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OH landlord
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Posted: Wed Jul 30th, 2008 02:41 am |
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From an A/C site (but it is the same principle for pushing out heat as it is for cold air):
"But the proper sized unit doesn't mean you will be comfortable. The amazing software that computes the overall heat gain does so by looking at the individual heat gain of each room. This data is extremely important as it tell the HVAC contractor how many supply ducts need to be placed in each room and most importantly the size of the pipes feeding those outlets. Think of fighting a large house fire with a garden hose. It doesn't work because you aren't putting enough water on the fire. You need to pump in enough cold air into each room to offset the fire or heat gain that is occurring within the room.
Getting the cold air to each room is not as easy as it sounds. The large fan within the air handler in your basement or attic creates pressure much like wind blowing against a sail on a boat. This static pressure needs to be maintained within the entire supply duct system. To do this the HVAC contractor must reduce the size of the main supply duct after every two or three branch runs run towards the individual rooms. If the main duct remains the same size, there is simply not enough energy left in the remaining air to push the cold air to the rooms farthest from the air handler.
I have news for you, we still are not finished. What happens to the hot air that is in each room? It needs to be sent back to the air handler where the heat is extracted. To do this, your builder and HVAC contractor need to make sure a return air duct is located in each room, preferably seven feet high off the floor. Ideally this return air duct should be on the opposite side of the room from the supply ducts. As the air handler is operating, it is both pulling air into the return ducts and pushing out an equal amount of air through the supply ducts. By placing these different ducts far apart, anyone standing in between the ducts feels the cool air floating over their body. "
So if less air is being drawn in than is being pushed out, it's going to be very hard to get that air out of the furnace and through all those rooms, especially if the ductwork is the same size throughout. Even a new furnace wil have a problem without correcting the ductwork.
Can you take the lizards to a friends for a few hours or to the car for a drive to a cool spot?
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Darkknight
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Posted: Wed Jul 30th, 2008 01:37 am |
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yeah I knew that about the money just didn't write it clear. LL came over today cause I called the housing inspector. LL said he still ain't paying and wants me to go get bug bombs and set them off, don't care about my lizards, said if i don't do it he will lizards in the house or not! He even checked the dog outside, tried to, she wouldn't lay still long enough, said she couldn't have fleas she'd be scratching and have raw spots and still has her winter coat. He told me outside the inspector called him. He said since there weren't fleas here when I moved in, that I should pay for the bombs. I'm not the one with an outside animal, he won't even spray outside like I requested. Also told him it won't do any good if the neighbor upstairs doesn't bomb too or they'll come back. He SAID he would talk to her but I did myself and she said to let her know when I do it so she can the same time. I have to figure out where to keep my animals for the time its dangerous, have no idea what to do. He was so arrogant about the dog, even tried to give me a few bucks to buy her a flea collar, she ain't even my dog. I was spraying chemicals again when he showed up and told him I was trying but I'm on a fixed budget and can't keep dishign out money for his building, I am a tenant, I didn't cause it, even showed him the bites all over me and he saw the fleas crawling all over my legs, he had them on him too. He finally looked at the window says he's gonna see if he can fiind another one too. I mentioned to him about what you said about the heating cold air returns, just didn't tell him my source, and he said, no that's not right, it doesn't matter if you have a large enough pipe! So I guess he thinks he knows all about that now. I asked him again if he was planning on replacing that furnace, he said yes. I really really don't want to be here for winter, I hate this place. I've always paid my rent on time everywhere, never been a problem, my animals have never caused problems and I've never damaged anything, I just want to be somewhere I can afford and stop paying for other peoples responsibilities. Guess I'm gonna have to buy the bombs and waste more money and hope it does the job, and do it again in 10 days. Just tired of being here and dealing with all this stuff, have enough health problems without fleas eating me alive for months. Guess I'll let you know what happens. Thanks for your replies.
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OH landlord
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Posted: Wed Jul 30th, 2008 01:14 am |
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Darkknight, keep 2 things in mind as you proceed. OH has no repair and deduct statute, so your only option is to rent withhold with the clerk of court. You can petition the court to force the LL to make repairs, but you can't do or contract for them yourself. (The legislature never enacted the repair and deduct section.) If he still won't repair, you have the right to terminate.
