Brownstone skylights and upper tenant drama

After almost a year of roof leaks going into our upper tenants’ apartment, we finally bit the bullet and replaced our leaky, flat Velux skylights on our brownstone with classic, domed skylights with clear glass and wire mesh embedded (two). We weren’t happy about going this route, but our roofer just said that they were the best to stop the leaks. Our tenants hate them and said that they feel like they’re in jail and almost sound like they’re threatening to withhold rent– and since these skylights do not affect their unit’s habitability (but improves it), they can’t legally do so. Anyone deal with this type of drama? Was it bad form for us to not have asked our tenants what they preferred? (Nothing in lease said that we should have asked or need their permission.) Just want to make sure that we’re not missing something.

emmajacob

in General Discussion 7 years and 6 months ago

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EJR | 7 years and 6 months ago

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Those skylights are period-appropriate. I have one in my stairwell and like it a lot. I’m sure you could have installed a modern skylight that had safety glass without the need for chicken wire, but it would have looked out of place. The tenants will either get used to it or leave and you’ll get new ones.

resident2 | 7 years and 6 months ago

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Tenants come & go… your building is your long term investment.
No you do not need to include your tenants in the final decision of what skylight to install.
They are not your partners.
Your responsibility to your tenants is to make needed repairs to maintain the building; you have done that.
It sounds like your tenants have other issues other than skylights going on in their lives….
Threatening to withhold rent for something that is not a warranty of habitability issue often indicates that they are have financial/personal issues, nothing directly to do with you.

shahnandersen

in General Discussion 7 years and 6 months ago

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There are two questions here. #1 Did you do the most sensible and responsible thing that is in the interest of your tenants? Did you pay on your own for an improvement that basically benefits your tenants? *Of course.* Do you have any liability? *Absolutely not*

#2 Should you have discussed this improvement with them before you did it. *Yes* That would have been the decent thing to do.

Note that the wire mesh is probably required by the current building code and any replacement skylight, no matter what style would require it.