To the editor:

I am writing this letter in response to the articles on unsafe housing printed in the last few issues of the paper.

I have a friend who lives in the same conditions.

My friend has lived in this house nearly three years and kept her rent current and on time. Even though she did this, she still was forced to live with a septic tank that caused her to be unable to flush her toilet if she was washing laundry, dishes or using the bathtub or shower, for fear that it would overflow. She was unable to let her dog out or let her kids play in the yard because of the odor.

People were unable to come in and out of her driveway without fearing a flat tire or some other damage to their car because there were huge potholes in it.

She went without electricity in one or more of the rooms in her house because the landlord’s electrician stated that it was “not able to be fixed.” My friend lost a washing machine because of this faulty wiring, and her daughter was unable to sleep in her room for a month.

My friend lives on Section 8 and finally was able to report the problems. Only then did the landlord attempt to fix these. Now that my friend has given her notice that she will be moving, the landlord has fixed the septic tank, laid gravel in the driveway to fill the holes and had the electricity fixed.

I am pleased to see that the public is finally being made aware of their tenant rights and that they are acting upon them.

Michelle King,

Lawrence