Hi everyone. So I am writing this, not knowing much about real estate law or landlord/tenant law(s). Here's a little background on the situation:
Last April, my two roommates and I rented a property in eastern PA from a company (that I now know goes by many names) named WRI Property Management. Things were bad from the very beginning, but this being my first time renting, I really did not know any better. There was a total lack of communication between the company and myself and my roommates. Their reviews are HORRENDOUS. Do a little googling and see for yourself.
About two months into living in the house is when the maintenance issues started happening. We had everything from bugs to water damaged walls, sewage in the basement, power outages and mold. The property management company was pretty much useless when it came to resolving any of this. By September, I had had enough and left. My two roommates remained in the house and I continued to pay them my share of the rent until April of this year when the first lease was up.
Just the other day, I got a text from my ex-roommate telling me that she had the city health inspector at the place because of ongoing issues (mold, collapsed ceiling, sewage leaking into the kitchen) none of which were fixed by the property management company. She said the health inspector also informed her that the home **never actually passes inspection*** and was rented to us ***illegally***. She told me that they terminated the lease and are now looking to pursue legal action.
My main question is, do we have enough grounds to sue for our rent money that we paid? And how do we begin the process? Who should we talk to in terms of lawyers, etc. and how much would this cost? This past year has been a year from hell, so any advice or help would be much appreciated.
Last April, my two roommates and I rented a property in eastern PA from a company (that I now know goes by many names) named WRI Property Management. Things were bad from the very beginning, but this being my first time renting, I really did not know any better. There was a total lack of communication between the company and myself and my roommates. Their reviews are HORRENDOUS. Do a little googling and see for yourself.
About two months into living in the house is when the maintenance issues started happening. We had everything from bugs to water damaged walls, sewage in the basement, power outages and mold. The property management company was pretty much useless when it came to resolving any of this. By September, I had had enough and left. My two roommates remained in the house and I continued to pay them my share of the rent until April of this year when the first lease was up.
Just the other day, I got a text from my ex-roommate telling me that she had the city health inspector at the place because of ongoing issues (mold, collapsed ceiling, sewage leaking into the kitchen) none of which were fixed by the property management company. She said the health inspector also informed her that the home **never actually passes inspection*** and was rented to us ***illegally***. She told me that they terminated the lease and are now looking to pursue legal action.
My main question is, do we have enough grounds to sue for our rent money that we paid? And how do we begin the process? Who should we talk to in terms of lawyers, etc. and how much would this cost? This past year has been a year from hell, so any advice or help would be much appreciated.
