update
I decided to stay home these past few days and work on some art projects which I had been neglecting. I am happy to say that I made some significant strides, but still have a ways to go. With the change in the weather we are currently experiencing, I may spend the rest of this week at home finishing some things.
The weather today was not terribly conducive to being out and about, as it were, but I needed to do some legal research, and please allow me to tell you why.
This past week, my father got it in his head to remove the vents in the living room and vacuum out the ducts. I happened to walk into the living room right after he removed the first one, looked down into the duct, and found, to my surprise and disgust, that the duct is rife with black mold. Subsequent searching found this to be the case everywhere in the house. Many of the vents themselves had mold growing on them as well. As it happens, our lease is up this month, and the landlord was eager that we renew. My parents went in to sign a new lease, and took the mold-encrusted vent with them. They were told that the landlord would certainly fix the problem, but only after we vacated, and that they would put us on a month-to-month lease until such time that we find new accomodations.
Now, it is my belief that the landlord's response is not legally sound. Granted, we have a choice as to whether or not to sign the new lease, and the landlord does not have to offer us the option of renewal---as I have already stated above, though, such an offer was made, prior to the notice being given about the mold. So, given the current situation, I am uncertain how to proceed. The landlord is responsible for cleaning the mold, my reading of the state law and county and city ordinances makes me certain of that. The question is, can he force us to move out before he addresses the problem? Of that, I am uncertain.