And remember that you can only get twice the wrongfully deducted damages back, not twice the deposit back, if you sue the LL. If you know the age of the carpet we can estimate the depreciation he could possibly charge you for that. (I do that all the time and have it down pat. My last tenants paid $115 for the carpet they ruined with a hot iron. They were still pretty good tenants though. Just an accident.)
OH law doesn't address pest extermination under LL or Tenant obligations. But you may be able to use health codes or the keeping the unit "fit and habitable" clause to force him to do the extermination.
I wouldn't stay there another winter either. The furnace wil never work properly with only 2 return vents. Sounds like they just installed a forced air unit sometime in the past when the gravity one went out, but never upgraded the ductwork. Good luck and let us know how it works out.
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Darkknight
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Posted: Sun Jul 27th, 2008 12:05 am |
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Yep only two cold air ducts. I also just found out the last tenants that lived here told the upstairs tenants they paid about 8 hundred in heating bills a month or close to it, least that's what they tell me. Yes I am sure the vent in the old fireplace is a heating duct. I followed the duct in the basement from the furnace to my room, its one duct seperated into two parts, one ends at the fireplace, the other sections off and goes next to where my bed is, on the same side of the room, so its the same pipe, it just goes straight across the room to where I have my bed which is right next to the big picture single paned window that leaks air like a siv. That's the problem, and I know the landlord won't change it, he won't put a dime into this place for heating, he wouldn't even pay for a door knob that locked me in my bedroom I had to break to get out in the middle of the night, had no phone in there so couldn't call anyone for help, had no choice. There is one heat vent going into the kitchen, a tiny one in the bathroom, and none in the laundry room and no cold air ducts anywhere else, and no other rooms stays warm at all but the ex roomies room and the living room a little bit since I put up a sheet to block the open doorway. There is nothing more I can do to keep the heat in without several space heaters and that's ridiculous, so the one going to the kitchen and bathroom must be clogged or there is not enough cold air ducts like you said. I couldn't call animal control because of who she works for, and the fact that the landlord loves the tenant so much, if I did that, he'd boot me pronto, and she'd be a new enemy. I TRY to keep the peace and look out for the dog since no one else does when she's working or her daughter who comes and goes all the time really doesn't that much. The fact that there is also dog poop all over the yard makes you have to walk the concrete path to get to my doors and the dog stops you to greet you and anyone that visits. Maybe the fleas did get on me from her, that's the best guess scenario, but as the state law says the landlord is responsible for all upkeep and problems as long as the tenant is not directly responsible. The dog doesn't belong to me, so either the landlord pays for an exterminator or the upstairs neighbor does. It is not my job to go after the other tenant, thats between the LL and that tenant, as he is the owner and must take care of all pest related problems that I myself am not the root cause of. I've already spoken to the cities inspector and he says if the landlord don't take care of it, to let him know. I can also take the rent money and give it to the clerks office to hold and see if they'll let me use that money for an exterminator if the landlord don't do it, or take it to court from there but the landlord won't get his rent until it goes to the judge. I am disabled and have to walk where a path is made because of the dog, my animals do NOT go outside, and they not responsible for the fleas, and I am not directly responsible, since there was no intent on my part, so I am not financially responsible for paying for such matters. No where in my lease does it state either that a tenant is responsible for pest control problems. I am a retired deputy sheriff and have worked also as a process server for the courts so I'm familiar with contract laws, landlord tenant disputes and a bit more. If the landlord charges more for any carpet damage than the carpet is worth depreciated over time, I can sue him for twice the damages according to Ohio state law. If the landlord wants to get his money back for getting rid of fleas, he'll have to pursue the other tenant who owns the dog because it was his tenant that directly caused the problem, ie no flea collar, allowing the dog to remain in pathways of other tenants and allowing the dogs owner to not clean up their dogs feces on a daily basis, causing ppl to have to walk around it to get to their door, which is also a health violation. If he loves that tenant so much, he can work it out with that tenant after the fact. I will NOT pay out of my social security to rid his place of an infestation brought on by another tenant thru no fault of my own. I doubt that any judge would feel I was at fault when I have no control over where that pet is or goes. I only intervene to untangle the pet when its howling and stuck and disturbs my peace, but as I was basically threatened when I moved in, the LL loves that tenant so much, I will not go against that tenant while I am living here. I will not stay here another winter with the heat bills like they are, and improper air ducts for such a large place unless they are fixed and up to code, I'll mention that to the inspector as well, so thanks for that.
