Only cold air comes out of my heating vents. I have called the landlord/management company almost every day over the past week and it still hasn't been fixed. Their handyman came by twice and left a note saying that it works....but this clearly isn't the case. What do I do next? Obviously, I can't afford a lawyer or else I wouldn't be renting from this slumlord to begin with.
Don't pay the rent
Set a fire to stay warm
pedro the mailburro wrote:
Only cold air comes out of my heating vents. I have called the landlord/management company almost every day over the past week and it still hasn't been fixed. Their handyman came by twice and left a note saying that it works....but this clearly isn't the case. What do I do next? Obviously, I can't afford a lawyer or else I wouldn't be renting from this slumlord to begin with.
You need to contact your state or county Housing & Neighborhood Health Department (probably county). It is a violation of county health codes to be without heat during certain months of the year (such as October). Since you are a tenant and not the property owner, the landlord is responsible for maintainng all HVAC systems.
This won't cost you a dime, and if the landlord retaliates you will have legal recourse.
DocLove wrote:
Don't pay the rent
Put the rent in escrow until the problem is fixed. This is the legal way of handling this situation instead of just not paying. You want to show that you have the means to pay but are simply not doing so because the landlord is not fulfilling his end of the contract. Also, as has been suggested, contacting the proper authorities will be helpful.
oftenrunning52 wrote:
DocLove wrote:Don't pay the rent
Put the rent in escrow until the problem is fixed. This is the legal way of handling this situation instead of just not paying. You want to show that you have the means to pay but are simply not doing so because the landlord is not fulfilling his end of the contract. Also, as has been suggested, contacting the proper authorities will be helpful.
This what I did, just after college, worked like a charm. Also research the tenants rights in your state/county/city. I used all the law against the landlord and he had to cave.
oftenrunning52 wrote:
DocLove wrote:Don't pay the rent
Put the rent in escrow until the problem is fixed. This is the legal way of handling this situation instead of just not paying. You want to show that you have the means to pay but are simply not doing so because the landlord is not fulfilling his end of the contract. Also, as has been suggested, contacting the proper authorities will be helpful.
true. I believe you can also have a professional fix the problem and deduct it from your rent. But make sure you document everything carefully. And submit the evidence of curing the problem with the difference in rent you might owe. For example monthly rent is $1000. It cost $600 to repair. Submit the $400 left of rent and evidence of paying the $600. Oh, and be sure to inform your landlord ahead. They just might 'find' the problem afterall.
What you do is to continue calling the property management company so they send the handyman out again. If he's been out twice before obviously they are making a good faith effort to get this repaired.
Withholding rent seems excessive, they are being responsive. Every time something breaks you want to withhold rent? Newsflash - things break. You should be grateful that you have a landlord that is making an effort, there are some real deadbeats out there, your landlord doesn't sound like one of them.
Move out and find a better landlord.
If you can't afford a lawyer, you might be eligible for free assistance from your local legal aid society. They deal with this sort of problem all the time. Most recalcitrant exploiters of the vulnerable are fairly quick to change their evil ways when they hear from an attorney.
WWHHHOOOOAAAAA!!!!
Be very careful here. Goolge up your area renters rights group and get some advice from them. some legal aid groups handle landlord tenant for free. You may also find your local landlord tenant code.
State law varies wildly on the issue of whether a tenant has the right to withhold rent, place rent into escrow, deduct repairs from rent and so on. In a number of jurisdictions, the right to withhold rent is conditioned on a bunch of steps and requirments (like being able to demonstrate that repairs needed for health and safety). If you screw up and don't follow all the steps (usually certified mail letters or some sort of notice), you can (and will) get evicted for failing to pay rent.
Be very careful. Many states have very landlord friendly codes. If you follow the law, you may be able to handle this on your own in small claims court without a lawyer.
Burn him for fuel
property manager wrote:
What you do is to continue calling the property management company so they send the handyman out again. If he's been out twice before obviously they are making a good faith effort to get this repaired.
