I have issues with my property manager and need help with renter's rights in TN. legaladvice

Here's what happened. Sunday (July 19th) I went out on my porch with my 3 year old son and my sliding glass door malfunctioned and locked us out. We were stuck outside for several hours before anyone from the "emergency" maintenance line would call us back and I was forced to let a neighbor crowbar the door and completely break the screws holding the assembly on. A friend of mine finally went to Home Depot later that night and got screws to Jerry-rig the assembly on from the outside (it's the only way they'd fit on). We put the security bar in place, but you could literally just unscrew them from the outside and the assembly would come off. Meaning, it's not secure. The emergency line seems "not being able to secure your unit" as one of 3 valid reasons for a worker to come out. Hours later, the guy finally shows up, tightens the screws my friend put in and says it's fine for the night. He didn't even have any materials to secure it any further.

The next day, I can't get anyone on the phone. I tracked the owner of our property all the way to his office in Utah from property records at the Tax Assesor's office and he passes it off to a District Manager. She gets the property handyman to come by yesterday and he replaces the security bar with a crappy one that doesn't fit and leaves the broken assembly there and the screws on the outside and tells her there's "nothing wrong" with my door. The District Manager was supposed to call me last night and check on the work. She didn't.

Today I talk to her again and she says she's sending a General Contractor over so I wait for him (and miss work). He doesn't show up, I miss work, and she doesn't call again to check on the work like she says she will.

So this is night 3 without a secure apartment. These people are horrible about repairs. I have rodent feces in my attic from a previous rodent issue, my refrigerator needs work, my toilet leaks sewage, and my upstairs level never gets cooler than 80 until about 2-4am when it finally hits a balmy 75.

I want to know if I have any recourse for all this? I'm tired of shoddy repair work, lack of follow through, and I don't feel comfortable living in an apartment that isn't secure. I am low income and feel like they do this to the tenants here simply because they can. Moving is not an option right now.

TL;DR Butthole Property Manager sucks. Won't fix import stuff. Need recourse

Thanks in advance!

Submitted July 22, 2015 at 06:19AM by TartofDarkness http://ift.tt/1GACz1D legaladvice