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My wife and I were happily living in a nice duplex in a cool area of Pittsburgh till my job went sour. We then moved to Reading, PA for a better job.
I got into a apartment complex that is about 25 older buildings in one complex. They advertised that they provide heat. They have one large boiler in each building and they control the boiler. It runs to the registers to every room in the building, and there is no valve or control on the register.
However, since it got cold (and this isn't winter cold) it has been about 61 degrees every morning in the apartment. We have no thermostat. I asked many times how to control the heat. The landlord never responds. Finally after the building inspector called they answered me, and said there are only a few in each building, so most apartments don't have them.
We called the building inspector. He came to investigate on a 70 degree afternoon late October day. What good that did. He said the heat was on and the apartments were past the 68 degree minimum they are suppose to be kept at. But he never comes on a cold 30-45 degree morning and can see the thermometer in my son's room at 61 degrees. So now I have to pump 150 bucks of electric space heating into this apartment every month because my "free" heat doesn't work.
Question; Can I use this to get out of my lease? Should I keep recording the temperature? Should I go back with this inspector and bother him again and say, 'come on a day when it isn't 70 degrees?"
My wife and I were happily living in a nice duplex in a cool area of Pittsburgh till my job went sour. We then moved to Reading, PA for a better job.
I got into a apartment complex that is about 25 older buildings in one complex. They advertised that they provide heat. They have one large boiler in each building and they control the boiler. It runs to the registers to every room in the building, and there is no valve or control on the register.
However, since it got cold (and this isn't winter cold) it has been about 61 degrees every morning in the apartment. We have no thermostat. I asked many times how to control the heat. The landlord never responds. Finally after the building inspector called they answered me, and said there are only a few in each building, so most apartments don't have them.
We called the building inspector. He came to investigate on a 70 degree afternoon late October day. What good that did. He said the heat was on and the apartments were past the 68 degree minimum they are suppose to be kept at. But he never comes on a cold 30-45 degree morning and can see the thermometer in my son's room at 61 degrees. So now I have to pump 150 bucks of electric space heating into this apartment every month because my "free" heat doesn't work.
Question; Can I use this to get out of my lease? Should I keep recording the temperature? Should I go back with this inspector and bother him again and say, 'come on a day when it isn't 70 degrees?"
What should one do?
Keep calling the inspector and recording the temperatures.
However, since it got cold (and this isn't winter cold) it has been about 61 degrees every morning in the apartment.
What should one do?
Check the law in PA for what the *minimum* standards actually are.
Odds are it will say something like this:
Quote:
Provide heat between Mid October and Mid April...
65° between 6:30 AM and 10:30 PM...
60° during the night and when the temperature is below 0°...
and likely something about where in the room to place the t-meter
Quote:
Can I use this to get out of my lease? Use what?
Should I keep recording the temperature? If you do... you'll need a recording thermometer.
Quote:
They advertised that they provide heat.
And you thought someone was giving something away?
fwiw My t-stat is set at 65F during the day too.
hth
Last edited by MrRational; 11-04-2011 at 08:23 AM..
Have you actually written to the LL or have the complaints been made orally? You need to address this issue in writing to the LL, preferably by return receipt certified mail as this is a question of habitability for which he is given only a "reasonable time" to fix. You should also follow up in writing to the Building Inspector asking that an inspection be done at a time of day when the outside temperature is obviously not going to affect the readings.
You are treading on very shaky ground to contemplate withholding rent in a case such as this. In certain instances a tenant can withhold rent when paying for such as an appliance repair or water damage when the LL has failed to fix the problem in a reasonable period. A court will generally uphold such deductions but your problem isn't quite so simple.
Do address these concerns to the appropriate people in writing as soon as possible. Good luck.
Mr. Rational. They arn't giving it away. There buildings have about 10 apartments in them. They have one main boiler,or you would pay gas. Since they can't meter everybody's apartment with one boiler they then pay for the energy bills by upping the rent. So no, it isn't "free". I lived in many apartments in Denver and Pittsburgh where there was one large boiler the heater radiators to the apartments. You didn't have to pay for the energy then through a meter, but the landlord was covering fees through the rent. They don't give heat away for free. Either way I am paying for it, so I don't want my 6 month year old son in a 61 degree room.
The state minimum is 68 degrees. I can't find it online but the inspector told me this.
I been addressing everything through writing. But I haven't recoded the temp. I will get a recoding thermometer for the winter. Thanks for that tidbit. I didn't think of that.
You say you did address these issues in writing to both the LL and the Building Inspector but how long ago was that, were the letters received or acknowledged and did you give your LL any time frame for getting back to you with a response? It seems that this may have only been a very recent problem since you said that the inspector came "late October".
The state minimum is 68 degrees.
I can't find it online but the inspector told me this.
If it is true... you need to find it in a law that applies to LL's and/or habitability standards.
I'd start with the inspector and/or that office.
But I don't believe this assertion (as stated) is factually correct...
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