Landlord refuses to fix major problems

[Shelli Brown]

I don't know where to turn. What to do. Or what my rights are. But my landlord refuses to fix major problems in this house. He said in 2014 the roof was going to get done. Never happened till this day. We contacted him about it plenty of time. He keeps putting it off. The contractor said back in 2015 the roof would not last another year. The support beam is giving out in our kitchen. This also started in 2014. This was never fixed. Leaking from the pipes in 2014. Now it's so bad water is pouring into the basement. The water damage is outrageous. Black mold. The door to put basement has such bad water damage it just fell to pieces. Our water bill (which he's making us pay) is $250 this month. Because of these leaks. Our thermostat is broken and the heat won't stop running unless we flip the emergency switch. We have spend over $500 I'm oil since October. Right now we owe 3 months rent. What are my rights? What should I do?

[Kevin Branin]

If I were you, I would move out of there immediately.  Black mold is extremely dangerous to your health, especially if you have children.  The house is unlivable.  Try to find friends/family to stay with, or if you have to use a hotel, you can take your landlord to court and get reimbursed.  I think you should just start looking for a new place, stop paying rent, stop paying water bill and leave.

It really pains me, as a landlord myself, to hear he/she is treating you this way.  It's unacceptable.  As soon as these problems were brought to my attention, they would be fixed immediately.  If you ever come to Philadelphia, I may have a nice place for you to rent!