At what point would threating a lawsuit not over the top?

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Hi Everyone,

My friend recently ran into a situation that I would like to help resolve and also wanted know when is it not too much to be asking for legal action.

My friend recently moved into a new apartment (2 weeks ago) and within a few days his laundry room was flooding with water. He contacted the manager and they dispatched a plumber to fix the problem. The plumber went and did what he had to do (supposedly) and left. The next morning water was gushing out from the connection and his entire hallway is flooded with water.

He's in the process of communicating with the PM to try it get it fixed.

Now the heart of the problem is, regardless of whether the PM can actually get someone in to fix the problem, the place is not entirely habitable as the carpets are all soaking wet. He could stay on the 2nd floor loft but that's the only place that's dry.

What would be the order of actions he should take in the event that the PM is slow to respond, and the place becomes increasingly inhabitable as time goes on? When he first moved into the apartment the unit was already not move in ready, and while they are dealing with old furniture and appliances that should've been removed prior to him moving in, water is gushing out of his laundry room and flooding his first floor. He doesn't have a lot of patience with the PM right now and is wondering if sending a lawyer's letter is appropriate in this situation?

The apartment is located in LA.

If sending a lawyer's letter is NOT too much, any recommendation would be greatly appreciated.