Brookline/Boston Housing Problem - Horrible Prop. Man. (apartment, rent)

[msaRick]

Hello,

I am at my wits end with my property manager. The apartment I am in has so many problems, from mold, to possible structural problems (a piece of ceiling fell off in my roommates room). The property manager visited, said the problems would be fixed, and has since fallen off the face of the earth. Has anyone ever dealt with this before? Where do I go from here?

I live in Brookline, and can't seem to find anything about code enforcement on the city's webpage.

[scarletfire]

Document everything. Photograph problems and communicate with the property manage via certified mail so you have verification that they received the complaint. Also, I would not try to remediate the mold yourself. Sometimes you can make it worse, depending on the type it is. They need to not only get rid of the mold but eliminate the source of moisture that's causing the problem. That usually requires a mold remediation company. Don't settle for them saying they'll just bleach it. That's not a solution.

I believe you have the right to withhold rent until they fix the problem but don't quote me on that. I'd check with someone who knows more about the general rules of MA.
I believe there is a Mass Tenant Rights Association. You might google it. Also here are some links that may be useful.

Tenant Rights, Laws and Protections: Massachusetts

Tenants' Rights in Massachusetts: Private Housing - MassLegalHelp

http://www.mass.gov/Cago/docs/Consumer/LandlordTenant073007.pdf (broken link)

Best of luck!