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Maria Cortez told Action 4 News that she’s forced to live in deplorable conditions at the home she’s renting on East Pierce Avenue in Harlingen.
Action 4 News her paid a visit and found vents clogged with what looked like mold and rust.
Her home also had exposed, wet wood and a stained ceiling that was completely torn off in spots.
"This is awful... this is not home," Cortez said.
She said all the damage is the end result of her landlord not fixing a damaged roof from Hurricane Dolly in July.
"Everyday I have to sweep mold...chunks of whatever that is falling...I have to sweep them everyday," she said.
Every time it rains Maria says dirty water drips onto her clean dishes in the sink.
She apparently can't even cook on the stove top because of the leaky roof.
Maria owes $500 dollars each month in rent.
She's behind by two months and said she refuses to pay until the home is livable again.
"This is not worth $500 dollars..it's not," she explained.
She alleges that her landlord Alex Gonzalez is trying to kick her out and keep the insurance money he received to repair the roof for himself.
Cortez shared a voicemail message she received from Gonzalez with Action 4 News.
“I really need the property vacant so I can do the work...I'll get an attorney and take legal action," he said in the voicemail message.
The landowner in question lives in California and could not be reached for an on-camera interview.
However, his sister who collects the rent for him lives across the street from where Cortez rents.
She paints a completely different story about both the damages and her brother’s attempts to fix it.
Juana Gonzalez says Cortez is milking the damage to avoid paying rent and three months of water bills.
"June...July...August,” Juan Gonzalez said in Spanish as she pointed out by past-due water bills from the property.
The landlord's sister claims Cortez and her family can move back once the repair work is done.
She's asking they pay the outstanding $250 dollar water bill in lieu of the rent.
But Cortez says trust has been compromised and she now wants out.
