Q: My landlord (who denies being my landlord) is not respecting my rights as a tenant. What should I do?
We ran into a lot of issues. The septic line had a tree root growing in it, we lost all bathroom utilities for weeks and he suggested showering at a college not too far from my house and using the bathroom at our neighbors house because it’s a “pricey” project. Our ceiling in our kitchen is peeling revealing what seems to be mold and he has yet to get that checked out. A ceiling in one of the bedrooms started leaking brown water and he had someone come by, 2 days later and put sheet rock on the roof not fixing the damage inside and we had an infestation of bugs that took him months to even get an exterminator here. I’m even certain there isn’t a certificate of occupancy on this house. There is no way this house is livable. When he saw all the damages to the home he denied being the landlord and even took his signature off the lease. Ever since living here my asthma has increased. At this point I want all my money back I’ve put into this house but im not sure what steps to take.
A: The facts as you reported them seems like an situation of uninhabitability. You should contact the Office of Housing Code Enforcement for the city/county in which the premises is located and make a formal complaint. An inspector will come to the premises and if the inspector finds Code violations, the inspector will issue a Notice of Violation and have it served on the landlord.
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