Boarded up my door??

I am a Nebraska resident, and I am just outraged at how my landlady is handling situations. Three days ago I called her about the bottom row of tiles in my bathtub. The tiles are protruding on the top portion of the row mentioned. Also, there is mold showing through the groute lines.

Landlady proceeded to ask me if I could spray some bleach on it. Ok, well I am a mother of two, and my house is ALWAYS clean. I clean my bathtub at least 3 times a week, and the mold is still visable (I explained all this to her). When the maintence man arrived he said he was here to fix the "mold issue," and all he did was put a line of caulk over the old lines to cover up the mold!!!

When I expressed my concerns to Landlady, she said she would send someone back out to fix the problem. Three days later, still mold around my babies! She also asked me about a burn spot on my back balcony porch, and for all I knew it had been like that when I moved in. Along with with ciggarette burns in my carpet, old ciggarettes in the window sills, no new paint, and a broken back door.

The straw that broke my back was when I came home from work today and MY BACK DOOR WAS BOARDED UP! No warning, no call, NOTHING! I don't see how it is legal for someone to board up one of my doors. Not only is it a fire hazard... a safety issue... overall, an invasion of a renter's rights! That back porch is in absolute HORRIBLE shape, but no one should have the right to do that without reasonable warning.

I found it funny that she could send someone out to nail down my door, but not to rid my bathtub of the mold. Any help on this?? I really feel like filing a civil lawsuit against her, and terminate my lease!

[OHlandlord]

You are seeing mildew between the grout lines on the tile, not mold. (Mold grows on items it can consume like drywall, carpet, or wood. Grout is concrete and sand and cannot be consumed by a living fungus such as mold.) This problem comes from lack of air circulation in the bathroom. A simple bottle of Tilex would have solved the mildew. Opening the door immediately after a bath or shower, running the bath fan at least 10 minutes after a bath or shower, or cracking the bath window for ventilation during the shower would help with the air circulation. While you may clean, without the proper air circulation, this mildew will continue to return. Get some Tilex or bleach and spray it regularly to keep it away.

Protruding tiles that are not broken are merely cosmetic in nature and do not affect the use of the tub. They could allow water behind them eventually (once the grout breaks or falls out) and that may cause a problem later. A smart LL would take action before this happens.

Did the LL give you any warning that she was coming to inspect the unit (the deck)? Nebraska requires one days' notice prior to entry. (They did enter to board up the door, didn't they?) A burn on the deck is serious. Surely you would have noticed it if it was there when you moved in? A burn mark on a wooden deck shows that the house could have caught on fire. Still, this is no reason to board up the door (but certainly is a reason for her to notice the mark). Is the deck unsafe? Structurally unsound? Did you ask why she boarded up the door? I'd call and ask why first. If there is no good reason for this, send a written letter asking her to unboard and return the door to its proper working order immediately as it is a safety hazard. Mail this certified, return receipt requested, and keep a copy. If she does not correct the situation within a couple weeks at most, call the city inspector or fire marshall. (Give her time to "repair" before you call the city or you may invalidate any claim you have against her for this.)

Your concerns are not yet serious enough to terminate your lease over. The mildew is not a habitability isue. You have no proof yet that she has broken a law/fire code/building code by boarding up the door. (If you have to call these people because she refuses to "repair", make sure to get a copy of the report saying she is in violation.) You do not yet have proof that she neglected to make necessary repairs. Do the above and post back what happens.