Tim
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 09:03 pm |
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So there are only 2 cold air return ducts in the entire 2 BD apartment? That's one of the problems. There's not enough cold air returning to the furnace at all. That's hardly any. The furnace can only push out as much air as it takes in. (They are supposed to be equal.) If only 96 sq." of air can return (2 - 4" x12" ducts), it won't push out much more than that. Even a brand new furnace couldn't heat that place with no cold air returns. When a new furnace is installed, many more cold air returns will be required to install. Don't cover the cold air vents. Allow as much air as possible to return to the furnace. Whatever air you can get back there, it still won't be enough to push much hot air out. Really old furnaces used the gravity method (heat rises), forced air furnaces don't work on the same principles and don't work well when simply installed in place of the old gravity ones without modifications.
If the hot air duct comes through the fireplace, how does it connect with the cold air return on the other side of the room next to your bed? HVAC wise, that makes no sense. That pipe that comes out into the fireplace, are you sure it isn't a vent pipe and not a heat duct? A hot air duct in a fireplace also makes no sense.
$300 per month for gas heat on a 2 BD may not be far off. My place cost over $600 a month to heat last winter. Heating bills were huge this last winter!
The wire you brushed up against was the thermostat wire only. They are not normally taped together since they carry very little voltage and only run the thermostat. If the thermostat shuts off, the furnace does too, so that's why you had no heat when the thermostat went off. This wire normally carries only about 6 volts and is not dangerous.
You say you are not responsible for the fleas, but then say "I am always helping the dog get untangled from her rope she gets caught in the stairs going upstairs." You are picking up fleas and bringing them each time you do this. I know it's hard, but stay away from the dog and her fleas. Call animal control if the dog is neglected. You are bringing the fleas into the unit. They may not be from your animal, but it is you that is bringing them in. Ultimately your neighbor is responsible for the fleas, but it is your fault they are in your unit. Those fleas weren't there when you moved in.
Of course the LL left you to handle the roommate problem. The two of you were responsible for the rent and any other obligations. Since you signed together, he's not getting in the middle. I wouldn't have either. If the roommate doesn't pay you, it's your responsibility to get him out or pay for him. You are both responsible for any damage in the place, so yes, your deposit will pay for his damages. When you move out and are charged for damages, you can sue your roommate to recover any money he owes you. It's not the LL's place to intervene between roommates' arguments.
I really don't know what else to tell you. The furnace, although old, cannot have the cold air ducts shut off. It will never work that way. The fleas are jumping onto you each time you go near that dog, and then you bring them into your unit. STay far away from the dog. You can write the repair request to the LL and see if he will fix any of these problems, but it may be your responsibility to kill the fleas if you brought them in. Best of luck to you.
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Darkknight
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Posted: Thu Jul 24th, 2008 11:32 pm |
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Hi, thanks for the reply. First, I tried it with the cold air ducts open, it didn't work, didn't help keep the warm air in any room but the roomies old room that didn't have a cold air duct. My room has a hot and cold air duct, and that duct is connected together, but the hot air comes in thru what is actually an old fireplace and a pipe shoved up there, the cold air duct is on the other side of the room next to my bed. There is one other cold air duct in the living room and it didn't help with anything. So I covered them up so more warm air would stay in the house. I STILL FROZE, especially when it was below 15 outside. I left them uncovered for over a month and it didn't help. The temperature was set at no more than 72 ever, and my heating bills were around 300 monthly. While me and the roomie were talking to the LL to sign the lease I asked about the furnace and he said it was very old and we were on the list next to have it replaced because it won't last much longer. The fact that I brushed against one little wire hanging off the ceiling to the thermostat when I was down taping pipes that had holes in them was a big clue. That wire wasn't even taped together, it was barely twisted together and that's why the furnace quit heating. Whenever it rains or any snow melted, the side of the house that had the furnace on it had water and mud in the basement, and the walls were like a waterfall. That is why the furnace repairmen tracked in mud to my apartment when fixing it, which I had to pay to clean because the LLS wife said they won't clean it. How am I responsible for cleaning up their repairmens mess??
