Q: My building is infested with cockroaches. What type of lawyer do I need for an landlord/tenant case.
My building is infested with cockroaches. It wasn't when I moved in but after 1 and a half years, It is ridiculous. I have spent nearly $1000 to keep them out and kill them. I have written my landlord four letters of the last 3 months asking for him to step in and hire a professional. He has done nothing. They are getting worse due to a neighbor who has the worst infestation I have ever seen going on in her apartment. No one will help and I can't deal with this anymore. I woke up with one crawling on me, 3 times. I have went to my bathroom and grabbed toilet paper and had them fall out and onto my legs. It's seriously effecting both the mental health of myself and my boyfriend. I haven't withheld rent yet but am considering do so next month. There are other issues as well, our emergency fire exit is inaccessible. Locked by the landlord. We are upstairs. I put a fire extinguisher that I purchased into the extinguisher box next to my home, outside for the 4 of us tenants just in case we
A: A California attorney could advise best, but you await a response for two weeks. For your question about what type of lawyer you need, the lease/rent/habitability issues would fall under the expertise of a landlord-tenant attorney. In terms of personal injury damages, law firms tend to require significant injuries to justify the cost of litigation on a contingency basis. This is not to diminish the ordeal you are experiencing, but that's an attribute of the legal industry. As a starting point, an experienced landlord-tenant attorney should be able to help you sort out the various issues here. Good luck
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