in time to pass the inspection and fall down a few days later. however, because of all the water and the open wall/ceiling, there were huge problems with mold and insects, which led to a number of other problems that the building inspector recorded as infractions. all infractions were reported to the landlord, with a follow-up inspection scheduled for 30 days later. if things were not taken care of after that 30 day period, he would be given a final 30 days to take care of the problems or face fines. in other words, there was nothing forcing the property owner to fix anything for a full 90 days while i lived in a shithole. i started breaking into a vacant apartment to use the bathroom and shower. i kept developing hives because of mold. turning the lights on in the middle of the night meant seeing dozens of bugs scurry away. it got so bad that i started just hanging out at school and sleeping in my car periodically. once there was official documentation about specific infractions related to the property, i sent certified mail to the landlord informing them i was going to stop paying rent until the issues were taken care of to my satisfaction. every 1st of the month i would deposit my rent money into a separate account as proof of income and my intent to pay. this went on for about 3 months, until a week before the final inspection, where infractions would mean fines. then i got a phone call from the landlord out of the blue telling me that if i didn't leave in 5 days, he would take me to court. however, if i did leave in 5 days, i could keep my security deposit and all of my withheld rent. i got a uhaul, told the college i had to leave the city on short notice (they were aware of the situation), transferred to an online program, and moved back in with my parents on no notice. the final building inspection was cancelled because the unit was no longer occupied. i think he rented the apartment out a couple weeks later without fixing the problems. landlords can kiss my rear end
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Jun 28, 2019 20:51
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| # ¿ May 19, 2024 21:40 |
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having known people in similar situations that had way worse outcomes, you're not wrong. but it was the worst period of my entire life and i am very grateful i will never have to go through anything like that ever again
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Jun 28, 2019 21:00
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