The neighbor upstairs has her own furance and water heater up there and her place is nice and toasty, I've been up there. I've heat shrinked all the windows and put up sheets in doorways with no door to keep heat in, it didn't help but a tad to keep my living room warmer but I still had to wear a coat, and the kitchen and bathroom were ice cold. Try taking a shower in winter with a tiny little air duct in that bathroom next to a wall that has water damage. The furnace doesn't take filters, that I seen, LL never mentioned it to me, I've used filters in places before and changed them, no problems. There are no lights downstairs either, and anything I put down there I had to put on wood planks to keep the water from damaging the boxes. The basement should be condemned, its all dirt, water and mud on one whole side of the house. My back door had air coming in but had no room for weather stripping, it closed tight so I put up a sheet from there to my kitchen. That tiny room where my laundry stuff is at, the kitchen and the bathroom were the coldest. My living room a tad warmer because of the sheet blocking the kitchen, my room cold with one HUGE picture window in it to the front porch with no double pane glass, and a regular sized window on the side of the room. I put up plastic everywhere, didn't help. Had to put a box in the old fireplace/heating duct too blow the heat out toward me instead of up. Roomies room was toasty all the time, he had one window I didn't even put plastic on.
As for the fleas, I know I didn't cause it, and my cat didn't, he never leaves the house, nor my lizards. The dog is always outside, even in rainstorms and rarely gets to go inside, she said the dog doesn't want to, BS. I am always helping the dog get untangled from her rope she gets caught in the stairs going upstairs. She loves me to death and howls for me whenever she sees me come home. She has no flea collar and is a long haired breed. There are birds nests under the roof too, I've seen them go in. I live here alone, hardly know anyone and have no place for my lizards to go and my gf lives out of town. No family or ppl that can help me here. Thing is why should I have to keep paying out of MY pocket to pay for the LLS place? He is responsible for pest control not caused by me. Nowhere in my lease does it state that I have to pay pest control problems. They didn't cause it but neither did I and I cannot beyond a shadow of a doubt prove the dog is at fault either. I'm treated like a nobody here because of the lady upstairs, and basically threatened after I signed the lease about pissing her off. The LL said to us that she is my favorite tenant so if you piss her off or make noise, etc, you'll go long before she ever f---ing will. I have used 3 products to kill fleas, nothing has worked. I live on ssd and do not have the money to keep doing this nor move right now, fighting ss to KEEP my benefits.
I know the neighbor will not do anything about upstairs because she left dog poop outside all winter never cleaning it up, to the point where it molded, and I was constantly stepping in it or having to avoid it. She works for city hall and I can't complain about it or I'll be thrown out because she's HIS favorite. As for the roomie thing, I understand that but he could have at least said Tim told me if you don't have rent from now on, he's signing a new lease and you'll have to vacate. By having me throw him out, he let him out of the lease and any damages to this place. The LL never came over to reinspect the place since he left either. When he sees the cigarette burns in the carpet that will come out of my deposit and then I have to go after old roomie for it. He was told not to smoke in the house but he did anyways and when I called the LL to complain about getting roomie out of here, he told me the lady upstairs could smell smoke and he was not happy about it. So he had ME pass a message to roomie, he didn't even come here to tell him to quit smoking so I had to be the jerk, he's not doing HIS job as a LL, especially when I had to buy a new door knob to replace my rooms lock that I had to break to get out because it locked me in. He also made me pay for special tape to seal heating ducts in the basement and do all that when they had holes in them???? How did he NOT know there were holes in the pipes?????
The kitchen window was NOT damaged before I sealed them and I looked at all windows daily, that one especially because it's next to the fridge and thats where my cat lays to look outside when I open the curtains. I noticed it the next day after I cooked in the kitchen for the first time, in march. I called the LL and told him about the window, twice, both conversations are on tape, one in march, the day after it happened, and in april, the day I called him to get the old roomie out.
