Tenant Rights: Hallway Upkeep?
Hello, I am new to this site and am also in a new apartment in Bed Stuy. The apartment is wonderful, but after moving in I have a few qualms with the general maintenance of the building. Is there any support for tenants in this situation? The issues specifically are: roaches (when I did the…
Hello,
I am new to this site and am also in a new apartment in Bed Stuy. The apartment is wonderful, but after moving in I have a few qualms with the general maintenance of the building. Is there any support for tenants in this situation?
The issues specifically are: roaches (when I did the walk through I didn’t see any– however every night when I come home– they scatter and then linger), and the hallway is disgusting. The floor is sort of peeling up on the stairs, but worse than that are the totally grimy walls (that are painted a horror-film blue with remnants of graffiti). As a renter do I have any power to request better up keep of the building?
Thanks, I appreciate any and all advice.
Roaches and stair safety aside, I agree with GP on this: presumably you saw the grimy condition of the hallway before you signed the lease, and your rent amount probably factors this in. After all, there are p-lenty of apartments out there, and this is the one you chose.
We have mice, roaches, pigeons, and a hallway that appears not to have been cleaned in 25 years. I have cleaned my part of it three times and had to wear a dust mask to keep from choking. Technically, these things are the landlord’s responsibility, but except for sending an exterminator once a month, she’s not interested. She told me if I don’t like it I can move, so I am. In any case, putting out roach traps yourself is far more effective than an exterminator, so I recommend you do that.
Disregard gp. All good comments here, and your landlord should also exterminate the whole building monthly if roaches are a problem.
You’re in bedstuy not Park Avenue. Get some roach motels. Did you not see the hallways when you moved in? Were you smoking something? hipsters… go back to Idaho.
I have thought of that– I am even considering offering to paint the hallway myself (4 floors) if I can get the landlord to pay for the paint. I think it would be worth his while– and mine, as it would make the place more rent-able. Clearly I would MUCH rather not do this, but if there are no legal requirements for landlords, then I guess I have no choice.
The problem is the place is in need of a pretty serious make-over, and sadly sweeping and mopping will not really do the trick.
Thanks, and keep the suggestions coming.
Probably not what you want to hear, but how about sweeping the hall yourself? When I was a tenant, the landlord would hand me a lightbulb if the hall light was out, but no amount of griping got the stairways swept. Operating under the idea that I lived there and I wasn’t a pig, I started sweeping. I hoped the several other tenants would become cleaner too. Inspiring the neighbors never worked, but it wasn’t a huge job to sweep the floor now and then and I mopped my own landing when I did my kitchen.
The short answer: Landlords of multiple dwellings must keep the apartments and the building’s public areas in “good repair†and clean and free of vermin, garbage or other offensive material. Start by contacting the landlord to discuss your concerns, and keep a record of the date and time of your call. If necessary, follow-up in writing and send by certified mail. For more info, you can start by reviewing the Housing Maintenance Code: http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/hmc/hmc.html