I HATE RENTING!!

Gold Member Joined: Mar 08 2006 Posts: 2405

There was no heat or hot water (!) in my apt all day Friday till a couple of hrs before Shabbos was over. We had heat for a few hrs and it hasn't been on since!!

The windows in my apt weren't fitted properly and there's a terrible draft coming in. I am so sick and tired of paying a fortune in electric to heat DD's room. I think I pay enough in rent!! I covered the windows with plastic, but it's not helping.

I also have a 4 week old whose poor hands are so cold (I keep her swaddled in a fleece swaddle me when sleeping, but she can't be in it all day! She needs to move around), and I don't know what to do!! I don't want to report them to the city, but they don't do a thing when I complain.

My newborn is all stuffed up and I'm scared to bathe her... it's just too darn cold! I was told before I moved in, by the previous tenant, that my apt is one of the warmer ones. So much for that! Rolling Eyes

I can't even imagine what the other apt's feel like! Twisted Evil

Btw, I still haven't signed the lease for the apt bec. the super has not come into to fix anything (like the hole in the ceiling in the bathroom that drops pebbles on DD's head while bathing). It's been 6 weeks since we've moved in!

Platinum Member Joined: Jan 01 2006 Posts: 48155

Who says if you own an apt that it'll be any bvetter ?

Gold Member Joined: Mar 08 2006 Posts: 2405

I'd be able to control my own heat!

Silver Member Joined: Jan 17 2008 Posts: 684

Pinkie I'm with you. I just had the same thing going through the winter with no heat and a poor freezing unbathed baby.... I finally got so fed up that I had my Dh tell the landlord - untill it is not fixed, no rent!! ps - it got fixed that week!!
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One Lucky Mom!!

Gold Member Joined: Mar 08 2006 Posts: 2405

Oh, the heat works alright, they just refuse to put it on! My neighbor had the landlord come over to feel how cold her apt was and as soon as he walked in (while still bundled from outside) said, "It's not cold in here!"

The super was there at the time and said, "Rabbi X, I told you the thermostat is set way too low!" Of course, he ignored him!

Perhaps Dh and I should get the whole building to sign a petition- no heat, no rent! Hmmmmmm.....

Diamond Member Joined: Nov 10 2005 Posts: 3401

dh found something to somewhat better insulate the windows - it's this plastic sheet that goes over that you blowdry onto the window. he got it in home depot.

I hate renting too - we are about to move since our current rental has been constantly flooding (=mold too) plus the basements stinks to the point that I can't hang dry laundry there and I won't let my kids down there either. then once we gave notice the landlord decided to sell, and the agent was calling us and leaving messages while we were out of town. thursday night we got home and friday all day we had people in our house checking it out! 2 more weeks!!!

Posted: Sun, Feb 17 2008, 5:28 pm Post subject: re: I HATE RENTING!!

I have been renting the same apt for almost 7 years it has it's ups and downs it's definitely a + that we control our own heat! but we have to pay so I don't keep it very high. As for windows every winter we plastic them and hope for the best.

I do think u should not pay rent if you're not getting hot water or heat as for windows unless it's a new apt. don't expect the windows to be the greatest.

Posted: Sun, Feb 17 2008, 7:42 pm Post subject: re: I HATE RENTING!!

Platinum Member Joined: Jan 01 2006 Posts: 48155

Pink, if you hate it that much, you need to buy a place. Get yourself a full time job in the city scrimp as much as possible, like watering down the shampoo and eating casseroles for Shabbos.

You'll have the money. We did.

Posted: Sun, Feb 17 2008, 8:53 pm Post subject: re: I HATE RENTING!!

Oh Man Pink

That is terrible! I know you have a mom and sis in town, but if you need somewhere warm to hang out, you're always welcome.

I definitely second the no heat--no rent. It doesn't sound like your landlord is particularly helpful in general: maybe this will shape him up. There are renter's rights by the way...and this would def qualify, esp with two babies.

Stay warm!

Posted: Sun, Feb 17 2008, 8:57 pm Post subject: re: I HATE RENTING!!

