My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: New York
Hello,
I'm an International Student from Italy (under student visa) and I started to rent a basement apartment in Long Island, New York.
The problem is that the apartment is not ventilated AT ALL (just two small windows, that's it. One in a back room and one in my room), the furniture is all very old (some of it is already half-broken, such as the toilette and the oven), there are bugs (one day I woke up with a spider in my belly button) and is VERY humid (even with a humidifier I can't go less than 60% of humidity and I wake up in the morning at 95%).
There are other problems about the apartment, but the main ones are the one listed above.
When I arrived from Italy, the landlord made me sign some kind of hand written paper where there was written that basically some "house-rules" (such as not smocking nor lighting the candles in the apartment). I have no copy of that.
I was very tired that day and after a 19hours flight (but the whole trip from my italian home till the american apartment took around 26hours) I just wanted to get some rest, so I signed everything and went to sleep.
I wake up at least twice a night, I feel itchy everywhere (not sure if because I'm paranoid that some bugs might use me as bed, because of the sweat and the humidity, because of some kind of allergy I was not aware of or just because of the general stress) and living here is generally really uncomfortable.
That day she told me that I would have to give her a notice of 2 months upon leaving the apartment and she is now holding my security deposit + the rent of this first month.
I would like to leave this apartment as soon as possibile and I was wondering if the reasons listed above are enough to leave the apartment within the end of the month instead of having to leave it in two months from now.
We don't have a regular lease.. This is technically a month-by-month thing. I know it's illegal to live in a basement and I know that as international with not many funds I am probably the weaker part here.
Do you think I have any possibilities of getting out of here within a month with my deposit back?
P.s. I'm sorry if my English is not perfect!

