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Need help, please.

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Need help, please.

Postby staceyvl » Mon Oct 21, 2002 2:55 am

Hello. My husband and I moved to New York three weeks ago, and are not very familiar with renter's rights, etc (we came form Austin -there AREN'T any in Texas). We live on the bottom floor of a three floor walk-up. Tonight we came home to find nasty brown water streaming out of the bathroom light fixture. We determined that the upstairs neighbors left a faucet on, but they didn't answer our many knocks, calls and doorbell rings. We didn't have their phone number, and our landlord is out of town, and not answering his cell phone (this was at 1am). Then the water starting getting worse, the whole bathroom ceiling was bulging, and water began dripping straight through the kitchen ceiling. Finally, Lucas, my husband, climbed up the fire escape and crawled in through their window with the intention of turning off whatever was on. Turned out: their toilet was flooding, and they were home the whole time, but somehow didn't hear us. So . . . not only is it water, it's toilet or maybe sewage? water, it has completely logged the bathroom and kitchen ceilings (their toilet has been turned off for 30 minutes and our apartment is still vigorously dripping), and I'm really concerned about that water causing mold growth in the windowless bathroom ( I have allergies), and don't know how concerned I should be about the water being from a sewage pipe, or something like that. What should we ask our landlord to do? What kind of company could look at it and determine if it is unsafe? And somehow fix it? Obviously I have ideas but am very unclear about specifics. Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Stacey
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Re: Need help, please.

Postby Cranky Tenant » Mon Oct 21, 2002 1:21 pm

Though I wouldn't want to drink it, water that flows into a toilet and causes it it overflo is relatively clean. It's that stuff that flushes out the bottom that you don't want to deal with.

Your first step should be to contact the LL regarding repairs. In the meantime I'd suggest that your husband avoid breaking into apartments at 1 am because there's a leak, Some people might have him charged with breaking and entering. Others might shoot first and ask questions later.
I'm a cranky tenant NOT a cranky lawyer.
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