Just rented a house in Portland, OR and set up a working studio in the finished basement. During heavy rainfall, water leaks in and covers the floor. Room is unusable. Now the landlord says it was not intended to be used as a studio. But the lease agreement doesn't mention anything about it, and during the house showing it was pointed out as useable space.Fixing the leak would require installation of drains around the exterior (major work).
Do I have any options? Some of the other unfinished basement spaces have been getting musty and moldy done to water ingress. Is free legal help available? Would it be a waste of time? Would hiring legal help be a waste of money? Any chance of reducing next month's rent by the amount of square footage lost?
Thanks in advance for any info.