Apartment won't fix my unit

TXgolfer said:
I don't see any damage in picture 3. What I see is bad workmanship. Partical board damage around sinks are common. That is usually an installation or caulking issue. It may very well damaged, but it is highly unlikely that would be caused by a ceiling leak. Like I said, you definitely have legitimate concerns.

Carpet that remained wet for three weeks should be a science experiment of mold and bugs.

A community boiler system..........heats water. :) Pipes should have been checked and/or replaced as well. Sounds like the shady landlord has shady plumbers and electricians too.

Good luck getting out of there.
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They can't replace the pipes here without cutting hundreds of yards of drywall PER BUILDING. The pipes are stashed within the wood structure of the buildings. That is the major problem. The pipe system was not designed to be easy to repair.

Yeah, thanks. I'm getting the F* out of here someday. Again, never again. Jeep Sleeper and showers at work.
 
TXgolfer said:
I don't see any damage in picture 3. What I see is bad workmanship. Partical board damage around sinks are common. That is usually an installation or caulking issue. It may very well damaged, but it is highly unlikely that would be caused by a ceiling leak. Like I said, you definitely have legitimate concerns.

Carpet that remained wet for three weeks should be a science experiment of mold and bugs.

A community boiler system..........heats water. :) Pipes should have been checked and/or replaced as well. Sounds like the shady landlord has shady plumbers and electricians too.

Good luck getting out of there.
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I used to live in a cheap apt near University of Maryland when I first moved here from AZ. Oh my gosh, I saw pooooooooor craftsmanship. It was shameful! The bedrooms had no closets! It was THAT bad!!!! In felt bad for the people who were stuck in those apts as a permanent home but then again, there were a lot of immigrants so maybe the apts were luxurious to them compared to where they came from.
 
deafdrummer said:
Apartment? Who said anything about an apartment?

:hmm:

THAT is over. I am moving out into a travel trailer, whether it be next month or end-of-lease. There is nothing they can do to appease me, because I know the true nature of these people, and they have damaged the relationship between landlord and tenant. By the way, I just found out the man who owns this place is not in good health and seems to be having some problems mentally (a lady who's lived here since it was BUILT 40 years ago has confided in me). It now appears to me the office staff are taking advantage of his memory lapses. AND, he's not a member of the apartment association here in Houston.

Here is something else. They're putting the squeeze on me because they will try to sue me for moving out early AND rent the damn thing out at $150 higher than what I'm paying now. I'm not giving the bitches the satisfaction of killing more than two birds with one stone. I'm going to make their lives a living hell until it's ALL OVER WITH. I will be standing out there in the street median during rush hour with signs pointing to the complex, "Do not live here. They won't fix my apartment." Or something like that. If I have to, I will picket the health department if the agency doesn't help me. And EVERYBODY will hear what I have to say. As soon as I can get out, I am evacuating from Houston. I will probably have to wait until I can transfer my job to one of the Austin-area stores. I've had enough of Houston.
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My travel trailer is in better shape than this. Yea...move into one. A new one is really cheap.
 
shel90 said:
I used to live in a cheap apt near University of Maryland when I first moved here from AZ. Oh my gosh, I saw pooooooooor craftsmanship. It was shameful! The bedrooms had no closets! It was THAT bad!!!! In felt bad for the people who were stuck in those apts as a permanent home but then again, there were a lot of immigrants so maybe the apts were luxurious to them compared to where they came from.
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That is horrible and very sad for those who are there long term. I had a really nasty apt in college. It was horrible.
 
PowerON said:
1. Don't fix by yourself.
2. Take picture for evident.
3. Don't pay rent until landlord fixed
4. Report to public newspaper to make apartment look bad.
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A renter needs to be careful about not paying rent. That move could come back to bite the renter. There are ways to do it that involve using an escrow account but one needs to be careful to do it following the law. Just withholding the money usually isn't legally protected.
 
