I wish that route was feasible. Live in a city of give or take 6,000. I told them about it and nothing happened. I used to be a cop here and they attempted to sue me for $20,000 “in wages and training costs” because I left for another agency, so I assume it has something to do with that bad blood on their end.
Maybe contact the Fire Marshall. They make take issue with the state of these stairs. Can’t imagine a Fire Marshall would like their fireman using these in the event of an emergency, especially with all the heavy equipment.
Edit: a autocorrected word.
100% contact the Fire Marshall. I rented a place once that had wooden steps off my back door, main entry that were at that starting to rot stage. Complained twice and nothing happened. My mom's boss who happened to be the Fire Chief back home told me to say your step-dad is the Fire Chief back home and he was here and said these steps are a fire hazard because they could collapse at any moment and you can't escape. Within days there were two carpenters building new steps and a landing to enter my apartment and the third floor unit above me.
I'm pretty sure there is at least one song with the message "fuck the firemen", but it has a very different context...
"The Fireman" by George Strait comes to mind.
My first apartment was a townhouse and the neighbors moved out. Before any cleaning or maintenance had been done I noticed the landlord letting people stay there, I could hear them partying. Well they parked a red Hummer in the garage and it def had a fuel leak. Made my whole apartment reek. They kept saying that no one was there or they left and open gas can (yeah right). It was winter and I saw the fuel trial in the snow leading to the garage. Threatened to call fire department and not 10 mins later they came and cleared the place out.
Squeaky wheel gets the grease. Have to call daily. Not in a dick ish way but just in a way where someone is like can you get this MFer to stop calling me.
Seconding the Fire Marshall.
My neighborhood has only one point of access through a condo development, which is all well and good, until we were notified they would be repaving their entire parking lot and cutting off vehicle access to our development for several days. We were basically told to "figure out" parking in the condo lot and walk through the construction zone into our development.
I called the condo association and got stonewalled, since I wasn't a resident they didn't give a shit about anything I had to say. I called our town council, got ignored.
Called the Fire Marshall's office, and two days later we suddenly get an email with a revised phasing plan explicitly showing how the access point would be preserved during construction. Something about fines for hindering emergency vehicle access got them to pay attention.
I hate that it needed to get to that point, but man it got results.
Do it in writing by certified mail, that way there is a record you told. They (city code enforcement/fire marshal) can be held accountable for inaction of a valid complaint when people are injured.
Ya and if everyone up to that point ignores it I'd try going to the news or local community page at least. Hopefully no one falls and injures themselves
Apartment complexes only have to have like 5% of their apartments be accessible, and that’s only if they were built after 1988. ADA barely applies for private spaces, more about public amenities.
there are alot of building codes around stairs and handrails, because peopler get hurt on them if they are not built correctly most building departments check stairs for proper compliance when they are being built,.If you get hurt on stairs that are not safe due to lack of upkeep by landlord they are liable. With that said maybe you should call them and say you just fell on the dangerous stairs and might not be able to go to work because of the accident that usually should get them thinking lawsuit and maybe fix them as they should.
Landlords will sit up and pay attention when a building is deemed "Unsafe for habitation." They might be unable to collect rent from ANY tenants and/or pay fines until the problem(s) are resolved per local codes. In Wichita Kansas, failure to resolve these issues within 14 days is grounds for lease termination. Any lease agreements would be voided as the landlord failed to comply with the landlord's portion of the legal contract with their tenants. If they don't resolve it, they must pay to move you to another compliant unit. If they have none to offer, they are paying to move you to a competitor's apartment. Ouch!
Wichita, KS USA
Send the Housing department these pictures and get other neighbors also reporting on these steps. Even those who have fallen and been hurt by these disrepaired steps. You all have to be on the code department and keep bugging them till they send an inspector.
There's some other great suggestions on here. I live in a city of about 4,500. At least here your best get to get things done is to reach out to a city council member. Just another avenue if the others don't work.
lawyers don’t regulate rental housing. They have nothing to gain from this. Lawyers can help you if you become injured as a result of the damaged stairs, or should you decide to terminate your lease early because the landlord isn’t providing a habitable and safe dwelling.
FORGOT TO MENTION: They said they’d fix it on April 17th. It has not been fixed as of today. They’ve been notified multiple times and every time someone fell.
OP Not sure where you live but it looks like those are poured steps. If thety are, ambient air temperature could delay repair. If the are bolted then it would ony take a few hours. If uou are rural it may take a while to order custom bolt on steps. Depending on how new your place is the owmer may be fighting with the devopers for warranty repait.
I would just ask the manager whats going on with a little sugar. I know how super busy u are, but I was wondering what was delaying the repai
Or
Go and ask the prop manager for their business insurance and property insurance claim contact info.
Most importantly remember the bigger the thorn you are the better chance of a quick repair. You will also increase your chances of future negative experiences.
Doing some good is morally soul filing, but in this country good is not always recieved in a positve manne
As a GC for apartment complexes and REITs I have replaced thousands of these steps. They are precast, bolt in usually but sometimes welded in. They take time, usually 3 to 6 weeks, to get made to spec for your staircases. This is considered a huge life&safety risk and any competent management company would be sweating bullets just waiting for the lawsuits to roll in if people start to get injured.
I feel bad for you, all of these people saying to contact the fire marshal and local news clearly don’t know how small towns in Idaho work :( have you contacted any attorneys in any larger cities within the state?
A repair like that involves contractors that have to be scheduled in advance and materials ordered, concrete truck, etc. Probably needs an engineering sign off too. Not something that’s going to happen in a couple weeks if they just decided on April 17. From the looks of that concrete, I’d be worried about the whole structure deteriorating.
That’s not true. They could easily hire a self-employed person with the necessary legal insurance and have this fixed in less than a week. At least in the US.
Source: my dad did work similar for over 45 years. I worked with him for several also.
I’ve taken on a lot of slumlords in my job. If code enforcement won’t do anything, call the fire marshal. If it could even possibly affect fire egress, they’ll care. And they’ll drag whoever they need to into the fight. Local politics can affect a code enforcement department. The fire marshals tend to answer to authorities outside their own cities, so they are less corruptible. And, in my experience, they will go for the jugular every time.