Withholding rent seems excessive, they are being responsive. Every time something breaks you want to withhold rent? Newsflash - things break. You should be grateful that you have a landlord that is making an effort, there are some real deadbeats out there, your landlord doesn't sound like one of them.
Correct answer (at this time), then take the escrow route if no resolution in a reasonable time.
Sure, take the side of the rich and powerful. You probably voted for the Bush/Cheney war criminals.
pedro the mailburro wrote:
Only cold air comes out of my heating vents. I have called the landlord/management company almost every day over the past week and it still hasn't been fixed. Their handyman came by twice and left a note saying that it works....but this clearly isn't the case. What do I do next? Obviously, I can't afford a lawyer or else I wouldn't be renting from this slumlord to begin with.
Where I used to live in New Jersey landlords were required to provide heat and hot water. When the boiler went out and the landlord was slow to fix it I called the city health department who got on him.
property manager wrote:
What you do is to continue calling the property management company so they send the handyman out again. If he's been out twice before obviously they are making a good faith effort to get this repaired.
Withholding rent seems excessive, they are being responsive. Every time something breaks you want to withhold rent? Newsflash - things break. You should be grateful that you have a landlord that is making an effort, there are some real deadbeats out there, your landlord doesn't sound like one of them.
Sending someone out twice, who then reassures you that it is working when it isn't, is not being responsive. That happened to us in Chicago and there was no intention of fixing the problem until we did the following: send a certified letter to the landlord referring to the problem and indicating the temperature in your apartment at certain times. Next, notify the landlord that you will report him to the country board. If those two actions do not work, inform him that you will be placing the rent in escrow until the problem is solved.
While reading up on the law, withholding rent, and filing something in small claims court all may be viable options if nothing happens in the next few weeks, I am looking for some near term solutions. After all, it is about to get f***ing cold here and I\'d prefer not to spend a few weeks freezing while I wait for certified letters, them to notice I haven\'t paid the rent, etc. I think I am going to go into the office tomorrow and firmly ask for an explanation. Any ideas on what to say and how to counter any potential excuses?
A rented a house where the landlord had a pretty worthless handy man.
He always had to come at least twice to try and fix anything.
He would say the leak is fixed and the next day I would call to say it's still leaking.
Very annoying.
Look, just punish your landlord by moving out and taking your rent money elsewhere. Don't bother will all these ridiculous state laws and advocacy groups. You are not helpless, just move out and get a new place.
jjjjjjjjjjjj wrote:
Sending someone out twice, who then reassures you that it is working when it isn't, is not being responsive. That happened to us in Chicago and there was no intention of fixing the problem until we did the following: send a certified letter to the landlord referring to the problem and indicating the temperature in your apartment at certain times. Next, notify the landlord that you will report him to the country board. If those two actions do not work, inform him that you will be placing the rent in escrow until the problem is solved.
Sure it's being responsive. You think the handyman is straight up lying? Possible, but unlikely. Sounds like he got it work for a few minutes then decided it was all good. Or maybe he fixed what he thought was the problem and thought "great - fixed" without bothering to test it. Either way it's an issue of competence. If the tenant keeps bugging the landlord, the landlord will get someone out who can fix the damn thing (if for no other reason than to get the OP off his back).
I deal with this constantly. I manage residential units at a university that employs its own plumbers, electricians, carpetners, etc. and they are unionized so we can't just fire the crappy ones we have to continue working with them and appeal to their supervisors. At least once a week a work ticket hits my desk marked "complete" and I later find out the job isn't truly fixed to the tenant's satisfaction (or my own). So then I have to contact the trade supervisor to get someone else sent out.
Absolute fastest way for the OP to get this fixed is to annoy the shit out of the landlord. I speak from experience.
jjjjjjjj sorry you had a slumlord, but I would think a deadbeat landlord would more likely ignore your requests than to send someone out - twice within a short timeframe.