About Michelle Mangen Expertise Wisconsin Landlord/Tenant Questions.
Experience Having been in the property management industry for over 13 years in Wisconsin and working quite closely with attorneys I have learned a great deal of information regarding landlord/tenant relationships. Additionally my previous experience included assuring that the company I worked for was compliant with regards to the law.
Education/Credentials Attended several seminars regarding landlord/tenant laws. Over 13 years in the industry.
Past/Present Clients New Land Enterprises, LLP - Milwaukee, WI. EA Properties - Green Bay, WI. Fox Valley Housing - Appleton, WI. Kevin Zimmerman, Wendy Scheels, Dave Anderson and other independent owners throughout the state of Wisconsin.
Question I moved into an apartment at the end of January. The apartment had not been cleaned from the previous tenant. The refrigerator still had food in it and maggots as the electricity had been off for a while. I complained and they delivered a new fridge to the breezeway. My friends and I had to move the new fridge in ourselves and move the old fridge out into the breezeway. I told them to pick up their fridge and it sat outside my front door for 2 weeks. I reminded them repeatedly to pick it up during this time. The carpet had never been cleaned and still had stains and sticky residue from the previous tenant. I've complained and complained and now, 5 months later, nothing has been done. Many times I've been told that they'll arrive, and they never do. I've even taken off work to be sure that I'd be there all day, and still, they don't come. When I signed my lease, the advertising at the time stated 24/7 emergency maintenance. I never got a copy of the lease. The company that owned the property sold it to another company. They have owned it for over 2 months now and still nothing has been done. My apartment is infested with bugs, and while they do spray, it hasn't helped. There are holes in my ceiling and though they don't leak, they are ugly. The toe boards have never been attached to the wall and the bathroom wall is torn up, I assume that the previous owners had a dog that scratched it over and over because the paint is peeling off the walls and chips off and there are parts of metal showing through, that's how deep the scratches are! At the moment I am behind on my rent, and I fully intend to catch up on my payments within the month, but I just got a job after being laid off. I have no savings and cant afford a lawyer. Yesterday, the air conditioning stopped working and it gets as high as 90 degrees inside. I called maintenance and they say that they cannot work on an a/c at night for safety issues. I am miserably hot, it's extremely humid and I am having a hard time functioning in this heat. My questions are: Do I have any legal recourse for the condition of the apartment and What can I do when my apartment management wont fix the a/c immediately. I'm in tears it's so hot and I feel like I'm going to pass out. 90 may not seem that hot, but I just moved to Alabama in January and have never before been exposed to humidity. I lived in a place that got hot but it was a dry heat and I feel like I can barely breathe! Please help me, I don't know what to do!
Answer Hi Brandi:
I'm not sure what the law is in Alabama in regards to the AC. You may want to call the building inspector and ask them. For example, in WI we must make sure the heat is working at all times. So check with your local building inspector to find out what the regulations are in Alabama for the AC.
The other place you may want to check with is Legal Aid and find out if you qualify for them to assist you with a suit against your landlord.
That's awful that they aren't doing anything they should be to make your place a decent place to live.