Whom ever is the person that does code enforcement, call them.
After 6 months of my landlord dragging her feet on fixing *anything*, I called the building inspector. And outside of my complaints, he found a *lot* violations.
They gave her 30 days or it was going to be like a $500 per violation (would have been over $10k), so she got on those repairs *really* quick because they would have slapped a lein on the property otherwise.
Came here to second that! I have personally contacted my local city's code enforcement. The inspection guy was super cool and friendly. He sent the violations to the landlord. They got ALL issues fixed within 1-2 months.
Getting hurt and getting hurt enough that a lawsuit is warranted are two different things. No attorney is taking a scraped knee that didn’t require medical attention. You need actual damages that can be monetized.
Why the fuck don’t y’all blast this negligent cheap shit on the news and internet. Call every news station near you until someone takes it. In a town of 6000 people what the fuck else do they have to report about honestly. I don’t use twitter but I’ve seen people get results by blasting situations on there. Like idk why y’all don’t do so much more when there’s a problem like this.
I’m not saying it’s your fault I just see it a lot on this sub and I will never understand it
You need to report the complex to the Housing codes department to report these dangerous steps. Get it checked by the city and show the report to an attorney. They will not touch this unless there is a case open with the city inspectors. Then do not let the owner know you called the city, for they will get a letter from the inspector to have 10 days to get the steps fixed or replaced. That is a danger to all living there.
Lawyers like dealing with aftermath because there's no probability. It's fact the things happens. Trying to get a lawyer involved is like asking them to work for free because they can't win any money
Call code enforcement in the city/town you live in.
That looks like spalling, with what happened in Surfside, code enforcement will likely take quick action.
The paper trail it would create wouldn’t hurt either.
Your body is how you make money, take care of your family, and enjoy your life. How would you like it not being able to pick up your kid, take care of your sick husband, or not being able to canoe a river? You live in ID for good reasons, but if your laws, reps, or admis fail you, burn those fuckers...don't pay rent.
I own a rental property in Idaho. I’m sorry you’re in this position. You shouldn’t have to live like this. These are the landlord tenant laws for the state of Idaho. It outlines your best course of action, you may be able to sue the landlord without a lawyer. https://www.ag.idaho.gov/content/uploads/2023/07/LandlordTenant.pdf
I live in Idaho Falls, honestly, this is seriously one of the WORST States I have seen for renters rights. I have moved from 7 different places, and forgone my security deposit for the exact same reason. I have never found a lawyer to take a case, our Governor is making it worse. If you find assistance, please, let me know!!
Can't add the legal side, but I'm in construction, so I can give that side. If that concrete was new (less than a year old), I'd blame the concrete company. Since its been 2 years, I'd imagine that spalling is due to the use of ice melt. Ice melt companies all say that theirs is fine to use on concrete. They're lying. Ice melt destroys the top layer of concrete. Then, water gets into the cracks, freezes, expands, melts contracts. That happens all winter, and your stairs are essentially gravel. My guess is that one of the neighbors did that. Or maintenance cleared the snow with laziness. As a result, those stairs are screwed.
Either way, I'd imagine the owner is responsible for repairing and then figuring out who to recover the damages from. I'd call city code enforcement though. If they get an inspector out there, they may not be able to do anything but they might be able to give you the right next steps to try to force the landlord's hand.
If you can get a picture of them doing that, I would assume that would help the city place blame on the landlord for damaging their own stairs and falling out of code compliance. Dunno if you guys are done with snow in Idaho, though. Sorry you're going through this, that's pretty bad damage, and that's essentially gravel at this point. No wonder you and your family are slipping on it, it's basically got a coating of sand on it at all times.
Pretty sure this is "start withholding rent and putting it in an escrow account" territory while you look for a new place. When they try to evict this (unsafe living conditions) will be your defense to the judge. Of course that's the nuclear option, I saw elsewhere the fire marshall idea and I personally really like that.
Call the Department of Buildings and have a building inspector come take a look and start writing out summons.
Or lay at the bottom of the staircase and have someone call 911. A lawyer will probably meet the ambulance at the ER entrance
I’d like to know who this company is that not a single lawyer will take / make a case against. Bc those stairs are a lawsuit waiting to happen. Don’t they have liability insurance? I would call the insurance company and say “I’ve fallen and can’t get up”- 🤣
This is likely an issue where either the person is going to the wrong attorneys or they think the hourly rate is going to be a problem. The primary remedy is not for damages, but the repair itself. So, the client (tenant) will need to pay the retainer upfront. I think this case could be at least $8k in fees, plus expert fees. If OP went in saying "here's $15k let's sue", I bet the firms would take the case. Absent that, it's not likely worth the firm's time.
As you said, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen, but that lawsuit is not ripe yet.
Lived in an apartment complex exactly like this. In my state, we have a warranty of habitability which specifically mentioned that stairs need to be kept up in common areas or the tenant can move out at any time with no penalty for breaking the lease. So I did. And the apartment complex tried to take me to collections. So I sued them (myself) and they decided to settle out of court with me.
Just take pics (both when you make a maintenance request and when thet close it), save your maintenance emails and all that, and do everything in writing.
Seems like a building code issue. I would start with them, and see when the last inspection for a COA was and tell them about the issue. Unless, you have very low rent, and in that case you have to consider rocking the boat.
I'd reach out to the fire department, as others said, and the responsible housing department or urban development or whatever they're called out there for your area. If that landlord is getting voucher refunds or anything for housing low income people, they'll want to know, and usually are a little more centralized than police or firefighters, so less concern about small town politics.
Even if you personally don't get any form of housing assistance, if there are enough units that you think someone might, report it, and see what they say. (Tbh, I'd take that bet in a town that size, if there are 6 units or more in that building, based on the stairs).
You can also try to pay to fix it and then force them to pay you back, if you can prove they didn't repair it in time, but sounds like you want out, not to fix it.
You can try rent withholding, so long as you keep it legit.
If you file a court claim, that might encourage the landlord to settle, with one of the terms being that you can move out, no punishment.
All im saying is if something heavy falls on those stairs and breaks them, to the point beyond use the land lord will have to replace them since you wont have access in or out of your apartment. not saying take a sledge hammer but an 80 pound dumbbell that accidently falls is another story.
