Cold apartment
Since December I’ve been calling my landlord and telling her the apartment is too cold. It ranges from 65 to 68 degrees during the day and 63 degrees at night. We live on the top floor of a brownstone. It’s a two-bedroom apartment with only two radiators; one in the kitchen and one in the…
Since December I’ve been calling my landlord and telling her the apartment is too cold. It ranges from 65 to 68 degrees during the day and 63 degrees at night. We live on the top floor of a brownstone. It’s a two-bedroom apartment with only two radiators; one in the kitchen and one in the larger bedroom. The second bedroom has no heating source. The heat does work but it is very weak. Only the top of the radiator gets warm, the bottom half never heats up. Before any of you landlord’s chime in with your “68 is warm enough†imagine waking up freezing at 3am and unable to get warm. It’s not a lot of fun.
As of yet my landlord’s one and only response is “I’ll take a look at it†but nothing ever changes. The boiler looks ancient but other apartments in the building are heated fine (in fact the apartment on the ground floor has turned one of their radiator’s off and opened their windows). So, my question is; is it the radiators? Can they be replaced? I think they are full of decades worth of gunk but I’ve read they can’t be bled. It’s one of those boilers where you have to turn a water valve to keep it full and working. I know it leaks because every couple of weeks it gets empty and the heat goes off in the entire building. I know the landlord is concerned about having any contractors or inspectors in because the building hasn’t been inspected since 1986 (I know this because that was the last time an inspector signed the building certificate posted in the hallway). She’s also done lots of hidden construction (turning one apartment into two, closing off doorways) which would cause some problems too. She’s not a bad person but I don’t think she knows what she’s doing when it comes to the heat (if, in fact, she’s doing anything besides giving me lip service and taking my $2700 every month).
The problem with going to housing court is that future landlords have every right not to rent to someone who has taken a landlord to housing court. That stuff is a matter of public record–I always make sure I am not renting to someone with a housing court history.
If the OP wants to have trouble renting in NYC in the future, then she should go directly to housing court over three freaking degrees.
It’s three degrees, and your landlord has the right to keep your place much colder at night than he does. I think it’s important to know when to fight. This does not seem like one of those times.
I would buy myself a nice sweater or two and stop worrying about it. He’s so close to being within the law that it just makes you look bad to fight it.
To curiousitykilledthecat…..
The heating dilemma is not about us or the op for that matter.
It is about the thermometer the city provides for their inspectors to do the reading.
Everything else is irrelevant.
Remember this, bureaucracy is just that.
The city is Dumbass about everything
I wouldn’t be suprised if they went there with a busted thermometer.
Please don’t tell me to stick the thermometer where the *sun don’t shine*.
Enuf said!
Right 68 and 55. It’s cold but that is the NYC requirement. I would freeze with that and my tenants are the beneficiaries. Find an owner occupied brownstone. In the meantime, get a heater and an electric blanket. I lived through one of the coldest winters on record in NYC in a beach house with no central heat (just one natural gas unit) and got a wonderful night sleep with an electric blanket and also had heaters.
Let’s get back to OP’s original complaint: the apartment is 65 – 68 during the day, 63 at night.
NYC law stipulates 68 during the day, 55 at night.
Ysabelle, YOU are out of whack (charming that you blame your computer, though). OP should file what at housing court? That the apartment is sometimes 2 degrees cooler than it should be during the day (and 8 degrees warmer than required at night)? Seems like a lot of hassle for an occassional 2 degrees.
Sorry about my original duplicate responses.
My computer is out of whack.
Space heater and illegal apartments = death in a fire.
Be careful with electric heaters.
Don’t use them..
You might start a fire accidently.
The building sounds very old and it might be wired badly.
If the landlord is not happy about you filing an offiicial complaint
and starts harrassing you.
Go back to court and state *retaliation*. Owner might have to pay fine in addition to paying for all your repairs under the law.
No, you don’t have to move either way.
Go to housing court and file an hp (housing part) proceeding, if you
are broke the filing is free.
If you have income it is about $35 for the filing.
You do not need a private attorney, the city automatically represents your interest for free no matter your income.
While you are at it list the whole kettle of fish.
In other words list everything wrong with the apartment. You get one shot. It makes your case stronger.
The court will help you fill out the papers for free and they will let you know the exact date the court appointed inspector will be out to verify and write it all up.
It doesn’t matter what type of housing.
Rent stabilized or market rate apartment, condo, etc.
The law is the law
Yes, I am a landlord and keep everything in working order for my tenants especially the heat.