Imagine renting an apartment from a landlord who was too cheap and lazy to fix even really, really big problems, such as a sewage backup. Would you try to fix the issue yourself, move out, or get revenge?

In this story, one person is in this exact situation, and they end up finding a way to force the landlord to fix the issue.

Let’s read all about it.

Forced Lazy, Cheap Landlord to make Repairs by Involving the City Housing Inspector (New Jersey)

This happened a few years ago in the suburb of an NJ college town. There was a HUGE sewage backup into my basement apartment and my landlord was disinclined to do anything about it.

It was quite disgusting with human waste lodged on the carpet and hepatitis was a possibility, though not a certainty.

Obviously, professionals needed to be called.

My landlord did not think so. It had taken him six months to fix a leak above my kitchen sink, so I had very low expectations of any action on his part due to a sewage back-up.

OP could no longer live there.

By this time, I can’t use the apartment at all due to the smell (he told me the smell was due to my cat’s litterbox)

Really? Then why is the ENTIRE CARPET WET?

Now, this method is only to be used when an apartment becomes unlivable because the housing inspector can deem a building too hazardous to occupy and kick you out. Then it requires a certificate of occupancy to become rentable again, meanwhile you’re homeless.

Only do this if you have a place where you can stay for a few days/weeks/months.

OP got the housing inspector involved.

I was ready for constructive eviction because there was no point in staying – the apartment reeked and my landlord refused to do anything except continue collecting my rent or sue me if I moved out prior to the end of my lease.

The housing inspector shook his head when he checked the rooms and filed the necessary paperwork to force the landlord to fix the unit within a week.

My landlord was LIVID! “WHY DID YOU HAVE TO INVOLVE THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT???” he whined.

OP had very good reasons to be upset.

Well, dummy, it was two weeks since the basement flooded WITH RAW SEWAGE and you weren’t going to do jack to fix it.

I completely lost my temper because there was actual SEWAGE IN MY LIVING ROOM!

“Just fix it!” I snapped, “and all this goes away! I wouldn’t have had to call the city if you had just fixed it when I asked you to!”

Finally, the landlord did something about it.

He did and I skipped paying my last month’s rent (sent him a certified letter saying that the security was in lieu of the last month’s rent with a copy of the Housing Inspector paperwork.)

I knew he was the type to try and screw me over in court so I wanted to let him know what he was in for if he did.

I never heard from him again.

Hepatitis tests ALL NEGATIVE! Yay me!

What an awful living situation! I’m glad OP got the housing inspector involved.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this situation.

This person was in a similar situation.

One person shares their favorite part.

Another person shares a similar situation.

Yet another person was in a similar situation.

This was a situation the landlord shouldn’t have ignored.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a landlord who wants their tenant to pay the whole electric bill because he runs the a/c “constantly.”