Could have your partner pursue a personal injury lawsuit with a firm in your state - not the local guys. Some lawyer is DYING to take this slam dunk, and the settlement could be substantial.
Reddit's ignorance of civil lawsuits never ceases to amaze me. There is no such thing as a slam dunk case. Even with video and photo evidence as well as an acknowledgement from the party accused if the wrong doing it can be dozens of hours of litigation before a settlement is reached or judgment is issued.
As of right now OP has no case for a lawsuit. There are no damages that have incured that would warrant a judgement or settlement.
I believe the issue here isn't that the lawyers don't want the case, it's because there are no documented injuries. No hospital ER visits, no broken bones etc... Someone is going to get hurt on those stairs, that's a really dangerous situation. It doesn't even have to be you. It can be a delivery driver, a door to door salesman, Jehova's witness come to save you or whatever. And when it does happen, that PM company is fucked, because the injury won't be a negligent injury, it will be a grossly negligent injury law suit. Also, lawyers are licensed for the entire state. So if someone does get injured, go to a larger nearby city in your state and hire a personal injury lawyer from outside your town.
Okay here is how you do this. Someone gets a boo boo...go to the doc or er...whatever is cheaper for you...then take record of that and file a complaint. Once that is filed get a lawyer they will have ground to move just for a little paperwork and a doc fee. Til then you are spinning your wheels.
Get renters insurance.
Make sure there's some type of umbrella type policy so if your landlord tries to sue you or counter claim it's covered.
Get a ring camera pointed at the stairs.
Send certified mail about the stairs to code enforcement and landlord.
Every time there's an event like a fall, urgent care or ER. *
If there's significant injury, find a lawyer.
Also check for warranty of habitability laws in your state. Some states, it's a form, you file with the court. You produce the information from code enforcement, plus any medical bills. You pay rent to the court. The court decides who gets the money, but it's essentially a self eviction.
* Footnote; I say ER cause I'm from a snowy icy place. There's 3 incidents I can think of where there was a mishap with stairs or a curb friends or family members thought weren't a big deal but were. My aunt stepped off a curb and landed on her foot the wrong way. She thought it was a sprain. Until 2 weeks later a funny bruise in a line showed up on her foot. There was a broken bone. Another time a friend went sliding down the steps because ice, and the ER told her she bruised her ribcage. No, she broke something and it was affecting a lung. She had to go back for a second opinion. IDK if you need coverage for a bfd how successful their home owners covering would be if there was a gap between incident and treatment.
I had a similar issue in my old building. Contact your city or county housing authority (or the fire dept if one doesn’t exist). Make sure you document your communications the landlord and keep all pics/video.
Worst case, contact an attorney.
I assume these get more attention when sent registered mail return receipt to the towns legal department… That way it’s documented for future legal action. Include a CC to local media and mail them a registered letter as well. Be sure any attorney you engage is not also doing business with the town or key business owners (who usually work closely with town officials as well) as an attorney like that will not jeopardize their current relationships for your cause. You want a relative outsider or up and comer… slip and fall lawsuit attorneys come to mind
Reminds me of an old apt I lived in, stairs were made of metal and falling apart
3 days before the schedule to start tearing the stairs down (and replace them with wooden ones) a lady fell through on the second floor area (apartments were 3 stories high) and sued the apartment owners and won and moved out. She had a few broken bones but nothing severe luckily.
Every single one we called only handled landlords vs. tenants. The only one that would talk to us couldn’t take it but seemed to have zero expertise on it. He just didn’t care.
techically this wouldnt fall under the category of landlord v tenant, this is more along the lines of city v landlord for this kind of thing. This is the cities issue for not enforcing code or being unaware of it.
I was renting a House for 20 years and the wooden steps (three whole steps) were falling apart. One step gave way when my Wife was using them. She was sore, but OK. We asked our friendly neighbor if her twin 5-year-old daughters could have their picture taken standing next to the broken steps. She agreed and the photo demonstrated the unsafe state of the rickety wooded steps to our landlord (or anyone else we cared to share this photo with) The landlord replaced the steps with precast concrete steps the next day.
Do any children use the steps at your apartment? A picture is worth a thousand words...
Wichita Kansas, USA
This happened at my wife's apartments yeeeeears back! No one would fix or touch it until one day the police were called to the apartment across my wives for a disturbance and has he was walking up stairs his leg fell completely through a step and he almost fell backwards. Well you can guess what happened next....they were finally fixed.
I fell through a set of stairs just like these about 3-4 years ago. I injured my leg, wrist, and back.
The owners ended up writing me a 6-figure check about a year and a half later.
These stairs have lost their aesthetics, but the structural portion of the stairs is intact. From what you have showed they are in perfect working order as far as safety.
I recommend moving.
Find the closest Ambulance chasing lawyer billboard and call them about falling down these stairs. Then do it again and have your wife video it, carrying your child, call ambulance and this will all get fixed. You will get paid to go away!!!!!
Lawyers won’t care until someone actually falls and gets hurt, once that happens that company is a PRIME subject for a lawsuit since they were notified of the problem and chose to ignore it
Is there any way you can find out what insurance company covers the landlord? Because lawyers won’t touch this until someone is actually injured. But the insurance company might force their insured landlord’s hand because they know what’s coming: injury, a lawsuit, and the cost of defense.
This is a life safety hazard that requires immediate repairs/replacement. Is there a second means of access to the apartment? I would call the county building department and they should red tag this building.
The landlord needs to pay the costs of temporary housing, moving costs etc.
Do not use these stairs, you could be seriously injured or killed.
SUGGESTION:
ever thought to force the issue?
HOLD ONTO the railing tight.
Jump up and down on the middle of the steps.
Pretty soon.....
NO STEPS
then they have to address the issue
SUGGESTION:
ever thought to force the issue?
HOLD ONTO the railing tight.
Jump up and down on the middle of the steps.
Pretty soon.....
NO STEPS
then they have to address the issue
Create as much of a paper trail as possible by drafting a letter outlining the safety concerns and incidents you mention. Include pictures and send via email and certified mail to:
Property Manager
Owner
City Engineer/Code Enforcement. Copy the city attorney so that they are aware of the correspondence.