The fleas have been here for at least two months but I didn't know what was causing my bites, neighbor thought it was spiders or ants as I've seen them both and we thought they were coming from under the roof where the birds nests are at. I just recently this past Monday saw fleas jumping off me, now they are everywhere. I woke up with them covering my socks and I have bleeding wounds all over my legs and if they crawl in my wounds, I could have to have them surgically removed??? See stopthefleas.com where I learned more about them than I ever wanted too. Point is, I didn't cause them, I don't have an outside pet, the neighbor does, and it goes in her house, poops all over the yard and jumps on me and everyone here that visits. The dog is a sweetheart and I watch out for her like she was my own. She is always getting stuck on her rope in the stairs going upstairs and howls for me when she is stuck, so I go help her. Fleas probably jumped on me from her and her I am with new roomies that aint paying rent again, it's really not a laughing matter but I'm trying to keep my head. My legs hurt so bad and I'm gonna end up in the hospital if I can't stop them, but I don't have the money for an exterminator to come twice much less once.
I talked to the inspector today who inspected this place after I moved in and he remembers me talking about how cold it was but he didn't really look around too much, he never came IN my bedroom or looked in my huge closet. He didn't spot the cracks in the ceilings or paint starting to peel in the bathroom from bubbling/water damage. He told me to call him back when I hear from the landlord, and that I should probably not live here this winter if it's so cold. I am disabled, where am I gonna go without finding a new place and having a security deposit and first months rent, and everything I make goes into staying here and paying bills??? Before you ask, I had the money before because I was living with my gf and her parents, she moved me her to live with her, her parents were gonna get her a house. Long story is she was doing major drugs and we broke up, and NOT well. I had no choice but take this place before I got locked out of her parents house. I did two days after i signed the lease here, not even actually, one day, and they didn't know I signed a lease. This LL was the only one who would let me move in immediately and had enough room and took pets, although he charges 25 extra a month for my cat cause of his precious carpet that already had stains in it and more from his repairman, and now has fleas. So that's what I'm stuck with. My gfs kids are here a lot and they have wounds too, we didn't know what was causing them till now, and I don't want them back here until this is under control. I cannot pay for an exterminator, it's not my fault!!! I don't know what, if any, the inspector will say or do but he did say they probably came from the dog too!!! So whatever anyone can help with, it would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks,
Tim
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Posted: Thu Jul 24th, 2008 10:10 pm |
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First of all, uncover the cold air returns. If the cold air is not allowed to circulate back to the furnace, the furnace has no power to push the hot air through the duct work into the rooms. It won't work! Furnaces work in circular motions. Without the cold air to make a circle back to the furnace, the hot air from the furnace cannot begin to heat your rooms. Uncover all the cold air returns to make the furnace more efficient. And take down some of that plastic over doorays. That air needs to circulate from room to room. Ony plastic the doorways you want no heat in. And make sure you change those furnace filters each month. A dirty filter will stop all air from returning to the furnace. Beyond that and putting plastic over the windows, you can buy foam insulator plates (20 for about $3) and put them behind all the outlet and switch plates. This will cut down on drafts. Put some rope caulking insulation around windows (about $2-3) and weather stripping around door openings (another couple bucks). About $10 and some plastic will cut way down on drafts in those old houses. (Lived in OH all my life - done this many times!)
Secondly, those fleas would have been dead by now had they been there from November of last year. They can't live that long without food. Had they been in the house when you moved in, you would have noticed it in the winter for sure since their numbers would have started to multiply as soon as the cat came in. It is more likely that you picked them up on you this spring when you walked through the yard or past the dog outside. If that dog is never treated, that yard is probably full of fleas by now. Poor dog. (Your neighbor should know better!) They came in on you (probably on your pants or socks), and now have started hatching inside. Remove your lizards for a few hours, bug bomb the entire house using one bomb per room. (Shut off all gas pilots when you do this.) Also, treat all your furniture, bedding, and any soft items in the house as they will all hold those fleas. Do this all at the same time to really knock their numbers down. Then in 7-10 days, do it again. (A 3rd treatment is sometimes required.) Your neighbor upstairs should treat her dog and spray the yard to kill all those fleas or they will come right back in the next time you walk past. If you want to check this out, toss a white sock on a string through the yard and pull it toward you. I'm betting you see fleas on it when you look at it. Or walk through the yard wearing knee high white socks.
