so, it's becoming clearer and clearer at this point that the plumbing problems in here are not a coincidental or secondary point but at the root cause of pretty much everything bad that is happening down here.

now that the humidity is crashing, probably for the year, i'm going to see if i can clean up around the walls in the morning, to see if i can gain any insight into the situation.

is there a broken pipe under the floor?

i don't expect the landlord to be of much assistance, or even to present an honest response when questioned about the situation, but i'll happily call a plumber and send him the bill, which is my legal right and will likely send him into a fit. he thinks he has "property rights". but, more importantly, i think he thinks he has some kind of dad authority over me, or at least isn't used to being challenged, due to dad status. but, i didn't listen to my own father, and i wouldn't listen to him, even if he was more than 5-7 or so years older than me (i don't think he realizes how old i am, either). so, we may be in court relatively soon, after all. and, he doesn't really have a leg to stand on, if that's how it turns out.

i mean, hopefully he reacts more reasonably, but i expect him to have a hissy fit. he doesn't seem to accept that he has any responsibility as a landlord, here. and, the reality is that that's legally completely unacceptable, and i'm not interested in his emotional reaction to his lease responsibilities - he'll do what he must, or i'll force him to do it via court order.

so, if i find a plumbing leak under the floor, he's going to need to pay to fix it. and, if he fights that, i'll nail him on a rent reduction.

i don't think this string of catastrophic situations is unique. renters across the continent are dealing with one useless landlord after another - this is normal, it's the status quo. what's unique is that i know my rights and i'm not afraid to fight for them.

i'm not certain, yet. but, i'm having a hard time guessing at what else it might be.