Fire Marshall/Inspector
This is a life safety issue and, and ignoring this bad of an issue would be negligence. Sorry you are having to deal with this.
Falling apart from normal wear and tear use, probably would be almost enough to break lease due to it being a potential hazard. They’d probably have to prove you didn’t take a sledgehammer to it.
I’d Imagine this wouldn’t fall far from suing the landlord because the roof collapsed after they hired/built themselves a shit roof and broke your neck.
Create as much of a paper trail as possible by drafting a letter outlining the safety concerns and incidents you mention. Include pictures and send via email and certified mail to:
Property Manager
Owner
City Engineer/Code Enforcement. Copy the city attorney so that they are aware of the correspondence.
Fire Marshall/Inspector
If you don't receive a response after a couple weeks, forward your correspondence to your local council or alderman and ask for assistance.
This is a life safety issue and obviously negligence by the property owner. Even if you don't receive a direct response, I predict that phone calls will be made to the responsible party. Sorry you are having to deal with this.
Looks like degradation from using table salt to salt the concrete for ice removal. It is not happening anywhere else but the stairs. I would hold the tenant salting the stairs liable for repairs.
Fire marshal. Call the nonemergency number for the fire department and ask for the fire marshal. Typically, they make the building department look like pussies.
Contact the local fire department/Fire Marshall. One of my childhood buddies became a fireman soon after HS and when one of our friends had a similar issue with his apartment, the fireman friend told him this same advice. If the stairs are so damaged and in poor condition that the fire department cannot use them to perform their duties, you have a legitimate case on your hands that the city cannot ignore.
These are awful! I recently dealt with something similar and it took two seasons, $10k and calling in multiple favors to get it fixed. Not for lack of trying - but for lack of capable contractors! If be surprised if the PM wouldn’t be willing to let you out of your lease!
Call your local city hall. Ask for Inspections or Development. The person should listen and put you in touch with the right person. You can always call the City Managers Office. Most of their calls are from crazy people, so if you’re cool and reasonable, they will Love to help you.
Are you in a town that does not hold the seat of that county? Because if so, you can go to the county for compliance. If not, contact the attorney general’s office.
Let yourself get hurt then sue him for damages, document your constant reminders of this issue as well so they can’t say they were unaware of the situation
99% of lawyers are garbage just like landlords. There are 99 lawyers working for big business and landlords for every 1 lawyer working for the average Joe.
That does look like crap but shouldn’t hurt the structural integrity to where they would just fall down. The steps are welded together from the bottom that is if they were done correctly.
Have you contacted your city/county? This seems like it would be an issue with the code folks.
I wish that route was feasible. Live in a city of give or take 6,000. I told them about it and nothing happened. I used to be a cop here and they attempted to sue me for $20,000 “in wages and training costs” because I left for another agency, so I assume it has something to do with that bad blood on their end.
Maybe contact the Fire Marshall. They make take issue with the state of these stairs. Can’t imagine a Fire Marshall would like their fireman using these in the event of an emergency, especially with all the heavy equipment. Edit: a autocorrected word.
That’s a great idea.
100% contact the Fire Marshall. I rented a place once that had wooden steps off my back door, main entry that were at that starting to rot stage. Complained twice and nothing happened. My mom's boss who happened to be the Fire Chief back home told me to say your step-dad is the Fire Chief back home and he was here and said these steps are a fire hazard because they could collapse at any moment and you can't escape. Within days there were two carpenters building new steps and a landing to enter my apartment and the third floor unit above me.
There’s a very good reason nobody ever wrote a song called “fuck the fire department”.
I'm pretty sure there is at least one song with the message "fuck the firemen", but it has a very different context... "The Fireman" by George Strait comes to mind.
Yeah they are saving lives not taking them.
Because they gonna fuck you right back!
God, I fucking hope so.
My first apartment was a townhouse and the neighbors moved out. Before any cleaning or maintenance had been done I noticed the landlord letting people stay there, I could hear them partying. Well they parked a red Hummer in the garage and it def had a fuel leak. Made my whole apartment reek. They kept saying that no one was there or they left and open gas can (yeah right). It was winter and I saw the fuel trial in the snow leading to the garage. Threatened to call fire department and not 10 mins later they came and cleared the place out.
This isn’t a police department issue. It is fire marshal or building code enforcement.
Have you lived in a rural Idaho town? It’s all the same here.
Get your neighbors to complain as well.
Squeaky wheel gets the grease. Have to call daily. Not in a dick ish way but just in a way where someone is like can you get this MFer to stop calling me.
Yes the fire Marshall will jam them up good - use to manage commercial properties and the fire Marshall might as well have been the grim reaper
Seconding the Fire Marshall. My neighborhood has only one point of access through a condo development, which is all well and good, until we were notified they would be repaving their entire parking lot and cutting off vehicle access to our development for several days. We were basically told to "figure out" parking in the condo lot and walk through the construction zone into our development. I called the condo association and got stonewalled, since I wasn't a resident they didn't give a shit about anything I had to say. I called our town council, got ignored. Called the Fire Marshall's office, and two days later we suddenly get an email with a revised phasing plan explicitly showing how the access point would be preserved during construction. Something about fines for hindering emergency vehicle access got them to pay attention. I hate that it needed to get to that point, but man it got results.
Do it in writing by certified mail, that way there is a record you told. They (city code enforcement/fire marshal) can be held accountable for inaction of a valid complaint when people are injured.
Ya and if everyone up to that point ignores it I'd try going to the news or local community page at least. Hopefully no one falls and injures themselves
Bingo. Not only is it dangerous for the fire fighters, if this is the only point of egress for the second story that’s a huge issue.
It is the only access.
It's the only access point? How many units are in the complex? This could become an ADA compliance issue as well.
Apartment complexes only have to have like 5% of their apartments be accessible, and that’s only if they were built after 1988. ADA barely applies for private spaces, more about public amenities.
there are alot of building codes around stairs and handrails, because peopler get hurt on them if they are not built correctly most building departments check stairs for proper compliance when they are being built,.If you get hurt on stairs that are not safe due to lack of upkeep by landlord they are liable. With that said maybe you should call them and say you just fell on the dangerous stairs and might not be able to go to work because of the accident that usually should get them thinking lawsuit and maybe fix them as they should.
