The House Saga Continues

Okay, so the house I'm leaving isn't quite as bad as the one pictured, but you get the jist of what I'm trying to say.

So, I call the landlord and tell him we're moving out, after less than a month.  He quickly says I'll never get my deposit back over a few bugs and mice and says he'll see me in court.  That, he will.

Here's the thing.  If you're new to town, don't be in such a hurry to find a house like I was.  We figured since he rented to section 8, the house would, at the very least, be up to code and safe.  We thought we could deal with that for a year.  Here's what we ended up with;  We had to wait an extra week to move in as the eviction of the other tenant wasn't working.  He didn't have the house cleaned for us or painted.  There was literally SCUM on everything.  It took washing things 3 or 4 times with Lysol for it to even start looking clean.  There was a swastika painted on the wall in one bedroom.  She let her 5 year old draw, in sharpie and highlighting markers, all over the walls in the house.  You can never paint over a highlighter.  We found meth pipes and mold in my bedroom.  There was a hole in the wall in the living room, and it looked like someone had been throwing a knife into the walls in the living room and bedroom.  There was no fire alarm, fire extinguisher or window coverings.  The floor under the sink in the kitchen is completely gone.  The floors in the kitchen, living room and under the tub are caving in.  When I told and showed the landlord this, he suggested we put furniture over the holes.  He said he sprayed for bugs, mice and gophers.  I have woken up with bugs on me and numerous bug-bites.  My daughter has been sleeping with me for 2 weeks because she woke up to ear wigs and a centipede in her bed when she was sleeping.  Plus, the neighborhood has the smell of a sewer quite often.

Here's my suggestion.  Get an apartment first.  Billings has some great apartment complexes.  Ours allows dogs, has a pool and you only pay electric and cable.  It's a nice little place in a great neighborhood.  I could have signed on for just 6 months if I wanted to.  Then, hire someone to find you the right place for you.  Billings has so much to offer.  Don't get trapped by a slum-lord!  There are so many things you can do to avoid the awful mistake I made.