I currently live in a village outside of Madison, WI. I have been living in the condo I rented for about 8 months now. In the early spring I had issues with my bedroom window leaking through the trim, which caused damage to the drywall and saturated part of the carpet. They stated they didn't know what was causing the issue. It finally stopped after about a week. Then about two months later, I had leaking in the master bathroom. It leaked from the vent, around the door trim and from the ceiling itself. There is a large water mark and crack in the ceiling. The builder stated that they have fixed the issue. However, I am concerned, how do I know there isn't any mold growing behind both areas?

Hello m:

You hire an inspector to find out. It appears that your landlord has addressed your complaints, so HE didn't do anything wrong.

excon

The bathroom leaked again in four different spots even though the Landlord stated that the issue had been fixed. Do I have any rights?

Hello again, m:

Yes, you do have rights. You can read them yourself right at the top of the real estate page in a sticky note. We have ALL the state laws there. But, they ARE different. Read yours to get your specific information..

But, in general, the landlord needs to have an opportunity to fix any problems. It looked like he did, that's why I said he did nothing wrong. However, if those repairs aren't working, you need go back to square one. That means you need to DOCUMENT your complaints, and his refusal to address them, and/or why it doesn't get addressed.

You may have the right to get it fixed on your own and deduct it from the rent. But, that's only after he's had adequate time to fix it himself...

I'm not talking about past. If you have NOTHING documented, then you can't prove anything in court... That's why you need to start the paper trail all over again. You need to act with the idea in mind, that a judge is going to review the situation.

However, at this point instead of asking for rights. Call him up and complain again. He doesn't want his place damaged any more than you do.

excon