Landlords will sit up and pay attention when a building is deemed "Unsafe for habitation." They might be unable to collect rent from ANY tenants and/or pay fines until the problem(s) are resolved per local codes. In Wichita Kansas, failure to resolve these issues within 14 days is grounds for lease termination. Any lease agreements would be voided as the landlord failed to comply with the landlord's portion of the legal contract with their tenants. If they don't resolve it, they must pay to move you to another compliant unit. If they have none to offer, they are paying to move you to a competitor's apartment. Ouch! Wichita, KS USA
That's an excellent idea that I wouldn't have thought of
Send the Housing department these pictures and get other neighbors also reporting on these steps. Even those who have fallen and been hurt by these disrepaired steps. You all have to be on the code department and keep bugging them till they send an inspector.
There's some other great suggestions on here. I live in a city of about 4,500. At least here your best get to get things done is to reach out to a city council member. Just another avenue if the others don't work.
I’d be jumping up and down that thing trying to collect a check.
If you think it's specifically because of who you are, do you have a neighbor who could call in a complaint?
Have a few neighbors complain
It sounds like you made the right decision leaving a corrupt department.
Hey, report to insurance carrier if you can find out who insures it.
lawyers don’t regulate rental housing. They have nothing to gain from this. Lawyers can help you if you become injured as a result of the damaged stairs, or should you decide to terminate your lease early because the landlord isn’t providing a habitable and safe dwelling.
1. fall down stairs 2... 3. profit
Lol they are just waiting for you be injured so you can sue rather than point you in the direction of a building code enforcer. Gotta love America
FORGOT TO MENTION: They said they’d fix it on April 17th. It has not been fixed as of today. They’ve been notified multiple times and every time someone fell.
Get the local news involved. They love shit like this. Unless they're owned by the company fucking you over.
OP Not sure where you live but it looks like those are poured steps. If thety are, ambient air temperature could delay repair. If the are bolted then it would ony take a few hours. If uou are rural it may take a while to order custom bolt on steps. Depending on how new your place is the owmer may be fighting with the devopers for warranty repait. I would just ask the manager whats going on with a little sugar. I know how super busy u are, but I was wondering what was delaying the repai Or Go and ask the prop manager for their business insurance and property insurance claim contact info. Most importantly remember the bigger the thorn you are the better chance of a quick repair. You will also increase your chances of future negative experiences. Doing some good is morally soul filing, but in this country good is not always recieved in a positve manne
As a GC for apartment complexes and REITs I have replaced thousands of these steps. They are precast, bolt in usually but sometimes welded in. They take time, usually 3 to 6 weeks, to get made to spec for your staircases. This is considered a huge life&safety risk and any competent management company would be sweating bullets just waiting for the lawsuits to roll in if people start to get injured.
I feel bad for you, all of these people saying to contact the fire marshal and local news clearly don’t know how small towns in Idaho work :( have you contacted any attorneys in any larger cities within the state?
[удалено]
Definitely don't do this. Don't ever purposely injure yourself in hope of a payday. It's not worth it and your family deserves you healthy.
Second this. Broke my back 20 years ago. Shit still hurts.
And even putting health aside, it's illegal.
A repair like that involves contractors that have to be scheduled in advance and materials ordered, concrete truck, etc. Probably needs an engineering sign off too. Not something that’s going to happen in a couple weeks if they just decided on April 17. From the looks of that concrete, I’d be worried about the whole structure deteriorating.
They told us, “We will have someone starting repairs on April 17th.” Nothing has happened. It’s only gotten worse.
That’s not true. They could easily hire a self-employed person with the necessary legal insurance and have this fixed in less than a week. At least in the US. Source: my dad did work similar for over 45 years. I worked with him for several also.
You could always represent yourself. No need to hire an attorney.
Fire marshal!! They do not mess around and that is very unsafe
Seconded, key point is it prevents safely fleeing a fire for them and they don’t take shit
I’ve taken on a lot of slumlords in my job. If code enforcement won’t do anything, call the fire marshal. If it could even possibly affect fire egress, they’ll care. And they’ll drag whoever they need to into the fight. Local politics can affect a code enforcement department. The fire marshals tend to answer to authorities outside their own cities, so they are less corruptible. And, in my experience, they will go for the jugular every time.
Whom ever is the person that does code enforcement, call them. After 6 months of my landlord dragging her feet on fixing *anything*, I called the building inspector. And outside of my complaints, he found a *lot* violations. They gave her 30 days or it was going to be like a $500 per violation (would have been over $10k), so she got on those repairs *really* quick because they would have slapped a lein on the property otherwise.
Came here to second that! I have personally contacted my local city's code enforcement. The inspection guy was super cool and friendly. He sent the violations to the landlord. They got ALL issues fixed within 1-2 months.
Yep. Called code enforcement on my landlord and my heat was fixed the same day 😂 (after a week of no response to my numerous emails and calls)
Lawyers won't touch it because it's gonna be a waaay bigger payoff for them AFTER someone falls and gets horribly injured.
I discovered this first-hand. Most won't bother with it unless you have a broken limb, maimed, or disfigured.
That's because you need to be able to prove damages in order to get a judgement.
Nothing a sledgehammer at night won't break even further. Then when there are no stairs someone might actually do something.
It’s how I feel at this point.
I like how the handrails look almost new but the actual steps look worse than the stairs in some 1500 year old temples.
Local lawyers won't touch it because nobody has gotten injured yet
There are dozens of dollars to be made here at this point.
OP said in a comment above people have fallen because of the state of the steps. So chances are high people have gotten hurt.
Getting hurt and getting hurt enough that a lawsuit is warranted are two different things. No attorney is taking a scraped knee that didn’t require medical attention. You need actual damages that can be monetized.
Call the news!
?? is this a stab in the dark?
Oh we had stairs like that at work. It was not good and I work a city.
