Good Day Everyone!
I am a 48 turning 49 year old in a few weeks and was diagnosed with moderate persistent asthma in July 2021. How I became asthmatic(COPD) is a very sad story to tell. In October 2020, I transferred from one apartment unit to another in the same apartment community because the person that moved above me caused a lot of disturbance and when I complained to the property management company, they we’re not neutral to the situation and we’re accommodating to the new resident taking their side. They gave me the option to transfer into another unit in the same community. The property management company had been treating me adversely and have no real logical reason to explain why they are doing this to me. I pay my rent on time, have no complaints against me by other residents, and a tenant in good standing…very clean and keep the unit that I dwell in in excellent condition. I requested to inspect the unit prior to move in and also asked for the keys the evening before and they refused to allow me to do so. They told me that I couldn’t get the keys until day of move in when they open. So I had to wait on them on move in day to get the key. When I walked into the unit, I immediately smelled cat urine. I walked into the bedroom and noticed that the carpet wasn’t replaced and it was extremely musty. I walked back down to the management office to let them know about the condition of the unit and the leasing consultant denied what I was telling her and told me that what I was smelling was outside my unit and from the hallway. The unit that I was transferring from hadn’t been rented out until 2 months later. If the property management company wanted to do the right thing by me, they would have allowed me to stay in my current unit and properly clean the unit I was transferring into. While the moving company was moving my belongings into the unit I was moving into, he told me that he smelled cat urine and said that he was very familiar with the smell because his old girlfriend had cats. He thought it was a shame that the unit was in that condition. I started to find cat hair everywhere. I immediately started getting sick with a lot of eye,nasal passage throat bring. I also had persistent sneezing. I talked with my primary doctor to inform him of my condition and he referred me to see a allergist. I went to a allergist and she examined me and did testing and concluded that I was allergic to cats and immediately put me on a inhaler with instructions on usage. Because I was scheduled to have 2 surgeries(uterine fibroid embolization/Total hysterectomy) unrelated to my asthma, the doctor wanted me to follow up post surgeries for evaluation and testing. I followed up with the doctor and I was examined. A spiral test was performed and it concluded that I was breathing at 70% and was immediately given a nebulizer treatment in the office. The doctor referred me to a pulmonologist for a evaluation for possible asthma. Fast forward I have been diagnosed with asthma, currently taking Spiriva, Symbicort and taking Fluticasone nasal spray. I have done every thing to get this property management company to do the right thing. I have even requested a permanent disability reasonable accommodation to properly remediate the unit and they have denied it and not acknowledging my disability.
I talked with my doctor and he want me to get out of the unit because it is going to be the death of me. I have decided that I can’t risk moving into another unit wether I’m renting or purchasing and looking for a new construction home. I am planning on suing the property management company for negligence and permanently disabling me. The most terrible thing about this is that the state that I reside in is not overseeing real estate transactions with property management companies. Their is no oversight, regulation nor insuring that they are following all laws concerning rental properties and tenants. A lot of my rights have been violate besides the Americans Disabilities Act.
What do you all think about my situation