New Jersey
I had a 12 month lease in a large apartment community. Management owns several apartment complexes throughout the state. I am a single mother of a 2 year old with massive allergies and severe asthma. Our lease began in November, in April we began to experience bug bites in the home. I confronted management who told me that mosquitos have been an issue and that they are getting in through the screens. In June, the bugs were so bad and numerous that i was able to see that these were fleas. I lived on the top floor of a two story building. The first floor is occupied by a very old, lonely, sweet, lady that feeds stray cats. I confronted management through an email asking that they resolve the flea infestation in the house. They sent someone over to exterminate. At this time I had not been able to live in the home for two weeks. Two days after we came back home the fleas had reappeared and we had to leave, 12 days later, after another extermination... paying for anything made of cloth in the house to be cleaned for a second time, we moved back in. 9 cats still outside, still being fed. My father and I decided to have a chat with the department of health and animal control. Animal control agreed to provide management with traps to catch the cats, but said that it wasn't their responsibility to catch the animals, it was managements responsibility. The health department sent a representative to view the home and surrounding areas but management would not let the rep into the complex to view my apartment since no one was home. I wasn't home because the apartment was unlivable. I had 3 different professional companies come in and provide reports and quotes and opinions as to the situations going on in the house. receipts, pictures, and email correspondence is also available. I haven't lived there since July1 but i have continued to pay rent. They have let me out of my lease early. But took my security deposit, took rent for all the months that I COULDN'T live there, they refused to catch the stray cats and I would like not only my security deposit back, but my rent for August and September back as well. A lawyer that i met with thinks i have a good case but warned me that the amount of money i am asking for is what he'd charge me to go to court so i should fight it on my own. I plan to sue for other damages as I was pregnant and lost the baby during this time, my son's health was affected, stress. It was a horrible time in my life and since then I have no where to live with my child then my parents couch. I have to pay every month for storage. it has inconvenienced my life, my family, my health, my job, my schooling. EVERYTHING... how do i win this against them?
I had a 12 month lease in a large apartment community. Management owns several apartment complexes throughout the state. I am a single mother of a 2 year old with massive allergies and severe asthma. Our lease began in November, in April we began to experience bug bites in the home. I confronted management who told me that mosquitos have been an issue and that they are getting in through the screens. In June, the bugs were so bad and numerous that i was able to see that these were fleas. I lived on the top floor of a two story building. The first floor is occupied by a very old, lonely, sweet, lady that feeds stray cats. I confronted management through an email asking that they resolve the flea infestation in the house. They sent someone over to exterminate. At this time I had not been able to live in the home for two weeks. Two days after we came back home the fleas had reappeared and we had to leave, 12 days later, after another extermination... paying for anything made of cloth in the house to be cleaned for a second time, we moved back in. 9 cats still outside, still being fed. My father and I decided to have a chat with the department of health and animal control. Animal control agreed to provide management with traps to catch the cats, but said that it wasn't their responsibility to catch the animals, it was managements responsibility. The health department sent a representative to view the home and surrounding areas but management would not let the rep into the complex to view my apartment since no one was home. I wasn't home because the apartment was unlivable. I had 3 different professional companies come in and provide reports and quotes and opinions as to the situations going on in the house. receipts, pictures, and email correspondence is also available. I haven't lived there since July1 but i have continued to pay rent. They have let me out of my lease early. But took my security deposit, took rent for all the months that I COULDN'T live there, they refused to catch the stray cats and I would like not only my security deposit back, but my rent for August and September back as well. A lawyer that i met with thinks i have a good case but warned me that the amount of money i am asking for is what he'd charge me to go to court so i should fight it on my own. I plan to sue for other damages as I was pregnant and lost the baby during this time, my son's health was affected, stress. It was a horrible time in my life and since then I have no where to live with my child then my parents couch. I have to pay every month for storage. it has inconvenienced my life, my family, my health, my job, my schooling. EVERYTHING... how do i win this against them?