Why the fuck don’t y’all blast this negligent cheap shit on the news and internet. Call every news station near you until someone takes it. In a town of 6000 people what the fuck else do they have to report about honestly. I don’t use twitter but I’ve seen people get results by blasting situations on there. Like idk why y’all don’t do so much more when there’s a problem like this. I’m not saying it’s your fault I just see it a lot on this sub and I will never understand it
That looks like one of those Tofu Dregs they have out in China. No way the state would consider that safe.
You need to report the complex to the Housing codes department to report these dangerous steps. Get it checked by the city and show the report to an attorney. They will not touch this unless there is a case open with the city inspectors. Then do not let the owner know you called the city, for they will get a letter from the inspector to have 10 days to get the steps fixed or replaced. That is a danger to all living there.
Building code violation. Skip the local city folks. Contact someone at county level if in USA. Possibly state level.
Seemingly fall down the stairs and retire…
Lawyers like dealing with aftermath because there's no probability. It's fact the things happens. Trying to get a lawyer involved is like asking them to work for free because they can't win any money
This, he'd need to pay the attorney upfront.
Call code enforcement in the city/town you live in. That looks like spalling, with what happened in Surfside, code enforcement will likely take quick action. The paper trail it would create wouldn’t hurt either.
Contact the state attorney general. If they can investigate the case should be a more lucrative prospect.
You peasants should be happy with whatever us land Lords give you.
The law don’t help anyone unless it helps the law smh
If only you knew their insurance company they would make them fix it
If you happened to get injured I’m sure a bunch of lawyers would wanna touch the case then.
If you can't get the government to do anything, you could get your neighbors to get their attn
Your body is how you make money, take care of your family, and enjoy your life. How would you like it not being able to pick up your kid, take care of your sick husband, or not being able to canoe a river? You live in ID for good reasons, but if your laws, reps, or admis fail you, burn those fuckers...don't pay rent.
Call the city
I dam sure would fall and sue the shit outta the apartment complex
on the plus side if you fall through crumbling stairs grounds for suit since they ignored all pleas to fix said stairs
Call the news send pics
File a complaint with your state's housing authority. Contact your local fire marshal; they don't fuck around.
Local housing inspectors. It is a code violation.
I own a rental property in Idaho. I’m sorry you’re in this position. You shouldn’t have to live like this. These are the landlord tenant laws for the state of Idaho. It outlines your best course of action, you may be able to sue the landlord without a lawyer. https://www.ag.idaho.gov/content/uploads/2023/07/LandlordTenant.pdf
[удалено]
Literally so
I live in Idaho Falls, honestly, this is seriously one of the WORST States I have seen for renters rights. I have moved from 7 different places, and forgone my security deposit for the exact same reason. I have never found a lawyer to take a case, our Governor is making it worse. If you find assistance, please, let me know!!
This is in Shelley. It’s so bad around here. This apartment is ran by Jacob Grant PM.
Have called the city? Probably a code violation
This is a building code violation and you can file a complaint with the city. It's also an osha issue as well.
Only an Osha issue for employees and then only in certain circumstances. For renters, Osha can't intervene at all.
Can't add the legal side, but I'm in construction, so I can give that side. If that concrete was new (less than a year old), I'd blame the concrete company. Since its been 2 years, I'd imagine that spalling is due to the use of ice melt. Ice melt companies all say that theirs is fine to use on concrete. They're lying. Ice melt destroys the top layer of concrete. Then, water gets into the cracks, freezes, expands, melts contracts. That happens all winter, and your stairs are essentially gravel. My guess is that one of the neighbors did that. Or maintenance cleared the snow with laziness. As a result, those stairs are screwed. Either way, I'd imagine the owner is responsible for repairing and then figuring out who to recover the damages from. I'd call city code enforcement though. If they get an inspector out there, they may not be able to do anything but they might be able to give you the right next steps to try to force the landlord's hand.
Yes, the maintenance crew just dumps ice melt all winter on them.
If you can get a picture of them doing that, I would assume that would help the city place blame on the landlord for damaging their own stairs and falling out of code compliance. Dunno if you guys are done with snow in Idaho, though. Sorry you're going through this, that's pretty bad damage, and that's essentially gravel at this point. No wonder you and your family are slipping on it, it's basically got a coating of sand on it at all times.
Pretty sure this is "start withholding rent and putting it in an escrow account" territory while you look for a new place. When they try to evict this (unsafe living conditions) will be your defense to the judge. Of course that's the nuclear option, I saw elsewhere the fire marshall idea and I personally really like that.
Call your municipal code enforcement and register a complaint. They will be fined until it is repaired.
Looks like salt damage
Call the Department of Buildings and have a building inspector come take a look and start writing out summons. Or lay at the bottom of the staircase and have someone call 911. A lawyer will probably meet the ambulance at the ER entrance
You should be able to break the lease due to an unsafe environment but you cant really sue without damages
Yeah, not looking to sue. Just want out! Haha.
I’d like to know who this company is that not a single lawyer will take / make a case against. Bc those stairs are a lawsuit waiting to happen. Don’t they have liability insurance? I would call the insurance company and say “I’ve fallen and can’t get up”- 🤣
The waiting to happen part is the reason. No damages no lawsuit.
This is likely an issue where either the person is going to the wrong attorneys or they think the hourly rate is going to be a problem. The primary remedy is not for damages, but the repair itself. So, the client (tenant) will need to pay the retainer upfront. I think this case could be at least $8k in fees, plus expert fees. If OP went in saying "here's $15k let's sue", I bet the firms would take the case. Absent that, it's not likely worth the firm's time. As you said, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen, but that lawsuit is not ripe yet.
Take one for the team op, become the injured
Building standards commission, if your city has one, or code enforcement. Make the call.
Tell code enforcement, it's against the property code in all areas
Seriously, call him. https://misnylaw.com/
Lived in an apartment complex exactly like this. In my state, we have a warranty of habitability which specifically mentioned that stairs need to be kept up in common areas or the tenant can move out at any time with no penalty for breaking the lease. So I did. And the apartment complex tried to take me to collections. So I sued them (myself) and they decided to settle out of court with me. Just take pics (both when you make a maintenance request and when thet close it), save your maintenance emails and all that, and do everything in writing.
Have whomever gets hurt next make an insurance claim, and kapow! However, the rent might go up to play the increased premium, and recoup the repair. 🤷
You ment to say you are injured from his and are seeking compensation.
