[Boston, MA] Just moved into rented room - code violations and more legaladvice

I just moved into a room in a house tonight, and I'm very unhappy with the room.

I had a friend go and check out the room I was supposed to rent a couple days ago, and he said that it looked fine. He did a Skype call on his phone, and as far as I could see through the blurry connection, the room looked okay.

A day ago, the landlord emailed me asking if I would be okay if she "upgraded" me to a "larger room" at the same rent. I said okay.

Now that I'm here, I've noticed several things I didn't notice before, as well as what appears to be several code violations with this room itself.

• Missing smoke detector - there is a spot for a smoke detector on the ceiling that has apparently been removed.
• Exposed heating elements on a baseboard heater (cover missing) - I'm fairly sure this is a fire hazard.
• No screens on windows.

(This is a relevant piece of Massachusetts state code I've been looking at: http://ift.tt/1eadBQO. I haven't been able to check everything against that. Particularly, I'm not sure what exactly applies regarding smoke detectors, and I don't know whether exposed heating elements means that I don't have functioning heat.)

Things that probably aren't a code violation but... bother me:

• Window AC unit has a three prong (grounded) plug, but no outlet is available for it. I wasn't promised AC, so I don't think this is technically a violation.
• I'm not sure what is up with the oven, but it appears to be covered in some sort of plastic wrap, as some sort of kludged repair.
• Burnt out lightbulb.
• Too many people using the refrigerator
• Cigarette butts on the windowsill, and the room smells vaguely off
• Filthy
• Door handle has been very visible damaged; it still functions however
• Promised furniture (chair, desk, table) isn't there or is broken (dresser). I was told that I was supposed to go with someone else to the basement to fetch it. Apparently the landlord was unable to get that up before I moved in.

I have yet to pay any money to my landlord. Yes, not even a security deposit. I was supposed to pay first and last month's rent today, but the landlord hasn't been around to collect the check.

So... I want to get out of this room, but I don't have anywhere else to stay for longer than a couple of days. My current plan is to ask to shorten my lease (originally a bit less than three months) to one month, and to use that time to find a better room. Is this a good idea?

Furthermore, how can I make sure that this doesn't happen to any future tenants? Do I have the right to report this to the relevant authorities? How much notification do I need to give to the landlord?

Submitted May 18, 2015 at 10:43AM by Particicutor http://ift.tt/1LcH47y legaladvice