It is also not the neatest place..I spoke with a mold remediation expert who suggested it was an environmental issue.

If the landlord does not adequately remedy the breach, or use his or her best efforts to remedy the breach within 48 hours, except a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, after it is received by the landlord, the tenant may, in addition to any other remedy:    (a) Procure reasonable amounts of such essential items or services during the landlord’s noncompliance and deduct their actual and reasonable cost from the rent; (b) Recover actual damages, including damages based upon the lack of use of the premises or the diminution of the fair rental value of the dwelling unit; (c) Withhold any rent that becomes due during the landlord’s noncompliance without incurring late fees, charges for notice or any other charge or fee authorized by this chapter or the rental agreement, until the landlord has attempted in good faith to restore the essential items or services; or (d) Procure other housing which is comparable during the landlord’s noncompliance, and the rent for the original premises fully abates during this period.

But apparently they don't care if their building burns down and kills their tenants, because they did nothing about this very easy to remedy issue in the two years I lived there.If they would have just fixed my A/C that was apparently leaking Freon like a sieve and the dangerous fire extinguishers, I would have stayed living there another 2-3 years...because I loved the location and everything else about my apartment and the complex. 

Most potentially sticky issues having to do with entity formation involve potentially competing rights and remedies between the partners themselves.

But I've always managed to find insurers.You can cover it with vinyl, but if you have a property with nice bones (say a nice, or even a middle class old Victorian) putting vinyl over it may throw off proportions of any attractive molding the building may have.If it's a property on Munjoy Hill/West End of Portland, you may want to consider remediation, as it would likely pay off in increased value/aesthetics/resale.  

All any of the remediation companies have said is to 'consult with an attorney" and I would like to know more before more legal bills are undertaken.

From the  pictures it appears certain areas of remediation can be done, ie remove the weeds and retreat the area.

Does this and the certification I got from the remediation keep me safe from law suites?

I have no problem paying for mold inspection/remediation and commissioning this activity promptly.

The last conversation I had with maintenance about the flooding was more along the lines of "we are getting ready to tear this building down" rather than "we've heard back from a couple contractors and are getting ready to remediate the issue" so it doesn't sound like there are any solutions looming on the horizon.