I am a big fan of getting things for free when possible.

So my mom rents a 1 bedroom of a 6 unit building.She is on the ground floor.My mom is older so the size is manageable for her.3 days ago she calls me.Apparently the ceiling in the den in back is leaking.I go over to take a look.The leak is right in the center of the room above a ceiling fan.I immediately turn off the power for the breaker switch to the back.My mom calls the landlord and apparently the tenant upstairs washer implodes or leaks etc. and water is all over their floor.The landlord says he has stopped the leak but that it's 1 a.m. in the morning and he can't run the shop vac until the next day because of the other tenants.So over the last 3 days the landlord hasn't even came by my mom's apartment.I took digital pictures of the damage and we tarped the floor and furniture and have 2 buckets to catch the water.Even though the leak has stopped (according to him) it is still dripping slowly into the buckets.Half the ceiling I would say in the back about 3 4 by 8 sheets are sagging and some parts have fallen down and the insulation is exposed.I told my mom that the ceiling fan will have to come down,the electrical wiring inspected,the ceiling areas with damaged pulled down,and the insulation taken out.The area will have to dry and then put back insulation,drywall,new ceiling fan and finish.I am watching this guy like a hawk to make sure he doesn't rig it.This has happened in some of his other buildings with a pipe leak and he let it "dry" out and rigged it.The other tenants complained of being sick and having mold in the unit and moved out.This guy has another business and self manages about 20 units.I am concerned for my mothers safety.The last thing older people need is mold and mildew issues for their lungs.He will repair in the correct way.If he does not I will have no choice but to take to court as my mom's health is paramount.I ma hoping he will do the right thing as he has in the past.I can't get over the fact it's been 3 days since the incident and he still has not fixed it or checked the electrical.If this was my building I would handle it immediately.Just wanting to get others take on this and what you would do.The buildings are 20 years old but in a nice,safe area and my mom likes her neighbors.

Things like faucets, ceiling fans, electrical fixtures, etc. would be covered under a warranty from your contractor, but you usually pay a bit more than you would from a "big box" store or on line.

Q&A, reading lists, and the profile are all much better on LI than they are on Google+ or any of the other social media I frequent.

Trust me I am no expert at all with this.Watching the Mike Holmes show though there are many times when it has to be so many inches away and if it's not there is a violation of code.You need to know the building codes for your area.It seems to be a frequent occurrence for this to happen on many of his shows.

What personal finance blogs do you frequent that continue to have fresh content?

Are you a fan of your local real estate club?

But we know better, like a 12" hole in the wall is less serious than a 3" hole in a window, a garbage disposal that doesn't run is much better than a furnace fan that doesn't.This is one reason I like to shop nearby our home so I can view property myself.

I agree that the same topics come up frequently.

Thanks for taking the time for that response J (huge fan of your blog btw)..its really appreciated.I'm very new to REI (even tho this is for my primary residence) especially the paperwork side of things, and like you see its pretty vague about a lot of things.