I need to vent about our rental co & owners

[dottyblue]

We rent a 2 bedroom townhouse.  We are pretty sure that the owners bought at the peak of the market (purchased in 2005 per Zillow) and are upside down on it.  They selected a crappy management company and they don't want to pay to fix anything in the house.

I have been hounding our property manager on a growing list of issues which include a leak in the wall that is damaging the hardwood floor, a crack in the front door that I can see daylight through, and a leak around the front picture window that is damaging the drywall, and likely the window.  Their solution for the door?  Paint over it.  They JUST painted it 6 months ago and it is cracked again.  But the owners don't want to pay $500 for a new door.  The water damage is spreading and they are all ignoring my calls and emails.  At least I have documentation to cover my ass if they try to come after my security deposit...

I should have known better than to rent this place when the management company hadn't even done their walk-through prior to our move in and the place hadn't even been cleaned!  I should have walked away then, but there was no way to find a new apartment with 12 hours notice.  I can't pay $1,000 plus deposits, etc to move again, so we are trying to stick it out, but I hate them all and want to burn our place down.

[EmilieMadison]

Contact your city/county Tenant Advocate (or similar), file an official complaint with the city, and/or contact the State Attorney General. These are health and hazard issues and you have a right to have them fixed. Find out from the advocate/etc if you are legally allowed to withhold partial rent in escrow until these issues are fixed properly. If not, find out what recourse you do have. And start looking for a new place now. You may also be able to legally break your lease and get your deposit back because of all of this. Best of luck.

[snickers]

oh man, that really sucks