Morning All,
My LL sent me an eviction letter because I have not signed a liability release form due to my room not having a fire escape. The letter states that my room does not have a fire escape and that no one I know can sue him in case of a fire (family, friend, etc). The letter really has nothing to do with my safety, it's to cover him in case something happens. He sent me the email on August 14th and gave me thirty days to sign it. It's not thirty days yet.
I moved in the apartment in December of 2011. I'm on the third floor of a six floor building that was built in 1940 and there are no sprinklers inside the apartment and the hallways. The second room in the apartment is the "legitimate" bedroom and has a fire escape. When I rented the room I was not aware that it was originally the living room nor was I aware of NY's fire escape rules.
I am waiting for a lawyer friend to come back from vacation to draft a different letter. I am willing to acknowledge that I have no fire escape and it's my responsibility to escape in case of a fire. I have a roommate who smokes and I have warned the LL of this on several occasions and he hasn't done a thing about it. The lease clearly states that no smoking is allowed in the apartment. I had to force the LL to change the fire alarm in the apartment and there is no fire extinguisher here either.
I am seven months pregnant and do not have the funds to move. I already started looking the minute he gave me the letter to sign and there is NOTHING out there in my price range. I really don't know what to do here. I'm so stressed that I'm starting to get Braxton Hicks.
Any suggestions or links to resources would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.