I donot like renting either...prices went so high!! arg..

Posted: Sun, Feb 17 2008, 8:59 pm Post subject: re: I HATE RENTING!!

right now, tell them no heat-no rent. tell them you will report them if the heat is not on in five minutes, then DO IT!

Platinum Member Joined: Oct 27 2005 Posts: 6746

What temp is the heat set at? I think there are laws as to the minimum temp the heat should be at. Is the stuff in the bsmt broken & being fixed or is the landlord being cheap?

Posted: Sun, Feb 17 2008, 9:46 pm Post subject: re: I HATE RENTING!!

My building (in CH, like pink) has been reported countless times. and no it doesn't really help. no rent - well that really doesn't help either they don't say ok fine ur right, they just add the missing rent to ur "bill", I guess eventually one has the option of taking it to court.

electric heaters is really the only solution

Active Poster Joined: Apr 26 2006 Posts: 30

It is illegal to not keep the heat at a minimum temperature set by the city. Google NYC heating laws or 311. You will have heat the next day. They take this very seriously. We had to do that last year.

Posted: Sun, Feb 17 2008, 9:54 pm Post subject: re: I HATE RENTING!!

We called 311 and reported them. We finally don't have problems like we use to. We also deduct rent for the days that we didn't have heat or hot water. It happened twice on shabbos!!! When we couldn't pull in heaters or call anyone. They keep sending me notes that I owe on rent but I won't pay for days that I was freezing cold and had to shiver under blankets for a whole shabbos.

Posted: Mon, Feb 18 2008, 12:11 am Post subject: re: I HATE RENTING!!

try the shrink insulation ... you tape fully around window put clear plastic ... and blow it to shrink ... tight

Gold Member Joined: Mar 08 2006 Posts: 2405

Posted: Mon, Feb 18 2008, 1:51 am Post subject: re: I HATE RENTING!!

We've been living in this apartment since we got married in the summer of 06 and when we got this apartment the previous tenants said that the conditions were good and we are only paying 950 a month which is almost unheard of in boro park so we took the apartment. Last winter I dont remember it being so bad (maybe it was cuz I was working all day) but the heat is hardly ever on. The landlord lives in williamsburg and doesnt really care about anything, he just give about a half an hour of heat at a time during the day so that we cant say that there isnt heat because he just says that its enough but its FREEZING here and the windows have a really bad draft, I tried covering them with plastic but its not helping and I still feel the cold air. At night is a whole other story, the heat turns off at about 10pm and doesnt go back on AT ALL until about 8am. It gets so cold that my 8 month old daughter cant sleep and keeps me up in the cold all night and im scared to leave an electric heater on all night in her room. The house I live in is a 6 family 3 floor small building that is probably 100 years old. The hall when u come into the building is pretty narrow and since the landlord doesnt give us any other place to keep carriages every one just keeps them in that already narrow hall so to get thru you have to walk sideways and if I want to take my carriage out and I have the bad luck of having it in the back of the line of carriages I either have to take all the carriages outside and take mine out and then take them all back in, or I have to carry my carriage over the other carriages. We asked the landlord over and over again to make some kind of shed with walls and a roof to keep the carriages in front of the house but he didnt do anything until he got a major violation for a fire hazard. He put up some poles in the front but thats it, no walls or roof so even if we did put the carriages there they would get all wet from the rain.
A couple months ago my kitchen light came crashing down ripping all the wires in the ceiling, I was really lucky that I wasnt in the kitchen at the time. I went from thursday till tuesday without light in the kitchen and the only window faces a wall so not much light gets in there either. When he finally sent an "electrician" to fix the light it was an old european man that only spoke German to come fix it and since I dont speak german and he didnt speak english I couldnt even explain the problem, he basically ended up putting up a bare lightbulb and I just had to be happy with that.
I keep asking my husband to speak to the landlord about all these problems but since he's hardly ever home so he doesnt realize how cold it gets here and since we're paying so little for rent he doesnt wanna move.
So I guess we're stuck here until we grow out of this place.
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Platinum Member Joined: Jan 01 2006 Posts: 48155