Gas Has Been Shut Off For 9 Days In My Apartment.

Location: Missouri

Hi. My apartment complex has had the gas shut off for the past 9 days. No heater, no access to stove/oven, no hot water. My partner and I have been forced to eat out almost every day for the past 9 days and trek out to my mom’s house to take showers. Our apartment management is extremely shady. The maintenance men and gas staff that have come out to “work” on the issue have confirmed verbally that our apartment management did not pay the gas bill on time. That utility is a part of our rent and so it is on them to pay it. They are hardly communicating anything to us so most of the information I am getting is from talking directly to maintenance men and the gas men who come out. They say that they didn’t pay the bill and now my building is one of four in the property that still doesn’t have access to gas because of an issue. A LEAK.

This gas leak was mentioned very quickly and quietly by one of the exasperated maintenance men and I wasn’t able to really get any more information out of him besides that they are trying to find the leak I guess.

The only accommodation our apartment management has given us is $100 off April’s rent. With how high gas prices are right now, my partner and I have spent well over that amount with driving 30 minutes back and forth to my mom’s for showers and eating food out. The management sent an update email saying the gas could be back on either yesterday or today, but I highly doubt that because they keep saying they are “working on it” when maintenance men come into the apartment for 5 minutes and then leave for the rest of the day. They have not directly informed us that it is a gas leak.

Our management has had a pattern of issues. Their pool and gym have been closed for years and they still advertise them as amenities. We had a neighbor called health control on them a week ago because our laundry room flooded with sewage. We aren’t allowed to talk to the staff in person unless we make an appointment and they never answer their phones. The property manager has threatened the tenants with $50 fees for people not keeping the door closed but insisting EVERYONE in that building will be given a fee, regardless of who is the actual issue.

My partner and I are both autistic and physically disabled. This has been a very disorienting and distressing experience. I have chronic pain disorder and the days it has been cold I have not been able to turn on any heat, causing my muscles to be in excruciating pain.

My question is: What is the best course of legal action to take in this situation? Like I said, I’m broke and autistic and I have very little knowledge on what my options could even be in this situation. I’m just so angry and tired of this situation and want to do something about it.

I have emails from the apartment that don’t contain much information, unfortunately that’s the closest thing I have to a paper trail. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!