who to call for housing issues?

[borgin.livejournal.com]

I'm sure that this has come up before but it might be worth having a newer post. I live in a building that is experiencing some leaking issues, and I'm not sure who to call in the city if we can't get anywhere with our landlord about this (while having him fix the issue without a third party would be preferable, I'm not sure that he would do it). It seems to be a problem that is affecting multiple tenants.

Thank you!

Comments

[mytheria.livejournal.com]

Several years ago, I had an issue with a landlord. The Cambridge Consumer's Council was an awesome help (they cover Somerville too).

The other place to look is: Somerville Inspectional Services (http://www.somervillema.gov/departments/ospcd/isd/health-division) They're the ones who can issue tickets/fines to force landlords to do repairs.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

ditto the inspectional services folks; that's what they're supposed to be doing.

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised the landlord wouldn't want to fix a leak in the building, given the damage that leaks can cause. Did you document the leaks (location, when they happen etc.) and send pictures and relevant information on to the landlord? You will probably want concrete documentation of multiple attempts to get this fixed as well as documentation of letters sent etc. for any outside agency to get involved. This will make it easier for you if you need to involve an outside agency and you can also put the landlord on notice if nothing is fixed.

[borgin.livejournal.com]

thanks for the tip - we just noticed the leak yesterday (but it likely started earlier without us noticing) and have told the super twice and he hasn't done anything yet. I believe that the landlord has been notified but only by voicemail. I spoke to another tenant who is affected and she said she had been in contact with the landlord, but I'm not sure how long she has been affected and when she notified him. There are various reasons why I think he might not be responsive; I'm just trying to be proactive in case it needs to be escalated. Documenting sounds like a good idea.

I had a leak in a prior apartment and the landlord was super responsive and apologetic that she couldn't do anything until it stopped raining (understandable!) - this landlord is the complete opposite.

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

No problem. I think in these cases the more you can look like the responsible harmed party with all your t's crossed etc. the better/easier it'll be for you if/when things need to escalate.

I used to have an absentee landlord and a terrible management company, and the rule for me was call three times (document each time) then say I was going to fix it and take it out of the rent. The management company didn't want the landlord to know they were shirking responsibility, so the threat worked every time.

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

Curious how progress has been on getting the problems fixed? I ask as a home owner but also having a another unit its hard to comprehend letting something go like this as it would affect the entire property and structure