I'm Done

We've had issues with our landlords since we moved in to this place. At first they were tolerable, though gross and annoying. Upon moving in, we discovered fleas, 2 mice living in the kitchen, and chiggers in the back yard. Easy enough to take care of ourselves, but what a pain. Then, the concrete steps outside crumbled last winter. They were cracked when we moved in and last year's winter was blanketed in ice. They claimed it was our fault for throwing down salt, and maybe it was. But no one warned us not to use salt or told us the concrete steps were unfinished and unsealed.

November 1st, after several verbal complaints when we paid rent, I went ahead and outlined many of our complaints in a letter and mailed it to the landlords via certified mail. Two of the issues involved water. One was a leak in the ceiling we'd been complaining about for well over a year. It would only drip once or twice with each rain, but the ceiling looked horrible and I feared mold growth. They assured me that with winter coming, I wouldn't have mold issues. I was livid at that response and insisted they do something. Several weeks later the landlord crawled around in the attic with a caulk gun and swears the problem is solved and there's no sign of mold up there. *sigh*

Another major issue was that every time we turn on the shower, it drips water (quite a bit) into the basement and right on top of my new washing machine. Not only was I worried about my washing machine shorting out, but again of mold.

I've been sick alllllll winter. I just can't seem to get well. I'm catching every cold, every sniffle, every cough, and even strep throat a couple weeks ago. Baby Yarnworks has had croup three times this winter and countless colds. Big Sister has had the sniffles most of the winter and last night coughed so much she threw up. Her tonsils are absolutely enormous.

Yesterday, three and a half months after the certified letter and after a reminder note in January's rent payment, they FINALLY sent a plumber out to fix the shower. It turns out that whoever did the plumbing never sealed the pipes, they just put them together and wastewater from the shower has been leaking.

I pointed out a spot in the floor that looked like water damage and wanted to confirm with the plumber that it was from the same issue, not from the sink or toilet. Nope, not from the shower. Definitely from the toilet. He says it's not even attached to the floor and that if anyone sits on it just right, it's going to make a huge mess. And all my concerns about mold? Confirmed. At least that's it's in our home...who knows how much of an impact it's having on our health.

I asked the plumber to call the landlord back and request permission to repair the toilet as well and he refused! He said the landlord already sounded upset about the shower repairs he had to do and wouldn't call him back. So this is what I'm left with...

And yes, that's carpet along the baseboard. Lovely, no?

So, I'm done. Absolutely done. I could complain about this repair and wait 3-18 months for them to take care of it, but I can't. Not only do I not have the energy, but I have these two sweet babies to think about. They need to get out of this house as fast as humanly possible.

I'm open to any and all advice guys. I'm not exactly sure how to proceed. But I definitely think we're moving as soon as I can find a new place.