Kirk H. Bottner

My apartment caught fire. In fact, I was the one who discovered it and called the fire department while getting other tenants out of the building. It had something to do with a frayed wire up in the ceiling unit between our apartment and the townhouse above. The landlord REFUSED to return the securit...y deposit until WE cleaned out the apartment. No one was allowed in until the final investigations were completed. It was ruined due to the water and the fire in two of the bedrooms. The water then crept into the living room, and it was a huge mess! After a month of investigations, mold had set into the walls, the furniture, and it was a health hazard. There were three separate tenants (but the others voted me as the spokesperson) trying to get back our deposits. I went through many lawyers, calling people until my fingers were numb. Each time I heard the same thing, “We can’t take your case.” No one explained why he or she couldn’t take it; they just couldn’t. One person finally told me that they weren’t going to get any money out of it (other than the fee), so it was a huge waste of time. He even told me how to do all the minor work involved, leading up to trial, and then he’d take over for a fee. I even joined a group that specialized in finding you the BEST lawyer for what you need. Yeah, that was wasted money, because they didn’t help me. Finally, one of the lawyers (contacted through my own search) referred me to Mr. Bottner. One meeting, followed with a letter, was all it took and a month later, we settled with the landlord for more than our security deposit. He did a great job! He was easy to speak with and he explained everything. He did the job quickly, efficiently, and effectively. His taking over allowed my hair to grow back (where I pulled it out by the roots in frustration), and took the stress off my shoulders. I would highly recommend him to anyone in the area who needs help with his or her landlord issues. West Virginia is a landlord area (meaning the courts sympathize more for them than the tenants) and he was still able to help us. You can't go wrong with Mr. Bottner. If you’re having issues with your landlord, don’t go it alone. Take someone with you who will fight for you, believe in you, and has your best interest at heart. Take Mr. Bottner with you! I did. We got our security deposit back, and the landlord cleaned out the death trap. :)