Slumlord on my hands...

So when I first looked at this apartment, I noticed it was old and not pretty, but it would do. We saw a few things that needed to be fixed before we moved in and asked them if they were going to do some work before we did so. They said yes, that we would need to wait a few days before we move in due to them working on it. Few days passed and we got the clear to move in.
First thing I noticed was that the carpets had not even been vacuumed. I was expecting them to shampoo the carpets between tenants. I shrugged that off and continued moving. Then I noticed all the other things that had not been fixed:
*shower doors have broken tracks, so they don't close all the way and water gets out during a shower
*all bedroom and bathroom doors do not shut all the way, seem to be wedged
*large window open about 3 inches that will not close
*only two cable outlets work in entire apartment (cable is included in our rent)
*air conditioner doesn't even have a filter in it
*no bathroom floor downstairs, only chunks of sheet rock screwed down
*shaky banister upstairs loft
*no lights outside (we have to walk up two flights of stairs in the dark)
*broken smoke detectors upstairs and downstairs

I notified them of these things and for the first month they did nothing. For the second month they did nothing. My roommate got a huge suction cup and got the window closed finally. The third month rolled around and I finally let them know that I was getting really upset with nothing getting done. They sent maintenance.
He fixed our lights outside. I'm happy that I'm not afraid of getting mugged now.
He attempted to fix our doors, but they just stripped them more and now some doors we have to hold shut by setting something heavy in front of it. Some of the doors still just wedge.
Regarding our shaky banister, he said "just don't lean on it." (I got ticked about that and called and told them that was in no way safe. They came back and jerry rigged some screws in it. It is still just as shaky as before)
We were told that the floor guy was supposed to come the next week to do the bathroom floor. He never came.
Now here we are, stuck in this lease and don't know what to do because we don't consider our situation livable. Any advice?

[sandyclaus]

My first comment is that you should never have moved in until you knew the property was safe and in livable condition. The LL's responsible for providing this, and once you moved in, he can claim that you accepted the property in the poor condition you state it's in. Essentially, that's what you did, based upon claims that he was "going to fix things". Unless you got that in writing, you have no proof or guarantee that he would make those repairs.

Now that you are in the place, your next best option is to call in the building and safety inspectors with your city or county. Things you have mentioned have significant safety implications. If they inspect the property and cite him for deficiencies, then the LL MUST repair. At the same time, you need to make a list of these deficiencies and send them in a letter to the LL (CERTIFIED, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED) to put him on notice that you expect the repairs done IMMEDIATELY.

I don't know where you live, but depending on your state law or local ordinances, the LL must make repairs that affect habitability within a reasonable period (anywhere from 24 hrs to 30 days, depending on the severity of the issue) or you may be able to withhold rent until they do so. Failure to repair can also give you justification to break your lease without penalty.

Start here and see how this works out for you.

I have to agree with sc. Why didn't you reinspect and refuse to move in when these things hadn't been fixed? That would have been the thing to do.

As for the repairs listed, not all of them need fixed. Some do, some don't.

*shower doors have broken tracks, so they don't close all the way and water gets out during a shower
-You can hang a shower curtain easily enough with a tension bar. Most showers don't have doors.
*all bedroom and bathroom doors do not shut all the way, seem to be wedged
-Seems they came and probably sanded or rasped these and now they're loose. But they don't latch. The house has settled and the latch no longer meets the strike plate. Happens all the time on older buildings. Look at it carefully when it closes and you'll see the strike plate needs to move up or down. Unscrew it and adjust it to where it will catch, then re-screw it in. It'll take you 5 minutes and will fix the problem without waiting on the LL to do it. (Save you the hassle!) If you don't know how, put this on the letter.
*large window open about 3 inches that will not close
-You got this closed.
*only two cable outlets work in entire apartment (cable is included in our rent)
-No law on the number of cable outlets required. Run cables around the edges of walls to where you need them. You have working cable outlets as required.
*air conditioner doesn't even have a filter in it
-This is simple maintenance and may be your responsibility to replace. Check your lease. Like smoke detector batteries and burnt out light bulbs, replacing furnace & AC filters might be your job.
*no bathroom floor downstairs, only chunks of sheet rock screwed down
-This definitely needs repaired. You need a floor of some kind - sheet linoleum, vinyl, something. Put this on the letter.
*shaky banister upstairs loft
-These need fixed so they are stable and solid. Put this on the letter.
*no lights outside (we have to walk up two flights of stairs in the dark)
-Fortunately this has already been repaired.
*broken smoke detectors upstairs and downstairs
-Both??? Are they broken or do they need new batteries? Check the batteries. Check the breakers (if they are wired in.) If they still won't work after you replace the batteries, put them on the list. You need smoke detectors!

Only the last few items require repair and only the floor may be considered a habitability issue. The smoke detectors and railing would be covered by housing codes, no doubt.

you are a renter and repairing those things shouldnt be your responsbility and if you would have refused to move in from the start you would have appeared to be unreasonable and impatient not to mention you were probably giving the LL the opportunity to fix it and trusting the situation, good people always get "bit in the butt" sorta speak, you have to always be thinking of what the bad guy might or might not do next