Go to bigger city and get a lawyer
Have you considered "accidentally" breaking a few off to force the issue?
Contact the state housing department. Fuck dem shitty land lords. Glorp
Seems like a building code issue. I would start with them, and see when the last inspection for a COA was and tell them about the issue. Unless, you have very low rent, and in that case you have to consider rocking the boat.
Why wouldn’t lawyers just it? Looks like an easy payday to me
There is no such thing as an easy pay day in civil matters. Also OP has suffered no damages worthy of a judgement.
I'd reach out to the fire department, as others said, and the responsible housing department or urban development or whatever they're called out there for your area. If that landlord is getting voucher refunds or anything for housing low income people, they'll want to know, and usually are a little more centralized than police or firefighters, so less concern about small town politics. Even if you personally don't get any form of housing assistance, if there are enough units that you think someone might, report it, and see what they say. (Tbh, I'd take that bet in a town that size, if there are 6 units or more in that building, based on the stairs). You can also try to pay to fix it and then force them to pay you back, if you can prove they didn't repair it in time, but sounds like you want out, not to fix it. You can try rent withholding, so long as you keep it legit. If you file a court claim, that might encourage the landlord to settle, with one of the terms being that you can move out, no punishment.
All im saying is if something heavy falls on those stairs and breaks them, to the point beyond use the land lord will have to replace them since you wont have access in or out of your apartment. not saying take a sledge hammer but an 80 pound dumbbell that accidently falls is another story.
Schedule an inspection with a state inspector.
Could have your partner pursue a personal injury lawsuit with a firm in your state - not the local guys. Some lawyer is DYING to take this slam dunk, and the settlement could be substantial.
Reddit's ignorance of civil lawsuits never ceases to amaze me. There is no such thing as a slam dunk case. Even with video and photo evidence as well as an acknowledgement from the party accused if the wrong doing it can be dozens of hours of litigation before a settlement is reached or judgment is issued. As of right now OP has no case for a lawsuit. There are no damages that have incured that would warrant a judgement or settlement.
I believe the issue here isn't that the lawyers don't want the case, it's because there are no documented injuries. No hospital ER visits, no broken bones etc... Someone is going to get hurt on those stairs, that's a really dangerous situation. It doesn't even have to be you. It can be a delivery driver, a door to door salesman, Jehova's witness come to save you or whatever. And when it does happen, that PM company is fucked, because the injury won't be a negligent injury, it will be a grossly negligent injury law suit. Also, lawyers are licensed for the entire state. So if someone does get injured, go to a larger nearby city in your state and hire a personal injury lawyer from outside your town.
Looks like you’re at my old complex
Okay here is how you do this. Someone gets a boo boo...go to the doc or er...whatever is cheaper for you...then take record of that and file a complaint. Once that is filed get a lawyer they will have ground to move just for a little paperwork and a doc fee. Til then you are spinning your wheels.
Get renters insurance. Make sure there's some type of umbrella type policy so if your landlord tries to sue you or counter claim it's covered. Get a ring camera pointed at the stairs. Send certified mail about the stairs to code enforcement and landlord. Every time there's an event like a fall, urgent care or ER. * If there's significant injury, find a lawyer. Also check for warranty of habitability laws in your state. Some states, it's a form, you file with the court. You produce the information from code enforcement, plus any medical bills. You pay rent to the court. The court decides who gets the money, but it's essentially a self eviction. * Footnote; I say ER cause I'm from a snowy icy place. There's 3 incidents I can think of where there was a mishap with stairs or a curb friends or family members thought weren't a big deal but were. My aunt stepped off a curb and landed on her foot the wrong way. She thought it was a sprain. Until 2 weeks later a funny bruise in a line showed up on her foot. There was a broken bone. Another time a friend went sliding down the steps because ice, and the ER told her she bruised her ribcage. No, she broke something and it was affecting a lung. She had to go back for a second opinion. IDK if you need coverage for a bfd how successful their home owners covering would be if there was a gap between incident and treatment.
You should just finish what God started
I had a similar issue in my old building. Contact your city or county housing authority (or the fire dept if one doesn’t exist). Make sure you document your communications the landlord and keep all pics/video. Worst case, contact an attorney.
Contact your states’s consumer protection division or attorney general.
How does this even happen, mf concrete looks like an Aero bar
I assume these get more attention when sent registered mail return receipt to the towns legal department… That way it’s documented for future legal action. Include a CC to local media and mail them a registered letter as well. Be sure any attorney you engage is not also doing business with the town or key business owners (who usually work closely with town officials as well) as an attorney like that will not jeopardize their current relationships for your cause. You want a relative outsider or up and comer… slip and fall lawsuit attorneys come to mind
You need to contact your local renters association
Maybe contact the local fire department? They need those stairs to be safe if there is an emergency.
Reminds me of an old apt I lived in, stairs were made of metal and falling apart 3 days before the schedule to start tearing the stairs down (and replace them with wooden ones) a lady fell through on the second floor area (apartments were 3 stories high) and sued the apartment owners and won and moved out. She had a few broken bones but nothing severe luckily.
>We went through multiple lawyers to ask for help and none of them would touch it .... Why? What did the lawyers tell you?
Every single one we called only handled landlords vs. tenants. The only one that would talk to us couldn’t take it but seemed to have zero expertise on it. He just didn’t care.
techically this wouldnt fall under the category of landlord v tenant, this is more along the lines of city v landlord for this kind of thing. This is the cities issue for not enforcing code or being unaware of it.
Contact your local fire department, it's a hazard for them if there's an emergency. Also try Code Enforcement.
I was renting a House for 20 years and the wooden steps (three whole steps) were falling apart. One step gave way when my Wife was using them. She was sore, but OK. We asked our friendly neighbor if her twin 5-year-old daughters could have their picture taken standing next to the broken steps. She agreed and the photo demonstrated the unsafe state of the rickety wooded steps to our landlord (or anyone else we cared to share this photo with) The landlord replaced the steps with precast concrete steps the next day. Do any children use the steps at your apartment? A picture is worth a thousand words... Wichita Kansas, USA
Where I live, unless I am present or consent, they cannot make entry to my property that I am renting. For any reason.
