Landlord won't replace carpet

[Lorena Jean]

Jurisdiction

Washington

Hi there.
I'm trying to get information to help my current situation. My family and I just move into a hopelink property as permanent renters. We were not allowed to do a walk-through until after we signed the rental agreement or they said they would have to give the apartment to someone else. When we got the keys to the apartment it was dirty inside almost everywhere. To our surprise we found that there we're cockroaches downstairs and upstairs and bed bug upstairs. The carpet is extremely dirty to the point where your feet turn black after walking from your bedroom to the downstairs in the bathroom linoleum turns black and the carpet as well. The carpet looks like it has been here since the building was built. Nearest food stain and hard spot all over the carpet. And every single door frame upstairs has water damage on the bottom part. Hopelink is a nonprofit organization so they say because they are non-profit they will not replace the carpet. I could vacuum it a hundred times and it will still fill my vacuum. Hopelink had told us that they had replace the carpet before we had moved in but when their maintenance man came in to examine the carpet they said that they did not replace the carpet but it could use another once-over on cleaning it. Haven't 8 month old son that's learning to crawl and three daughters since we've moved here we have all percentage signs of what seems to be asthma. What is harder to bring it upstairs constantly coughing and wheezing. As if we all have never ending colds. All of the Neighbors in this building said that the people living in the apartment we are in before us we're extremely dirty and that hopelink took 3 months to clean it. All I want is my carpet replaced so that my son has a safe clean environment to learn to crawl and to not have to tell my three daughters to not sit on the carpet. I am not sure what my rights are but are living condition right now is not ok.

If anybody has any information that could help us I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[army judge]

Contact the city building inspection department and the city or county health department. You may have a bigger problem than you imagine. Do it today.

Also contact social services and ask them if they'll inspect your home.

Contact the tv stations and local newspaper to see if they'll do a story on your plight.

 

[adjusterjack]

We were not allowed to do a walk-through until after we signed the rental agreement or they said they would have to give the apartment to someone else.

As a practical matter you have no rights. You effectively waived them all by accepting the apartment under those terms without inspecting.

I can't imagine what would possess anybody to do that, though I am sure you thought you had good reason to at the time.

Sure, you can do all the things that Army Judge suggests, but I doubt that anything will change.

 

[mightymoose]

You can always walk away. Find a place better for your health abs for your children. There would be an expense for breaking a lease agreement, but you are not trapped. You can leave whenever you want.