What to do if you landlord won’t fix a leak | News

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Valerie Johnson can’t stand the smell of mold in her apartment.

“It’s leaking right now,” Johnson said. “My furniture smelled like somebody done died!”

Johnson lives at the Edgewood Townhomes off of South Parkway East.

Over the weekend, she told FOX13 she discovered standing water in her home. 

“F***!” she exclaimed. “What the h***? I got a swimming pool down here in my nice apartment!”

Johnson showed FOX13 the steady stream of water coming out of her neighbor’s apartment. She worries the leak initially started in his unit.

As a month-to-month tenant, she worries she will have to leave the home she has loved for six years.

“It is really tricky, and it can be problematic when they’re month-to-month, because with month-to-month tenancy, a landlord can decide that they don’t want to rent to you any longer on just a 30-day notice,” explained Vanessa Bullock, director of special projects for West Tennessee Legal Services.

Bullock would not comment on this specific situation but wanted to warn all renters who do not have proper leases.

“Without a lease agreement, there isn’t any protection from an eviction notice,” she explained.

However, she still encouraged all renters to:

1. Notify their landlord in writing of a leak

2. Report the leak to code enforcement if necessary

3. Consider renters insurance

Johnson is grateful to have invested in renters insurance for the past twenty years.

She said her monthly payment is about $13.

“If you don’t have anything else going in your life, get some renters insurance for times like this!” she explained.

FOX13 made multiple attempts to reach her management company, PMI of Memphis.

The company did not return calls, voicemails, or emails by the deadline.

If you need a lawyer, contact West Tennessee Legal Services at 901-471-8006, ext. 1250.