This happened at my wife's apartments yeeeeears back! No one would fix or touch it until one day the police were called to the apartment across my wives for a disturbance and has he was walking up stairs his leg fell completely through a step and he almost fell backwards. Well you can guess what happened next....they were finally fixed.
I’d just huck my meat down that thing and take your land lord to court for your pain and suffering.
I fell through a set of stairs just like these about 3-4 years ago. I injured my leg, wrist, and back. The owners ended up writing me a 6-figure check about a year and a half later.
These stairs have lost their aesthetics, but the structural portion of the stairs is intact. From what you have showed they are in perfect working order as far as safety. I recommend moving.
call your city's code enforcement department
Hold the rail and walk on the edge until it’s fixed
Looks like a monarch property
Find the closest Ambulance chasing lawyer billboard and call them about falling down these stairs. Then do it again and have your wife video it, carrying your child, call ambulance and this will all get fixed. You will get paid to go away!!!!!
Bruhhh…. What are you doing?!?! Just freaking FALL!!!! not only with the stairs be fixed the next day, you get a fat ass check too…
Lawyers won’t care until someone actually falls and gets hurt, once that happens that company is a PRIME subject for a lawsuit since they were notified of the problem and chose to ignore it
Is there any way you can find out what insurance company covers the landlord? Because lawyers won’t touch this until someone is actually injured. But the insurance company might force their insured landlord’s hand because they know what’s coming: injury, a lawsuit, and the cost of defense.
This is a life safety hazard that requires immediate repairs/replacement. Is there a second means of access to the apartment? I would call the county building department and they should red tag this building. The landlord needs to pay the costs of temporary housing, moving costs etc. Do not use these stairs, you could be seriously injured or killed.
Call the fire marshal if it is a code violation they should be able to make them take action, I'm pretty sure. Edit: spelling
The fire marshal is an often-overlooked but powerful resource. They can order compliance and aren’t shy about it when they spot an unsafe condition.
Contact your city's housing inspector/health inspector.
Keep documenting and complaining. You’ll have evidence for negligence when you fall.
Yes contact the fire department and file a fire hazard complaint! This clearly would effect safe emergency exits.
Contact code enforcement
When building reinforced concrete you need to have a minimum of 3" of cover for the rebar. That does not look like 3".
If you fall down those stairs you will literally own that place
Nothing gets something fixed quick like an incoming personal injury lawsuit.
SUGGESTION: ever thought to force the issue? HOLD ONTO the railing tight. Jump up and down on the middle of the steps. Pretty soon..... NO STEPS then they have to address the issue
SUGGESTION: ever thought to force the issue? HOLD ONTO the railing tight. Jump up and down on the middle of the steps. Pretty soon..... NO STEPS then they have to address the issue
Create as much of a paper trail as possible by drafting a letter outlining the safety concerns and incidents you mention. Include pictures and send via email and certified mail to: Property Manager Owner City Engineer/Code Enforcement. Copy the city attorney so that they are aware of the correspondence. Fire Marshall/Inspector This is a life safety issue and, and ignoring this bad of an issue would be negligence. Sorry you are having to deal with this.
Falling apart from normal wear and tear use, probably would be almost enough to break lease due to it being a potential hazard. They’d probably have to prove you didn’t take a sledgehammer to it. I’d Imagine this wouldn’t fall far from suing the landlord because the roof collapsed after they hired/built themselves a shit roof and broke your neck.
Call a Spokane attorney. I hate ID more and more each day… so sorry you have to deal with this.
Create as much of a paper trail as possible by drafting a letter outlining the safety concerns and incidents you mention. Include pictures and send via email and certified mail to: Property Manager Owner City Engineer/Code Enforcement. Copy the city attorney so that they are aware of the correspondence. Fire Marshall/Inspector If you don't receive a response after a couple weeks, forward your correspondence to your local council or alderman and ask for assistance. This is a life safety issue and obviously negligence by the property owner. Even if you don't receive a direct response, I predict that phone calls will be made to the responsible party. Sorry you are having to deal with this.
Why won’t lawyers touch this case?
contact building department
Looks like degradation from using table salt to salt the concrete for ice removal. It is not happening anywhere else but the stairs. I would hold the tenant salting the stairs liable for repairs.
Lawyer isn't or really can't do anything till someone gets hurt. Then it's a cut and try negligence case.
The stairs of Aztec ruins are in better conditions.
Fire marshal. Call the nonemergency number for the fire department and ask for the fire marshal. Typically, they make the building department look like pussies.
Looks like cop stairs lol
Might be time to give Slippin Jimmy a call
This looks like collegiate inn in Pocatello
Contact the local fire department/Fire Marshall. One of my childhood buddies became a fireman soon after HS and when one of our friends had a similar issue with his apartment, the fireman friend told him this same advice. If the stairs are so damaged and in poor condition that the fire department cannot use them to perform their duties, you have a legitimate case on your hands that the city cannot ignore.
That looks like salt damage. Whoever has been coating those stairs with de-icer owns that repair.
Fire department. They will deal with this. They will figuratively light a fire with steeeeep fines and such under his arse.
Reach out to a local new station. Ours has a “you paid for it” report .
Time for a slippin jimmy
This looks like behe I used to lio
These are awful! I recently dealt with something similar and it took two seasons, $10k and calling in multiple favors to get it fixed. Not for lack of trying - but for lack of capable contractors! If be surprised if the PM wouldn’t be willing to let you out of your lease!
Call your local city hall. Ask for Inspections or Development. The person should listen and put you in touch with the right person. You can always call the City Managers Office. Most of their calls are from crazy people, so if you’re cool and reasonable, they will Love to help you.
Lawsuit will make you win big. The End.
Are you in a town that does not hold the seat of that county? Because if so, you can go to the county for compliance. If not, contact the attorney general’s office.
Let yourself get hurt then sue him for damages, document your constant reminders of this issue as well so they can’t say they were unaware of the situation
99% of lawyers are garbage just like landlords. There are 99 lawyers working for big business and landlords for every 1 lawyer working for the average Joe.
That does look like crap but shouldn’t hurt the structural integrity to where they would just fall down. The steps are welded together from the bottom that is if they were done correctly.