Landlord trying to charge me extra for heat

[Corn-fused]

Originally Posted by mathjak107

we live in a high rise where we have no control over the heat and it gets brutally hot in the winter so we usually have our windows open . but if we could control our own heat then those windows should be closed.

i vote for the landlord is right if you have control .

Yeah, I have a friend who lives in a very large complex and the heat is included and tenants are not able to regulate their own heat in their units. And the hallways are the worst! When I go to visit her I have to take a deep breath before I can even walk into the building because you just can't breathe in the hallways it is so hot. She has her window open all through the winter. She has to. Everyone in her building complains but they don't do anything about it. What a waste.

I wish I had her problems (and some of her heat) but I pay all of my own utilities and I freeze during the winter because it costs so much to heat my place.

So I do have to agree that if you are able to regulate your heat then you shouldn't need to have the windows open unless the heat is completely off and/or you need to quickly air the place out for some reason. But if the heat is on and windows open you should be charged for it. If you can't regulate the heat then tell the LL that it is set too high.

[Koale]

Baseboard heat is electric, right? You're paying that bill, right? How does he know you have your baseboard heater on at all unless he's snooping where he shouldn't be. Tell him you pay the electric and to butt out of your business.
Koale

[nightcrawler]

too bad.
even with the heat on it is always nice to have fresh air coming in.
donot pay the 25 bucks.
tell the ll then to turn the heat down if it is too hot.

i absolutely would not pay it.

if my apt is too hot, and im on the top floor, i call the ll to lower the heat, that he loves to do. so that works for us.

[Ned B]

Certainly I don't think that a landlord can prevent a tenant from opening their windows. Dwellings are required by most city codes to have operable windows to provide required ventilation. Since your heat is by hot water instead of forced air, there wouldn't be much fresh air moving around your unit in the cold months.

If as it sounds, the landlord pays for your heat, the renter has control over the temperature, and if windows are being open on a regular basis, the landlord may have a case to impose a fine. However, if you turn up the thermometer, or turn the heat off while the windows are open, or do it just occasionally to air out the room, these are things that as a tenant you should be allowed to do.

And there are plenty of reasons to have the windows open while heat is on: there is no temperature control and it is too hot; I once had an apartment with single pane aluminum windows that would freeze over on the inside if they weren't cracked a little; older buildings often don't have an exhaust fan in the bathroom, I always open a window or two when I shower, otherwise the bathroom may never dry out, etc.

[LifeIsGood01]

Originally Posted by Koale

Baseboard heat is electric, right?

Nor necessarily, it can be gas heat used to heat water into the pipes.