Landlord Refusing To Reimburse For Delayed Repairs

Hey everyone,

I have been in my apartment since August and I noticed in July there was an issue with hot water being pumped into my toilet in my bathroom. I put a maintenance request in and they did not repair this issue until October. My electric water heater would cycle every time I flushed the toilet and my bills in August September and early October skyrocketed. They have been giving me the runaround and only today did they say they would reimburse me a fraction of a fraction of the increased billing amount. Should I go to small claims court? I'm not very financially stable as I am a student who lives off of loans.

Looking for any advice. Thanks!