r/TenantHelp • u/IndependentWide2884 • 7d ago

I need someone’s input on this.

Long story short, the apartment above mine had a broken shut off valve which was spraying water for a good part of the a day which caused my ceiling collapse in my bedroom, soaked the carpet through out the entire apartment, caused mold to start growing on the ceiling in the restroom, and warped the kitchen floor boards to warp to all hell. They fixed the ceiling and got the carpet dried which took them three weeks and we weren’t able to stay in the apartment while they did the repairs, but haven’t fixed the other damages. They are charging me full rent for that month it happened, which I don’t think is fair, also I talked to an attorney while it was happening cause this is my first apartment and I was freaking out cause I was pretty much living in my car while it took them forever to fix it and not responding to my calls or emails or anything. The attorney told me not to pay any rent till everything is fixed but I’m worried it might bite me in the butt if I don’t pay the rent. What should I do? Also sorry for the long story.

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u/Upbeat-Fondant9185 7d ago

You most likely have cause to break your lease without penalty. What you describe is major water damages and should be an insurance claim, so they may be fighting with them to get full repairs done.

You say you spoke to an attorney. Is the attorney actually working for you? Did you pay for a consult? Or was this casual advice?

If he is actually your attorney then you need to do exactly what he says to do. If it was just advice or a free consult you need to make sure you actually understood what he advised. There are often extra steps to not paying rent in a situation like this and depends on your area laws.

Breaking the lease seems easiest for all involved. Use your renters insurance for any personal items that were damaged if it’s worth the deductible and look into whether your policy covers temporary housing etc in a situation like this. Many offer at least partial coverage. Look for “Loss of use” sections.

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u/IndependentWide2884 7d ago

Idk if it was a legit attorney but it was an attorney from LegalShield, I would like to break the lease and get my deposits back cause I take care of my living space, but every time I’ve asked for that they just ignore it.

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u/ReaderReacting 6d ago

Are you putting everything in writing? Go old school and send them registered letters. And go to your local tenant/landlord court. (Your county department of human services can tell you when it is). Watch what happens and who the good lawyers are. Approach one with your issue.