Landlord Refused to Send Plumber for Sewage Flood for 39 Hours Because He Didn't Want to Pay Weekend Rates — Now I Need a Lawyer
Hi, I'm reaching out because I'm widowed and honestly don't have anyone to guide me through this mess. I need help finding a lawyer and I'm not sure where to start.
Here's what happened:
Saturday, July 29 at 7pm: I discovered raw sewage had backed up into the basement bathroom. I immediately emailed my landlord with photos and video and then called him. He said he would get a plumber asap.
Sunday, July 30 at 10:30am: No news and nobody had shown up. I emailed and then called. He says he t old me he was "working on it."
Sunday around noon: Sewage water is flooding into my son's bedroom now. I call again in tears. He says he's driving and will "make calls later."
Sunday evening: H called and said he tried to call 'his guy' in the morning, but didn't get a call back and admitted he didn't try calling any other plumber. He told me to try to call a few plumbers and if I can find someone to come out for a 'few hundred dollars' to connect them with him. I had to book an Airbnb to sleep the night because the air inside our unit was so bad.
Monday, July 31 at 10am (39 hours later): Roto-Rooter arrived. The plumber said it was one of the worst he's ever seen and that his crew was literally around the corner all day Sunday. They would have come immediately if my landlord had called. He got my landlord on the phone and told him: "You put your tenant's health at risk."
In May, the toilet had backed up and a plumber had told our landlord he needed to get the pipes inspected. He didn't. Our unit has so many issues he's just ignored: the stove wall gets dangerously hot (can't use half the stove), windows have water damage, the bathroom upstairs leaks into my son's bedroom, common areas are filthy, there's possible structural damage in the ceiling, broken window latches (security hazard). I requested a fire inspection, multiple violations were found.
I had to leave for almost a week. My son's room is destroyed, he lost most of his belongings to sewage. Our cat has asthma and a heart condition and I had to put him on high dose Gabapentin for the week.
The cleanup crew is "done" but I don't feel safe in my home. The basement still smells strongly of damp and moisture. There are no dehumidifiers or air purifiers running down there. I've tried sealing off the main floor from the basement but the smell still comes through. No air inspection was ever done, I don't actually know how safe the air is safe for us to breathe.
The landlord told us not to pay rent for now but it has cost us so much more than just having to find alternate living arrangement.
I filed a case with 311, but I left messages for the person assigned to the case with no response. I think I need a lawyer for the LTB, someone who works on contingency. I'm honestly exhausted trying to figure all this out alone.
I emailed our councilor, Brad Bradford, then sent a follow up email but it has been 13 days and I've gotten zero response from his office.
Has anyone been through something like this? Do you know a good tenant lawyer in Toronto? I really could use some guidance right now.
Any guidance/help would be massively appreciated.