Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Since we have been living in our apt, for many years, we always had heat in our bathroom, our kitchen and in the bedrooms. All of a sudden, the landlord decides that the line to our bathrooms be shutoff, leaving that room without heat. The rest of the lines and radiators in the apt continue having heat. Can she do that? Even before we moved in a long time ago there was alwas heat in the bathrooms (it's one of those pipes that run up the apts)
The part that makes it all worse is that is only in our line of apts! The rest of the building continues having heat in the baths! Is this legal? By the way, this was during last year winter (around January to today). We called her to complain back then and she said it would be fixed - it never was - and now that is heating season again we discover that the bathroom line still has no heat!
It is a small older building in the lower east side, and my neighbors that live in the same line as us (above and below) are rent controlled and rent stabilized, including us.
Were can we complain? Can we reduce our rent because she reduce the heat? Any help is much appreciated. If you know other web where I can ask about this is also appreciated. Thank you
Last edited by dulcinanyc; 10-17-2010 at 03:54 PM..
If this is only in one line of apartments then there is a break in the pipe. There is no reason to make something big out of something so miniscule as a bathroom. If all the other rooms have heat then you have no cause for action. If the problem occurs below you then the issue is between them and the landlord. It may require breaking into the wall in their apartment to correct it. You cannot hold back rent for this issue.
He probably tested the pipe from the boiler to that extension and already surmised the break/clog/rust out is behind a wall. If that is the situation then, due to the age of the building, engineers will need to be brought in to resolve.
As to law; the apartment itself needs to be at a certain temperature inclusive of living areas. Kitchens, bathrooms and closets are not.
I don't think you understood our situation. We ALWAYS had heat in the pipe in the bathroom before. We always did for 40 years we live here and it was always heat before us. We want to know if she can shutoff just our line and not the other apt lines next door or in front, just us and the neighbors abobe and below us. There is no break in pipes or repair! I think she do it because we are rent control and rent stabilized to make us angry. My question is if she can legaly now decide to not heat our bathrooms for no reason other than to save money or make us angry. It is not fair only us have to have no heat and everyone else in the building still have heat in their bathrooms. We pay rent like the others and always on time!
Even if there was a break in the pipe this was since december-january! She had a lot of time to fix it! She dont cared. She do it on purpose and we want to know what we can do. We don't want to complain to 311 because we don't want them to tell her yet. We dont want to make problems if she is right to shut it off. We are all scared of her she is very mean to everyone.
please I do not mean to be rude but why do continue saying about the pipe is broken? I said that the pipe is fine even the handyman that works for her told us so when we told him that we did not have heat in the bathroom now. Its just something she decided to do last winter for no reason! We are not that mean to complain if it was broken or if something had to be fixed but I repeat the pipe is not broken or any other problem!
We have friends that live in apts were there was no heat pipe in the bath and in that case I understand that their landlord does not have to put heat there because there never was any before. They dont even have heat pipe in the kitchen, but they have many radiators in the living room and the bedrooms so its warm. But our case is different we always had heat in the bath and want to know if a landlord can decide to eliminate it just for no reason. We continue to have heat in the kitchen pipe and other radiators in the bedrooms.
Please do not say about a broken pipe because the pipe is ok. This was already from last winter to today. Please if it was that a pipe broke there was many months and all summer and all now to fix it but that is not the reason.
Yes we are afraid. She is mean and one of the sons even hit a neighbor once and the police had to come here. Our old landlord from before was very nice person and his wife.
Your landlord is probably having trouble keeping up with bills if she invested her money and lost a bundle as so many people have. Taxes go up higher now than the rents do. Still she is responsible to make sure you have heat in your apartment even if you pay your own heat she must still make sure the pipes, thermostat and all parts are in working order for you. The bathroom isn't major you can always run the hot water to steam it up before showing. Still you should have heat in it and so you shouldn't have to spend time and waste water doing that. Check your lease just to be sure nothing is said about the bathroom being separate just to be on the safe side. Strange as that sounds you never know what people will agree to even without knowing it. Check with you health department and see what they say. As you said she had all last winter to save up for this so even though it's hard for everyone right now she had time to make arrangements and look into making payments to have the work done. I would have supplied you with an electric heater, the safest on the market, with instructions to keep away from the tub, shower and sink to get by until I could get a contractor/plumber to fix the problem. If I were told during the winter on short notice but again as you said she had plenty of time, all last summer if I read what you said correct.
Edit: Have you looked into bleeding all the radiators? I remember years ago when I was a tenant we weren't getting heat and come to find the tenant downstairs turned it off because her cat was shedding. I wanted to strangle her and our landlord when saw the landlord had the hots for her. I remember seeing him ogle over her every time he saw her and didn't do anything to make her keep the heat. I got so sick from living with no heat I finally threatened to call the Health Dept. on him and have him reported that got it fixed real quick.
Last edited by Lolipopbubbles; 10-17-2010 at 09:44 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
By the way, this was during last year winter (around January to today). We called her to complain back then and she said it would be fixed - it never was - and now that is heating season again we discover that the bathroom line still has no heat! 
I got so sick from living with no heat I finally threatened to call the Health Dept. on him and have him reported that got it fixed real quick.
