If this helps any, the landlord only seems to replace things that help their pockets swell w/ money. Like when the coin-op laundry machines were broken into, they replaced them w/ ones where you needed tokens from their offices to use them. But they have yet to replace the NUMEROUS burnt out lights inside and outside of the building, it's not safe at all outside anymore, it's been pitch black for 1 1/2 years! The fire extinguishers don't have tags on them, and our floor doesn't even have one...there's a box for it, but it's missing the actual extinguisher! My bathroom exhaust fan has been broken since we had a leak from an upstairs apt.....4 1/2 year ago!!! SLUMLORD?

My major question - why are you still there? It's a great renter's market right now, and you could have been in a new place last summer.

"I've written them letters and they claim they've never received them." That's what CERTIFIED, RETURN RECIEPT REQUESTED mail is for, to prove that you sent thme and that they got them.

What state are you in? Most states have a "Residential Landlord and Tenant Act" that explains what you can do when there is a failure to fix, and what steps you must follow before taking each one. Invariably, it

In AZ, you can LEGALLY (as in they can't evict you for doing this):

* break the lease (it's a formal notice that says "fix ___ or I'm outta here) and move out with no penalties. They even have to give you back your deposits here.

* pay for the repairs yourself and deduct them from the rent (limited usefulness when you are talking AC units).

* move into a hotel or other housing and DEDUCT the cost from the rent until the repairs are made.

OR - call a local TV station with a really aggressive consumer advocate program and ask them to help the matter. Often seeing their names and apartments on the evening news is all it takes.

As for the missing lights and fire extinguishers - call them and ask for the name of their lawyer. If they ask why, say that in case a guest falls in the unlit hallway and injures themselves, you want to know who to sue ... usually that gets results.

Check zoning regs for your town - you might b eable to get the place certified "uninhabitable" or have the fire department come donw on htem with some heavy fines for violating regs about lighting and extinguishers.

Get a digital camera and TAKE PICTURES.

Why are we still here? Well, it's a great apt., despite it's major AC issue. We had planned on living here at least one more year. And our credit has recently turned sourish. We tried finding a new place last year and w/ the credit checks that were done, we didn't fit the requirements for living there.

I have sent them certified letters....I KNOW they've gotten them, but they claim they haven't, or it got lost. Lame excuses.

I'm in PA, and have been online al evening looking up what I can possibly do in this situation. Most articles say I HAVE to have heat, but not AC. Which I think is bull b/c w/out AC, this place is uninhabitable....I could get heat stroke in here!

I have contacted a local TV station about a month ago, after I saw a story they did about local landlords and them cheating their tenants. They also weren't up-to-date on their fire code regs. They have yet to get back to me though.

We're just deathly afraid that they'll try and evict us for coming down hard on them, then we won't have anywhere to live.

Oh and believe me, I've taken pictures of EVERYTHING!

Thanks for your help, I'll be checking out the zoning regs. for my area!

in the meantime- fix the screens in the windows- it's not much of a project, and the wheel-thingie that sets the cord is something that's moved from apartment to apartment to my first house with me- shockingly useful tool to have.

then- tell them to get you some bloody FANS in there in the meantime...

and in PA, I think the only people who 'deserve' AC in the eyes of thed law are the elderly...

or I'd have turned in several foster parents for putting kids in uninsulated attics in the summer.

"We're just deathly afraid that they'll try and evict us for coming down hard on them,"

If PA has the same Landlord-Tenant acts that AZ does, it is illegal as hell for them to retaliate. As in you can collect 3x the rent in damages if they try.

Have fun with this link :)
http://www.courts.state.pa.us/Index/Forms/AOPC310A1.pdf
(complaint form)

And call your state represtntative (and city councilman) and ask them for a copy of any applicable laws.

you might also check w/ the state housing dept. to see if it would be permissible under state law to pay your rent into a escrow account instead of to the landlord until they fix the problem.

You may not be entitled to AC in the eyes of the law, but if it's in your lease, they're breaking your contract, and that's a legal matter. That might justify your paying the lease into escrow. (you can't just withhold it completely; they probably could evict you for that)

It might be your only lever, so see if the state has someone in their housing dept. that could help you.

"then- tell them to get you some bloody FANS in there in the meantime..."
We had bought our own fans, two of them to be exact....but they only blew around the hot air, not really doing much good.

"it is illegal as hell for them to retaliate."
I know they wouldn't legally be allowed to evict us, but it happens to people every day....and landlords get away w/ it!

"Get a digital camera and TAKE PICTURES."
Oh don't worry, I've taken pics of everything months ago!

UPDATE!!!
My husband & I had heard a lot of noise Friday afternoon before he went off to work. And out in the building's front stairwell were workmen and they were using some saw w/ a compressor to cut something. My husband called after he left to tell me that while leaving, he also saw them on the roof. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but the ONLY thing I could htink of that they were doing.....was putting in a roof hatch. My husband had already been planning to stop by the landlord's office on his way to work....and he called again after he visited them and he had great news. They were indeed putting in a roof hatch and would be working on our central AC and 2 other apts's AC over the weekend. And coem 7 am Sat. morning, they were back working on the roof hatch and at 8:30 knocked on my apt. door to begin replacing the unit....and right before noon we had our central AC back.....JUST 6 DAYS SHY OF IT BEING A YEAR SINCE IT INITIALLY BROKE! We had forgotten just nice AC was, and central AC at that! The maintenance guy said they cut a roof hatch to get the new unit up there and so they didn't have to rent a crane for $750.....and they'd eventually need to use this roof hatch again for othre people's AC.....I'm just so shocked that this is the 1st time this has EVER happened w/ this building....it was built in 1970 or so.

Glad that it worked out finally! However, they could have had done it in much less than 1 year.

SR

My ac unit broke last year in the beginning of july our rental company at the time was home works they never came to fix it said they had to wait for landlord approval, they never got back to us. Shortly after that our landlord switched managment companies to central managment services they sent us a letter notifing us of the change. So we tried again we sent our maintinance report to them and they said they would take care of it. Two weeks went by and still no reply so we called up the managment company and the told us once again that we are waiting for the approval from the landlord. To make a long story short our landlord has conveniently switched managment company's again now to home keys reality group. Only this time we can't get ahold of any one at the managment company I have left several messages its been 4 weeks and i am still not recieving any information. I am at my wits end.Please help

I live in a hud senior building. There are 80 apt's in this bldg. I rented this apt because it advertised central air conditioning. Well it is almost june and the temp out side is in the high 80's and very high humidity. All the seniors in this blgs are actually feeling so sick from the heat. The bldg is all brick which is extremely hot. The landlord doesn't live here so she doesn't care if we are in such high heat. Central a/c should be there if we want it right? Not in this place even though it is advertised as central air. I live on the 5 th floor and it is so hot that if I move around I sweat severly. I have to sleep in the chair it's so hot............what can we all do to make her turn on the central air? We are all old people and take alot of medications and our landlors is just so mean any ways. It is a hud bldg. We can't open any of the windows in the halls although we could before. Now the landlord hads put papers on the hall windows so she will know if we try to open them.

please help us/

ja: You need to go to HUD's web site, do some reading on your state and utilize the contact information there.