No Heat in 2/3 house; landlord won’t fix

By Michelle

12-10

 Hi all,

I have been told that due to building and health codes along with the "implied warranty of habitability" I can withhold rent until my landlord fixes the heat in the alley house I live in. 

Last fall, they knew the front heater was broken; left me sit from October of last year with only a space heater; I am on a fixed income; this caused my electric bills to go up between $20 and $40 more.  This summer I reminded them; they shrugged me off until the beginning of the month/Dec; now that the roof is slippery and full of ice.  I have oil heaters; I was informed the one they were replacing wasn’t stacked right; not double lined; so it was a serious fire risk; so even though I have a nice big heater I can’t turn it up because the installer couldn’t get on the roof and finish the job.  Now the other heater broke; the landlord sent the same company to come and look at it; they determined I need a new heater; but it has been almost a month; still no calls to finish anything. So now I am using the same expensive electric heater in the front part of my house; I had to move my bed into my livingroom there because the bedroom in this place has no heat at all! 

I went to the agency that helps me pay my heat bill; they told me I could withhold heat; but from what I’ve read on the issue; it is better to pay rent and sue the landlord.  Any ideas?

 

Thanks and Happy Holidays, 

Edited on: Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 3:35 pm

3 Responses to “No Heat in 2/3 house; landlord won’t fix”

My response: (We welcome stories, examples, explanations, answers and a touch of your personality)
 

Naomi

December 27th, 2010 9:46 am

I have been without heat for 14 days now. I have 3 small kids and my landlord has already been contact by health dept to fix in 48 hours days ago. I didn’t pay my december’s rent because of promised repairs from November involving my back door and misc repairs. My bathroom ceiling fell, and is still falling. The back door was ripped of the frame, and the so called contractor she hired did a very poor job. It is colder inside than it is outside the door. These repairs were susposed to be done before December’s rent was paid, and then in December the furance broke, and since I haven’t paid she said she isn’t going to fix it. Is that fair to me and my family? Can she do that? I don’t know what to do. She also told me I can get my things and get out if I don’t like it. Then she sends me a typed up eviction notice if I don’t pay. I have no address on this lady and the only way to pay is when she comes down to the apartment to collect. I wasn’t refusing to pay december, she never came to collect it. Couple days later the furance went out. She hasn’t said anything to me about the heat. Can someone tell me what I can do please!!!!!


tiemyshoe

February 11th, 2013 4:38 pm

we are going through it to we have a brokin radiator and the landlord gave us a space heater but now that just blows the elctric out so we wiheld our rent after 6 months of askin them to repair this problem they evited me in the middle of the month for non payment but the months not up yet we just want nothin more then to get out of the lease and move but they wanna run to a court i got the pictures and all that we will see what happends.


tiemyshoe

February 12th, 2013 11:15 am

Thats not all we have roaches the new people downstairs brought bed bugs into the building its like a fam of 11 no shit 11 people living in 2 rooms theres roofing material outside our door thats been there the whole time we have rolls and rolls of it its quite unsightly and to top it all off when we rented this place we were told it was a secure building well theres a note on the door going outside that reads do not lock door locks will be fixed in 2 days the note has been there for a month and the building is unsecure the hallway smells like a huge outhouse due to the washers and dryers they put in theres 2 washers and 2 dryers which never work right i might add from not doing the roof work theres water pouring through the outside wall all over the kitchen when it rains or snows and mold bubbling everywhere which tells me its mold and i think that can make someone sick but either way its nasty and they want to take me to court and attach my wages hahahahahhahahaahhhahhha ive paid all the way up till this mnth im not payin to live in a cave they can have this junk hole.


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