Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in District of Columbia

Health code violations and rent payment

My apt. is on the top floor(5th). A brief list of health code violations include: REPEATED days without heat 11&12/05), a hole in my bedroon ceiling (@least 12x10 in measurement)which left me exposed to the roof, resulting in bird feces dropped in my bedroom, horrible odor, roaches falling on my bed, & old insulation droppings. I have picutes of the hole & the dropped insulation. I have made numerous calls to the emergency number the management co. provides for the lack of heat which only resulted in someone calling back & saying ''could you deal with it for the night..)This was the response on at least 2 occasions. Concrning the hole, they simply said they can not seal it until the heating duct is placed. A health code inspector happened to come by & told them to immediately seal the hole, WHICH THEY DID NOT. Witnesses can attest to this. Due to these circumstances, I often stayed with peers instead of where I pay rent. Other problems included: almost a year without an elevator, huge hole in my kitchen which I had birds walking uoon a plastic bag covering the hole (which is what their remedy was). I have refused to pay the last 2 months rent & moved out. What can I do about not paying the rent & or sueing for damages?

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