So I am not sure what action to take but we really need some help. These last few weeks have been a total nightmare. Here's the events:
So at the beginning of May, we find out that we need to move since the house we are renting is scheduled to be torn down and rebuilt. It took us several attempts, but we finally find a place that we can afford and we ask to tour the place. They show us unit B which is on the ground floor. It is very nice inside with new paint and new bathroom fixtures. So we submit our application to B and we are accepted. We pay our first month's rent and security deposit. This is a week before we need to move out.
Fast forward to May 28th when we are told we would receive the key to start our move. The listing agent shows up and tells us that now we need to move to unit F and that B is no longer available. We were totally shocked but at this point we have no choice since we need to be out by June 3rd. The agent takes us up to F and the fist thing I notice is a musty, smokey smell. I ask the agent if this is going to be cleaned and he said they would. They also said that since it isn't ready yet, they would give us the key on May 31st.
So May 31st arrives, and we get the key and the place still stinks of smoke. Apparently, the landlord's son lived here and smoked so much marijuana that he was admitted to rehab. The landlord refuses to believe that there is any smell and reluctantly sent his handyman to steam clean the carpets twice. The first cleaning was done before we moved in and like I stated, it still smelled. We had to complete our move by June 3rd, so we had no chance to do anything but move. The next weekend, June 8 - 9, I bought two boxes of baking soda carpet cleaner to try to get rid of the stink. For the most part it seemed to help but there was a little smell left. The second cleaning came yesterday and now the place stinks just like we first moved in.
To make matters worse, we just found out that the people who moved into B actually applied to F and we have the documents to prove it. So the landlord screwed us with the bait and switch. If we didn't have the time constraint, we would have looked for another place but we are stuck. Also, my bed is ruined since it sits on the floor and absorbed the smoke stink. What legal action can we take? I hope we can sue this guy...
