My shower drain was clogged and anytime you used any of the sinks in the place the tub was filling up with more water.
I emailed my landlord, heard nothing back, and called a plumber to fix the problem. Turns out the previous tenant had super long hair and it was clogged 
What can I do? He’s obviously ignoring me, has a significant amount of my $ as a security deposit, so I feel like if I push I’m going to get screwed anyway.
To top it off he just emailed me my what and garbage bill 
Your landlord is probably responsible for the plumbing costs, however you’re also probably not authorized to act as his agent and hire a plumber so it’s likely you’re eating this bill.
Where do you live? Laws about landlord and tenant rights vary widely from state to state. Generally, the landlord is required to keep the place habitable, which would include things like working plumbing. But whether or not you have the right to fix it and charge him for it, and how long you have to wait for him to act are going to be up to the law or your lease.
So, first, read up on the law. If it’s in your favor, cite the law. If it’s not in your favor, I’d try calling the landlord and saying what happened, that it was an emergency and you couldn’t get in touch with him, so you did what you had to, and you’ll include the receipt with your next rent payment and deduct the charge from your rent.
[ol]
[li]Do the research on landlord/tenant relations.[/li][li]First complaint to landlord should be face to face, and if not possible over the phone. Document this conversation.[/li][li]Second complaint should hard copy letter via Postal Service, certified return receipt.[/li][/ol]
Forget email. There is no way to prove receipt. Do everything either in person, face to face, or via hard copy letter. Document every occurrence.
And, as most landlords know, by the time this all happens the place is flooded. Chances are high the tenants will just fix it themselves.
In a similar situation with renting a condo. The landlord lives out of state and does not seem to understand the difference between ‘normal use’ and ‘tenant gets to fix my broken toilets/appliances or just do without’. Easier to just replace the toilet, and put the old one back in before we move out. Tried that with the dishwasher, which has never worked, but the landlord specifically said she doesn’t want one in there. As she pays for water, I can see why, but I don’t see how I can argue about it.
Possibly. However, the ruling direction is the written lease. While you make contact with the landlord any way possible in an emergency, always resort to full written documentation, including photographs) and followup with hard copy mail.