Proper time / channel to ask landlord for improvements
I live in a rent stabilized apartment and am about to resign a two-year lease because I like the apartment in general, but our bathtub has some sort of lining peeling off the bottom (which is probably not good) and also no method of plugging it for use as, like, a tub. Is it better to ask about this before or after signing the lease again? Do I have a chance either way?
paddymonahan
in General Discussion 10 years ago
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mikecrehore | 9 years and 11 months ago
It was a long time ago. I believe the original time when I just did the tub, it was about $2500-$3000. After I was having problems with water getting in between the old tub and new tub installed over it, I had them come back and do the walls around the tub. They don’t warantee the product or install if you don’t do all of it. So I’m guessing the wall surrounds cost another $1500-2000. Like I said, it was a long time ago. I believe the wall surrounds were installed 5-6 years ago and I’ve had no problems since then.
cmu | 9 years and 11 months ago
Karla did you mean 5 thousand?!
BKRed | 9 years and 11 months ago
There’s an excellent and affordable reglazing company on 3rd Avenue; we used them on my mother’s apartment. The porcelain had completely worn away in sections and I could not believe how good it looked afterwards. It was really fast and easy, vs. replacing the tub. But it comes with a strong smell immediately after, so you may want to crash elsewhere that night. https://www.yelp.com/biz/g-and-g-tub-and-tile-reglazing-brooklyn-4
mikecrehore | 9 years and 11 months ago
Contact a company called Bath Fitter. They make an acrylic tub that goes over the existing tub making it just like a brand new tub, without having to remove the old one and the expense that involves. However, I strongly suggest you also have them do the acrylic wall wall surrounds as well. I didn’t and I ended up with water between the old and new tubs which made standing in the shower akin to standing on a water bed. I didn’t at first and had to have them come out and install the surround aferwards. They do a lot of work for hotels when they refurbish the bathrooms. I’m guessing it should cost around $5000.
valerieniosi | 9 years and 11 months ago
Fixing the tub is not considered an improvement. It should have no effect on your rent.
shahnandersen
in General Discussion 10 years ago
Sounds more like a tub liner – a one piece cover that goes over the inside and outside of the tub. I wouldn’t start tearing it away, but would suggest asking your landlord first. Spraying a tub should be less than $500-600.
daveinbedstuy | 10 years ago
Why don’t you search for some estimates to get it reglazed?
paddymonahan | 10 years ago
Thanks for the input, everyone. It sounds like it’s fine as long as there’s no apparent leakage, which is reassuring.
Aces | 10 years ago
Pursuant to the Rent Act of 2011, effective September 24, 2011, in buildings that contain more than 35 apartments, the owner can collect a permanent rent increase equal to 1/60th of the cost of the Individual Apartment Improvement (IAI). In buildings that contain 35 apartments or less, the owner can collect a permanent rent increase equal to 1/40th of the cost of the IAI, as had previously been allowed.
So the amount won’t be that much at all but I guess it is up to your landlord to have it done. Or, can you pay for it yourself and then your rent won’t go up?
shahnandersen
in General Discussion 10 years ago
No harm asking. If you are rent stabilized, you are protected. Landlord has to sign a new lease, and maybe he will fix your tub. Perhaps offer to share the cost.
daveinbedstuy | 10 years ago
Yes, sounds like a re-glazed tub. It’s cosmetic. The integrity of the tub will be fine. It’ll be a pain peeling it off here and there but the landlord probably won’t redo it. BUT, you should tell him about it and see what he says. The likelihood of finding a new apt in this environment at anything but a higher price is very slim. But no, RS landlords are not going to spend money that they dont have too. Such is the shortfalls of that system, among others. You sound like a fairly conscientious tenant and he should be grateful for that from his standpoint
resident2 | 10 years ago
It sounds like you have a “re-glazed” cast iron tub. The “re-glaze” is never as good as the original enamel. That said you could just peel it all off and see how bad the stains are that were the reason for the re-glaze or you can get it re-glazed yourself if you do not want to deal with the landlord. And as Dave in Bed Sty said, go to the hardware store and buy a rubber plug, to plug the drain to take a bath.
mozeeatupu | 10 years ago
You’re either stabilized or control, not both, most likely stabilized.
Unless the tub is leaking, doubt anything needs to be done, as it is working. Your maybe worst case future scenarios aren’t based on anything nor currently happening. There are fixes you can do yourself.
But no harm is asking landlord.
paddymonahan | 10 years ago
> @daveinbedstuy
> The lining may be an old rubberized mat of some sort
Unfortunately, it’s more like a plasticky, vinyly surface that covers the inside and outside of the tub, and it’s flaking off. So far, like a six-inch by four-inch section has come off, plus another smaller patch. It’s been doing that as long as we’ve lived here (two years), and I’m worried about the possibility that it means the tub is losing some of its waterproof-ness and will either get moldy and smelly underneath or do some sort of major damage and we’ll either have an unusable shower or get displaced while it’s repaired if I don’t bring it up to the landlord. But I’m worried about bringing it up to the landlord because I live in a rent-controlled apartment and I’m not very sure of my rights / what effect a seemingly large improvement to the apartment would have on our rent control status.
daveinbedstuy | 10 years ago
The lining may be an old rubberized mat of some sort that got stuck to the bottom over the years. Do the peelings feel like rubber? If it looks like it’s just a small area, try scraping it off with a razor. As far as plugging a tub, you can buy a rubber stopper cheap in any hardware store.