LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Las Vegas has many options for renters but sometimes when issues come up in your home, repairs aren’t fixed right away. 

For Dawn Wood, it had been more than two months since she had been able to stay at her apartment. 

She wasn’t able to stay there because there isn’t a working bathroom, due to a leak in January. 

The apartment Wood is living in is privately owned.

When the leak started, she sent a message to the property manager in charge of her unit. 

“They ignore me and kind of make me feel like I’m a secondhand citizen,” Wood said. 

She also followed up with a formal letter, but water damage was building up. 

She said since there was no response from the manager in charge of her unit, the HOA of her apartment complex had a restoration company tear apart her whole bathroom. 

But there was no progress after that. 

“I feel very frustrated and angry because I have every right to live in a place that’s habitable that’s got a functioning bathroom,” Wood said. 

The property management company is called Silver Canyon Reality, in conjunction with GTS Properties.

When they did respond to Wood, they wanted her renter’s insurance to step in. 

Tenants’ rights attorney Ryan McConnell with Legal Aid Center of Nevada told 8 News Now that is not right. 

“That is what renters’ insurance is for, to cover your personal stuff, homeowners’ insurance which all landlords should have should cover the physical damage to the property.”

We tried to call the property manager, Larry Hand with GTS Properties and answered. 

Hand told us the damage is from the above unit and that is why it is taking so long to fix. 

However, when 8 News Now was at the property, there wasn’t above Wood. 

The delay to make repairs can have renters taking matters into their own hands. 

“It is really on the landlord to fix these issues, if they don’t then the tenant can stop paying rent,” McConnell said. 

McConnell recommends those in a similar position do everything Wood has done including documenting everything and writing a notice to the landlord as soon as there is damage. 

Landlords have 14 days to fix any nonessential repairs, but 48 hours for essential repairs such as leaks or working bathrooms. 

Tenants have the right to withhold their rent if repairs aren’t made but only if they are up to date on rent when the damage occurred. 

Tenants can find a template on how to give their landlord a notice by clicking HERE.