I understand your LL not wanting to get in the middle between roommates. He doesn't want to be seen taking sides. Both of you were responsible for the obligations under the lease and he wasn't going to tell the roommate to leave since he was still responsible. LLs don't want to be in the middle of an argument when both are tenants and they both have rights. That argument was between you and your roommate.
To get repairs done, forget calling or e-mailing the LL. Judges here don't listen to those in court. WRITE a letter to him explaining what needs to be repaired. I doubt he will change out the old furnace though. You rented it with that furnace and to ask for a new one would be an upgrade or improvement. He should make sure it does work as efficiently as possible for its age and is working properly. He should repair the window (it could have been cracked before you even noticed it and the cold just made it worse.) He may argue that there were no fleas for the first 6 months of your tenancy so the fleas must be yours to exterminate. (A judge may listen to that argument.) But you can try to get him to do this too. Send the letter by certified mail, return receipt requested and keep a copy. Ask that he contact you within 10 days to let you know when he will repair. In OH you cannot repair and deduct to fix the items yourself without the LL's permission. (We have no statute for repair and deduct remedies.) But if the problems are severe enough to make the place uninhabitable, there is a method to rent withhold. DO NOT DO THIS WITHOUT INSTRUCTION FROM THE CLERK OF COURT. Failure to rent withhold incorrectly will get you evicted. Send in the letter and let us know if you get some results. Good luck.
Last edited on Thu Jul 24th, 2008 10:14 pm by OH landlord
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Darkknight
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Posted: Thu Jul 24th, 2008 03:00 pm |
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| One thing I forgot, the furnace repairman tracked in mud all over the place when he was working on the furnace, would not take his shoes off and when I told the landlord, they told me to rent a machine and/or clean the carpets myself, they would not pay for it. I cleaned as best I could but stains still remain, and there were some stains in the carpets when I moved in. I should not have been responsible for cleaning the carpets that the landlords repairmen dirtied up, am I right???
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Darkknight
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Posted: Thu Jul 24th, 2008 02:56 pm |
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I am in a new place, lived here since november of last year, it's now july. This is the coldest place I've ever lived in, just moved to ohio. I mean the house is cold, a duplex, I have he bottom level, and when winter hit, it was so cold in here I had to wear a light coat just to keep warm even with the heat on. I even put up plastic in every open doorway going to the next room to keep the heat in better, and covered every window in plastic, it still didn't work. It was freezing in the kitchen and bathroom all the time, they told me to buy a space heater. The vents going to the basement had the cold air coming up thru it and the heat going right out the cracks. I went in the basement to wrap tape around the heat ducts which the landlord told me to do. I found a huge hole in one pipe and covered it and sealed all the heat ducts as best I could with this tape and covered up the cold air ducts, none of it helped. When I was taping the pipes, I brushed against a wire hanging from the basement to what I knew was the furnace. Later that day, the furnace wasn't working, the landlord sent a repairman over, I was right. He replaced the wire to the furnance and told me that the furnace is junk and had told the landlord before to replace it since I complained about it's efficiency to the repairman. I told the landlord what he said and he promised to replace it. I reminded his wife two weeks later about the furnace and she said oh I forgot about it, We'll replace it after new years eve. It was never replaced and I spent hundrends of dollars extra in heating bills during the winter. It was so cold in the kitchen, ( I only have a microwave, and bought a fridge from the landlord, there is no stove). My gf brought a indoor grill and after we used it a couple times in march, the kitchen window the next day was cracked on the inner pane that was sealed in plastic. We're guessing because it was so cold outside the heat in the kitchen from using the indoor hotplate caused it. I've told the landlord twice on the phone about the window, he hasn't fixed it. I recorded those phone calls. At the time I had a lazy roommate not paying, I since kicked him out. I asked the landlord to send him a letter saying if he didn't