Property Manager/Maintenance Not Fixing My Problems?

[Shayna Walton]

My partner and I just recently moved into a new apartment. On our move in date, the manager didn't even go into the unit to inspect after the previous tenant moved out nor was any maintenance or finishing done to the place. Old garbage left, and not to mention, underlying issues that we kept running into. Our vanity door was completely glued back together? It looks a mess... maintenance guy refused to fix it, can we request a replacement? Also, our fridge is leaking and our water randomly shuts off and we barely get hot water? The windows weren't installed correctly either which we had NO IDEA about until they started falling out of the frames which is a huge hazard as I am pregnant, not to mention is damaging to our property?! I have emailed all of this to my property manager and nothing is being done? What can I do?

[Nathan Gesner]

There is a saying, "Caveat emptor" which translates to "buyer beware". It means you have a responsibility to do your own research and know what you're buying. Your Landlord may be a slumlord, but you should have inspected the place before renting it to see what you would be paying for. It sounds like all these issues would have been discovered with a 5-minute walk-through.

It sucks, but it sounds like you chose to rent without inspecting and now you're stuck with it. Try to see if the Landlord will compensate you for cleaning or if he's willing to make some of the repairs. Also, document everything with pictures so he can't hold you responsible for something that already existed.