Mold and sketchy situation

[Josh Smith]

Hey,

I am a student renting a house in ann arbor, MI. I have found myself in a complicated situation:

Renting a house from a landlord since July 2014. We have had maintenance complaints all year about various things that we were told would be fixed before we moved in (including a musty smell, screens so we could get fresh air into the house, etc) - all have not been fixed nearly a year later. We have all been sick, and have had several doctor appointments over the past year relating to coughing/headaches/sinus infections/etc. I have been to 6 appointments since November alone. We have told our landlord about these issues.

We did some investigating ourselves and found a lot of mold growth behind the walls in two of our bedrooms that appears to be caused by a leak in the roof. We insisted on having a specialized company make the repairs. Instead our landlord painted over visible mold and has not fixed the leak. The areas behind our walls have not been touched or repaired in any way. We are still getting sick in the house and feel better when staying elsewhere.

We went to the city and apparently there is no certificate on the house - meaning it was rented to us illegally for nearly a year. They have been cited for several needed repairs over a year ago that would be required for a certificate - these were never done.

My roommates are insisting that we contact a lawyer, but I am not sure if I want to go that route. What should I do from here?