pay his share of the rent, as I said I wouldn't pay his half anymore, to tell him he has to leave. The landlord said he wouldn't do that, but would back up whatever I told my roomie. I kicked him out, and the landlord said he would not pay to change the locks unless I paid half. Needless to say I rig the doors whenever I leave to make sure old roomie doesn't get back in without me knowing about it. He lives a few doors down now and hasn't paid a cent towards the 5 and a half months he lived here, said he couldnt' find a job, that's another story! The landlord hasn't inspected the place since I kicked him out. Roomie burnt the carpeting in his old room, and I know that will come out of my deposit I paid. I had a door knob lock that locked me in my bedroom one night, couldn't get out so I had to break the knob to get out. Landlord told me to buy a new knob, he wouldn't pay for it. Now summer is here. And I have been suffering with strange bites all over my legs, I wake up with them. I thought it was spiders as I had seen a few now and then, and or ants as I had seen them too. But I quickly realized the bites were one puncture wound, not two, so it couldn't be ants or spiders as they have fangs. I'm sure some of the bites might have been them but not all. I was sitting in my recliner as I am disabled from a car wreck and don't get around well, so I rest a lot. I saw a flea jump off my leg!!! NOW I know there are fleas here, my cat has a flea collar, does NOT go outside, never has. I have two lizards that live in their own cages and do not carry fleas as they are very clean, had them for over 6 years so I know about lizards. A couple days ago I woke up and found over a dozen fleas on my socks, and two dozen NEW bites on my legs. I did all the bedding, sprayed odoban on everything, the entire house, that didn't work. Bathed my cat in flea shampoo too. Put flea powder on the carpet and vacuumed it up, that didn't work. I put down a spray poison for inisde, that didn't work. I cannot use a bug bomb because of my lizards. I called my landlord, his wife said well, I'll tell him to SEE if he will do anything. My upstairs neighbor has an outside dog on a chain I walk by all the time and she rarely lets the dog in. I read the site stopthefleas.com and now know more about fleas then I ever wanted to. I did NOT cause this problem with the fleas, and I doubt my landlord will do anything. This place needs an exterminator to come two times, first time then 7-10 days later to get any new hatched fleas. I like to think I know tenant laws very well as I've always studied them in the past when I've had problems and always proved what I was talking about and never had to go to court on anything when I lived in Michigan or Wisconsin. If I'm wrong here, let me know, but if the tenant did not cause the infestation or pest problem, it is the landlords responsibility to take care of it, as this place is becoming uninhabitable. I have bleeding wounds all over my legs, it's making me sick, if they get inside my wounds, I could have to have them surgically removed (read that website I told you about). I am severly allergic to fleas, my legs look ten times worse then the pictures you can find on the site or links to it to see what flea bites look like. My cat is afraid to walk around, he knows!!! He lays next to me on the table or on the couch since all this started, but I'm also afraid of what they could do to my lizards, a green iguana, and a water dragon. Both cages are cleaned all the time, and my big lizard is potty trained in the tub. The upstairs neighbor also said that there are bird nests in the roof of the house, I have seen them go in before, she thought some bugs were getting in and biting me and coming from the nests. I haven't told her its fleas yet, and they could be coming from her dog. The site says fleas come from outside and/or could have been in my carpeting already and just hatched when the weather got humid. They can stay in there eggs, sense a warm creature walking by, hatch and jump on you in 3 seconds time and jump up to 4 feet!!! Everytime I walk anywhere in the house, I have fleas on me in seconds. What do I do? I called and left a message for the health department and waiting to hear back from the landlord, which I doubt will do anything about this. He is already charging me 25 bucks extra a month for my cat, which I find ridiculous and charged an extra 25 for the deposit too which is already 475 and when I questioned him about the extra 25 making it 500 he was a jerk about it, but I had to move out of where I was immediately, ex gfs parents place before I got locked out. This place is a nightmare. My new gfs kids have flea bites too, we didn't know what was causing it until now and I can't have them visit until this is under control. What can I do, am I right on this?
Tim
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