That's literally what they do. Every single landlord I've had has been the equivalent fusion of Mr. Krabs and Plankton.

A few apartments ago, the pipes sprung a leak and destroyed my living room wall. The landlord ignored it for two months. They would answer my phone and immediately hang up. I notified the city, who sent a health inspector that took one look at the black mold and said the LL had to fix it. They "complied" by slapping a new coat of paint on the wall. When I got my renewal later that year, they raised my rent from $1800 to almost $4000.