I used to live in a cheap apt near University of Maryland when I first moved here from AZ. Oh my gosh, I saw pooooooooor craftsmanship. It was shameful! The bedrooms had no closets! It was THAT bad!!!! In felt bad for the people who were stuck in those apts as a permanent home but then again, there were a lot of immigrants so maybe the apts were luxurious to them compared to where they came from.[/QUOTE]

Then you had no bedrooms , if there are no closets in a room it is NOT a bedroom . Was it a house that was converted into apartments?
 
deafdrummer said:
They can't replace the pipes here without cutting hundreds of yards of drywall PER BUILDING. The pipes are stashed within the wood structure of the buildings. That is the major problem. The pipe system was not designed to be easy to repair.

Yeah, thanks. I'm getting the F* out of here someday. Again, never again. Jeep Sleeper and showers at work.
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If you put down a security deposit and first and last month rent on the apartment , you may have a hard time getting your security deposit back as you have a real bad landlord . I would start looking for a new apartment and just move out . I had a horrible apartment in Boston and I just packed all my clothes and took my dog and moved California , I did not tell my landlord I was moving and I did not care.
 
Reba said:
A renter needs to be careful about not paying rent. That move could come back to bite the renter. There are ways to do it that involve using an escrow account but one needs to be careful to do it following the law. Just withholding the money usually isn't legally protected.
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Yeeepppp! I always pay the rent no matter what.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
If you put down a security deposit and first and last month rent on the apartment , you may have a hard time getting your security deposit back as you have a real bad landlord . I would start looking for a new apartment and just move out . I had a horrible apartment in Boston and I just packed all my clothes and took my dog and moved California , I did not tell my landlord I was moving and I did not care.
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I thought I made myself clear; no apartments. I'm not going through this, any F* more. Plus, apartments are even more expensive around us than ours. It's bye-bye time. It's time I started OWNING something, but not a house. It wouldn't be paid off in 150 years at the rate I earn.
 
TXgolfer said:
I read this post more closely, having been in the business most of my life as a mold remediator and also as a countertop guy it is highly unlikely that a counter top or cabinet would be damaged from a ceiling leak. In fact I have never heard of that happening, so that might be a problem. carpet is usually ok too as long as the water doesn't sti for days.

Hot water lines don't really block unless the water heater has gone bad. If you don't see rust in the water that is unlikely. The 2 more likely scenarios are a clogged filter on the end of the faucet (take off and clean) or air in the lines. You might get air in the lines being in apartment if a neighbor has had there water shut off for repair. You can get air out of the lines by turning on all faucets at the same time and letting them run for a minute.
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I asked TCS about this (one of his specialties is water damage restoration). He agrees with what you say about the water possibilities. However, the carpeting situation may be more serious. If it wasn't dried out (including the pad underneath) within 24 hours, there's a good chance that mildew started. In that case, a heavy spraying of Microban is in order. It can be used on carpet, flooring, walls, and cabinets. It's not toxic. It's used in restaurants and child care places. Just wear a mask while spraying it so as not to inhale it directly. It can be found at most chemical supply or janitorial service suppliers. Carpet cleaning suppliers on-line also sell it. Of course, the landlord should pay for this. A smart landlord would dash down to the apartment immediately with his wet van, suck up the water, pull back the carpet and set up blowers or fans. Then, with his Microban that he keeps on hand, spray down the area. He would also take care of any water stains on the ceiling with Kilz.

We're thinking that the water might have wicked up from the wet cabinets into the particle board base of underside of the countertop to warp it, or the water warped the cabinets so much that they caused buckling of the countertop. :dunno:
 
No, the carpet is going OUT. If I have to, I will take the living room portion, roll it up, and leave it out in front of the office one morning. What you need to remember is that when I move out, the carpet is going away. Carpet is NOT an option for new tenants anymore in this complex. Tile for downstairs, hardwood laminates for upstairs. That's it. I had asked them to replace it with tile, and they verbally agreed to do it.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
Then you had no bedrooms , if there are no closets in a room it is NOT a bedroom....
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That's what I thought. In America, usually a room can't be advertised as a bedroom unless it has a closet, a door, and at least one window.
 
Lau2046 said:
I would cc the health board and put him on notice that you're not going away until he fixes this....

