Great big dilemma (foreclosure, renting, credit)

[RHB]

I'd set up the repair work, and a cleaning company to deal with the oders, and send the reciept, for the rent.

[BoxCar Willie]

CALL a lawyer!! DO NOT mess around with the LL any more!! Start looking for another place ASAP. This will only get worse. Living in those conditions IS bad enough for adults BUT with children and health issues you're asking for trouble. Don't wait, RUN AWAY!!! BTW with conditions thAT bad CPS COULD step in and get in the way.

[Uncas]

I agree with BoxCar Willie. Let this be a lesson for everyone (reading this thread was for me) to always personally inspect a prospective house/apartment/condo/whatever, perhaps even professionally, before buying or renting!!

[JLynn35]

The animal smells will most likely never be gone, it sounds like all the rugs/flooring and subflooring would have to be replaced in order to be rid of the smells. Cat urine is the worst. Ferrets tend to like corners so if you find droppings in corners it could be from a ferret. Very sorry you have to go through something like this, I agree with previous posters, I'd find a new place to rent. This place is not worth risking the health of your family for.

[daydreamin71]

I'm sorry to hear you're going through this! You should definitely find a new place right away. I can't imagine the landlords will try to take you to court for the lease - they certainly did not negotiate with you in good faith. And even if they did, it isn't worth the risk to your health. Take the money you would have paid to further clean the place, and consult an attorney.

[Newdaawn]

I fyou don't leave this place NOW you will have many many months of aggrevation and unhappiness ahead. Don't ever expect that these people will be fair.

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Hey, first of all:

Merry Christmas!

Second, I'm sorry that it's like this for you on your first Christmas in Maine.

You have frost on the inside of your windows, you have a smell that is repugnant, the heat isn't working on the 2nd floor, you have spent an exorbitant amount of money and time to clean the place the best you could...

These people are taking advantage of you and as a tenant, YOU HAVE RIGHTS!

When the holidays are over, meaning, tomorrow!!!! get on the phone and contact a lawyer as well as look at this:

Rights of Tenants in Maine|Pine Tree Legal Assistance|Free legal help for people with low incomes

and this:

Tenant Rights, Laws and Protections: Maine

and this:

http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/...?id=27933&an=1

Specifically pay attention to item 4.

I hope you'll keep us up to date on how it's going but I also hope you really take the time to read all of this most especially the last link I gave you, item 4 which refers to the place must be HABITABLE meaning NO broken windows, no unhealthy situations, etc that were NOT caused by you.

I feel that they are going to try to pin all of this on you so please, document everything, keep all records of emails, photos, everything, get witnesses, get a lawyer ASAP, have that lawyer come out and look at the place, do everything in your power to protect yourself.

The very wording in their letter that they "can't do anything" about the last tenants is a red flag to me that they will try to pin it all on you. Do not let them do this!

In the meantime, I know it isn't fun and not easy, but you have got to find another place to live. This is unacceptable and I only see bad things on the horizon for you in this situation.

Best of luck to you!!

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by bsymom927

THIS IS THE RESPONSE I RECEIVED.... ($300 is half of the month's rent)

I will have .... address everything when he can get up there...Maybe we can just put P;astic on the outside until we can get the storms. I know they will have to be ordered. We just had that place energy inspected last winter ... that is why all the insulation was done in the basement. I will check with this company again on their report...why the windows weren't addressed?

I thought .... got the heat going in the upstairs? Will have him look at it again?

I am glad to have the pictures and wish I could do something with the last tenants but I can't.

Is there a disenfectant you can spray on the steps or a pet odor powder to help that. Lysol spray or something ...I will talk to .... about that too.

We are waiting for a return call from him...

Will you be able to deposit the $300 into our account today. It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, ....

I'm sorry that you've had such misfortune to be dealing with people who clearly don't care about anything but what's in it for them. That's a pretty pathetic response IMHO.

It's not your problem that they can't do anything about the last tenants. That was a total waste of a sentence.

Since you're asking for advice, I'd send them back a letter stating that

1. They've misrepresentated the degree to which the house is in squalor and long-distance ignorance is no excuse.

2. You are in consult with legal council because the house is not only a health hazard, it should probably be condemned.

3. They're not getting one thin dime more from you as you are apparently expected to live in a shack with plastic window coverings, and you have no intention of staying there at all much less cleaning up their last tenant's mess.

It's their responsibility to clean up after the previous tenants (or to pay for someone to do so) not yours.

Nothing makes me uglier than this kind of horsehockey (except when people like the previous tenants live like pigs in a rented house - that's equally as bad IMO).

I'm with MBM: Take the gloves off.

Good luck to you. I hope everything works out for you.

[bangorme]

I'm not sure what your options are, but my inlaws experiences with Pine Tree Legal have been pretty disappointing. I'm not saying you can't contact them, but I wouldn't count on much.

Money is here today and gone tomorrow. Your's is probably gone. Suing people out of state is very expensive, and the property doesn't sound like it is worth much more than your security deposit. I wonder if the property taxes are paid up? Many times these "landlords" don't have the money to keep the property and are just trying to get whatever they can before they lose it. Perhaps this is just one of those learning experiences that we all have that teach us to make better decisions in the future. I've got a couple I could post here.

First thing: don't pay anymore money to anyone for anything related to this property. It will be lost.

Second thing: try to find another place to live.

Third thing: stay where you are until you find it. It's fairly hard to evict people in Maine, and it will be even harder with the photos you have.

Fourth thing: learn from the experience and count your blessings when it's over.

Sorry you had to go through this.

[Three Wolves In Snow]

The problem with not paying them one thin dime is that according to tenants rights, for the tenant to have a chance at winning, they must be caught up on rent.