I had this happen a few years ago at an apartment complex - a little different, but the gist was that flooding had caused all the sewage lines to get backed up and sewage came flooding out of every sink, toilet, and tub. They threw sewage soaked items on my bed, and only aired out the apartment (they did not replace the bed, any other items, or offer a hotel in my case) after a mild cleaning. Shortly after, I noticed there was still liquid underneath the linoleum that was bubbling up, as well as damage to the walls/mold. I called a renters rights attorney for advice, and they recommended sending the certified letters WITH TIMELINES as often as you can afford. After every communication, send another one, regardless of what they say about timeline. Certified letters that they sign for are the easiest way to prove that they are aware of the situation in a court of law - and they know this and don't want to be sued. Don't wait until Monday - send it anyways! They have 14 days as a "reasonable timeline" AFTER THE FIRST CERTIFIED LETTER. This will likely be written in your lease agreement - remember, landlords and investment firms don't expect you to read all those details in your lease, and that's how they get away with stuff.

Anyways, after they still neglected to fix the issue while getting certified mail every other day, they insisted that they would replace the floors, sanitize under them, and properly take care of the growing mold (mind you, the apartment still smelled strongly of sewage). Well, that date came and went and I received an email that the floors were replaced. When I got home, the letter i left with problem areas for the contractors had not been touched, and there was still a white paint droplet on the floor outside of the bathroom that we'd taken photos of upon moving in. I emailed back "praising" the team that did the work for their attention to detail in dropping paint on the exact same spot, and promptly called the city's health and safety department, who confirmed no work had been done in a safe manner.

I ended up breaking my lease with another certified letter explaining the reasons I would not be held liable for breaking it as they had exceeded the 14 day timeline, and they still tried to get me to pay for my remaining 4 months on the lease. My response was basically "great, I am looking forward to seeing you in court!" and they backed down and actually reimbursed ME my last month that I had paid.

Important notes: - I am not an attorney and this was late 2020. There are many renters rights hotlines in DFW that will give you sounds legal advice. I highly recommend calling them RIGHT AWAY. - As nice in theory as it is to not pay rent, keep paying the rent for now. Not paying will only hurt you if it does go to court, as that gives them a leg to stand on. - Sending them your sewage bags is a funny thought, and I love petty comebacks, but this is a legal matter. Please no one ever do this. 😂 - I cannot stress enough the importance of CERTIFIED LETTERS RIGHT AWAY. Make sure to sign them and date them. - Read your lease with a fine tooth comb. Almost all Texas leases, to my understanding, will say they have 14 days from that first CERTIFIED LETTER (again, not phone call, text, small, or even regular letter). This isn't a big deal of you get another lease that says this in the future - it's very common - but KNOWING that is what will protect you. - Even if it does not escalate to a full inspection, the city health and safety department should be made aware. Make a report on Monday. They may not come out - it took me ages to get an inspector out for my case with a lot of pestering - but that report will be on hand.

Sorry for the excessively long comment, I just understand what you are going through. I'm rooting for you! Don't settle, this is absolutely abhorrent.