Laura
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Do you mean DD should stay in his apartment that has mold in it? He should stay at some friends house and take all his electronics and valuable and him until the apartment is fixed. He really need to call the health department and get some legal advice . If he did put down a security deposit he should try to get it back. I had a landlord refuse to give me back my security deposit and I took him to small claims court and won the case. The landlord was pissed off but I sure felt good!
 
shel90 said:
My travel trailer is in better shape than this. Yea...move into one. A new one is really cheap.
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There are a lot of good used ones for sale, too. Some have very few miles and wear on them.
 
Reba said:
I asked TCS about this (one of his specialties is water damage restoration). He agrees with what you say about the water possibilities. However, the carpeting situation may be more serious. If it wasn't dried out (including the pad underneath) within 24 hours, there's a good chance that mildew started. In that case, a heavy spraying of Microban is in order. It can be used on carpet, flooring, walls, and cabinets. It's not toxic. It's used in restaurants and child care places. Just wear a mask while spraying it so as not to inhale it directly. It can be found at most chemical supply or janitorial service suppliers. Carpet cleaning suppliers on-line also sell it. Of course, the landlord should pay for this. A smart landlord would dash down to the apartment immediately with his wet van, suck up the water, pull back the carpet and set up blowers or fans. Then, with his Microban that he keeps on hand, spray down the area. He would also take care of any water stains on the ceiling with Kilz.

We're thinking that the water might have wicked up from the wet cabinets into the particle board base of underside of the countertop to warp it, or the water warped the cabinets so much that they caused buckling of the countertop. :dunno:
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Absolutely, the carpet has to be dried quickly. That is the most important part.

In Texas, USUALLY kitchens will use "green rock" for drywall in the kitchen just as they do in bathrooms. Green rock is moisture "resistant" but since this is an older apartment it is doubtful that they used that. But, normally when water runs down a wall the damage will be at the top and bottom of the wall. And water likes to travel by wood so damage should be on the inside of the wall.

And yes, it appears he has a really bad landlord. Normally the first thing I would do is get fans and vacs on the carpet. I would also cut small holes above the baseboard so that fans could dry the inside of the walls.
 
Reba said:
That's what I thought. In America, usually a room can't be advertised as a bedroom unless it has a closet, a door, and at least one window.
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:hmm: Makes sense, but I don't think I have ever heard that before. Cool.
 
Reba said:
I asked TCS about this (one of his specialties is water damage restoration). He agrees with what you say about the water possibilities. However, the carpeting situation may be more serious. If it wasn't dried out (including the pad underneath) within 24 hours, there's a good chance that mildew started. In that case, a heavy spraying of Microban is in order. It can be used on carpet, flooring, walls, and cabinets. It's not toxic. It's used in restaurants and child care places. Just wear a mask while spraying it so as not to inhale it directly. It can be found at most chemical supply or janitorial service suppliers. Carpet cleaning suppliers on-line also sell it. Of course, the landlord should pay for this. A smart landlord would dash down to the apartment immediately with his wet van, suck up the water, pull back the carpet and set up blowers or fans. Then, with his Microban that he keeps on hand, spray down the area. He would also take care of any water stains on the ceiling with Kilz.

We're thinking that the water might have wicked up from the wet cabinets into the particle board base of underside of the countertop to warp it, or the water warped the cabinets so much that they caused buckling of the countertop. :dunno:
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Yup, I had carpet cleaner that went bad and the carpet won't dry after 24 hours and I had to use fan and towel to dry it up, so took much time for very thicker plush carpet.

I got different carpet cleaner now and it works fine, so it will take less than 24 hours to be completely dried.
 
Foxrac said:
Yup, I had carpet cleaner that went bad and the carpet won't dry after 24 hours and I had to use fan and towel to dry it up, so took much time for very thicker plush carpet.

I got different carpet cleaner now and it works fine, so it will take less than 24 hours to be completely dried.
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You are supposed to use a fan. Carpet should dry in 2-4 hours after cleaning.
 
TXgolfer said:
... I would also cut small holes above the baseboard so that fans could dry the inside of the walls.
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Yes, and/or remove the baseboards. Also, remove the kick board under cabinets and aim a blower underneath.
 
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