Is this my responsibility?

Posted: Tue, Dec 23 2008, 7:26 pm Post subject: Is this my responsibility?

I live in the basement apartment with 2 families on top of me. There are 2 boilers; one for the top 2 floors, and one just for the basement. I am the one with access to the boiler controls. The other boiler (not mine) is broken in that the water has to be manually refilled. If there is no water, upstairs has no heat. It used to need to be refilled every 4 days and slowly it got more and more frequent. By this point, I need to refill it twice a day (oh, and btw the process of refilling is a bit noisy and freaks out my toddler if he is awake and usually wakes him up if he is sleeping)
I was getting very frustrated because my upstairs neighbor would constantly call me that she was cold and even if I was out, I had to run home because I felt bad that they were freezing. Anyway, the landlord finally sent down a plumber to fix the problem, and the upstairs neighbor wont let him in (he thinks its a problem with valve on their radiator). I called the upstairs neighbor and told her that she only has heat because I check the water a few times a day but I really would like her to let the plumber in so that if I forget to add water, or go away for a day she wont freeze. so she said ok, but then the plumber came back saying they wont let him in, he is fed up with the situation and wont deal with us anymore.

so what do I do?? I mean, I cant let 2 families just freeze, but is it my responsibility to either run home from wherever I am, or wake up my sleeping child so they can have heat when they wont let the guy in to fix it??

Posted: Tue, Dec 23 2008, 7:33 pm Post subject: re: Is this my responsibility?

Lifnim meshuras hadin, try to explain to your neighbor again that she has to let him in for her benefit. After that I think you can stop being quite so accommodating.
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Posted: Tue, Dec 23 2008, 7:33 pm Post subject:

Please leave a key to your apartment with the landlord and other neighbor. Don’t worry, they won’t walk in you. if they won’t let anyone in, it will be on their shoulders.
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Platinum Member Joined: Jun 09 2005 Posts: 11840

It's not your responsibility that these families shouldn't freeze, unless you own the building (which you said you don't).

Can you work out with them to come in and take care of the water themselves? It's really not your job to do that. If you'd rather not have the invasion of privacy, then maybe you can work something out with the landlord (lowering your rent in exchange for you taking care of filling the water?). If you don't mind them coming in, and they just won't do it, well, then, if you let them freeze once or twice, it probably won't happen again.

Re: the plumber, again, not your responsibility.
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Platinum Member Joined: Oct 27 2005 Posts: 6736

I would tell your neighbor to let the plumber in and do his job or you will no longer run to fill water in the boiler, and tell them if they dont let the plumber in you will let the other neighbor know why you are not putting water in the boiler every day anymore and one of them can take care of it at your convenience when you happen to be home and when your baby is awake. Simply put the ball in their court, it is totally wrong of them not to let the plumber in when it is at your expense.
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Posted: Tue, Dec 23 2008, 7:49 pm Post subject:

unless you are getting some huge deduction on your rent price - this is beyond ludicrous ... you are not the plumber or the water fetcher ... no matter wherein the problem lays ... proper etiquette is for the landlord to come and take care of whatever location the plumber needs to get in ... too bad on the lady - too bad on the cold there is only so much ability you have with 2 babies in tow ... talk about being inconsiderate Shocked

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Platinum Member Joined: Apr 06 2008 Posts: 5149

all I can say is OMG Shocked

Posted: Sun, Dec 28 2008, 5:37 am Post subject: re: Is this my responsibility?

I agree with the others, that it is not your responsibility, but since they are your neighbors, and you need to continue living with them no matter how right you are, please handle it in a pleasant manner.

Call up your neighbor and ask for all the details about the plumber - there may be something you are missing, and then say sweetly that you cannot keep running home, so you would appreciate if she cooperates with the plumber.

After that, if she calls you when outside, etc, just say you are somewhere important, and can not rush home right now, without being defensive.