Do I need to continue paying rent and utilities if my apt. turns out to be illegal? (apartments, lease)
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.
Hi, I recently moved into this apartment of a family house in Sunset Park. I live on the 3rd Floor and there is another unit on my floor. I noticed that my neighbors get their own Con Ed bill, however I don't get my own bill. My apt. doesn't have its own electric/gas meter and my landlord charges me 10% from the entire bill of the building (at least that's what he claims) but I never get to see an actual bill. He also charges me for heat. Somehow the bill gets higher every month. I read about, if the apt. doesn't have its own electric/gas meter it's considered illegal and the lease I signed is therefor not valid and I don't need to pay my landlord rent or utilities, is that correct? If so, how do I go about it? What are the next steps? He also lied about the apt. being roach-free, that the kitchen-fan in each apt. has its own exit (biggest lie ever, because when the people on the ground floor cook, it all travels to my apt. and it smells awful). I also noticed two apt.s in the basement, that seem to be illegal because there are no windows. Anyways, do I need to inquire at the department of buildings first before I deny paying rent? Can I just call them or do I need to go there in person? How long will it take until I know if my apt. is illegal?
Is your motivation to stop paying rent a way to motivate the landlord to fix certain issues/allow you to leave without seizing your security or just so that you can live rent free for awhile? If its the latter, realize that even if the place is illegal you will eventually be evicted. The landlord won't allow you to stay in a legal apartment without paying rent and the city won't allow you to stay in an illegal one that's not up to code.
If its the former, I'd first try to negotiate with the landlord and if that doesn't work then potentially meet with a lawyer to see what your options really are (as opposed to quasi legal advice from an anonymous forum).
And, by the way, if you've only moved in recently, has it occurred to you that maybe the reason your bills are getting bigger is because the weather has been getting colder?
10% might be 20 bucks. It's not a deal breaker. If you're unhappy move into a legit setting and pay more.
From what amount though is the question? He can obviously charge me whatever he feels like, since I don't see an actual bill. And that's illegal.
Anyhow I went to the department of buildings. I don't have to pay utilities because I don't get a bill. I can stop paying rent obviously and gotta deal with the possibility to get evicted, however I can also sue him and take him to court if he does that as well and call 311 to have an inspector come check the building. Which will end up costing him more.
Thank you to the few legit answers. And to the few smart asses on this board, why bother having this forum when most of you can give a helpful reply? Like the saying goes "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say nothing at all".
And, by the way, if you've only moved in recently, has it occurred to you that maybe the reason your bills are getting bigger is because the weather has been getting colder?
What has that to do with the actual issue? Besides that, it's illegal too to get charged for heat in NY.
On another note, I do have proof from the department of buildings that my apartment is illegal.
Is your motivation to stop paying rent a way to motivate the landlord to fix certain issues/allow you to leave without seizing your security or just so that you can live rent free for awhile? If its the latter, realize that even if the place is illegal you will eventually be evicted. The landlord won't allow you to stay in a legal apartment without paying rent and the city won't allow you to stay in an illegal one that's not up to code.
If its the former, I'd first try to negotiate with the landlord and if that doesn't work then potentially meet with a lawyer to see what your options really are (as opposed to quasi legal advice from an anonymous forum).
Thank you smarty, don't you think I've already done this as well? But through google I came across this "awesome" forum, because somebody on here had issues with their landlord and apartment as well. I wanted to find out if anybody had similar experiences on here, but I forgot how arrogant some NYers can be. Again why do you have this forum again?
Thanks again for your smart ass advices on here. I make sure NOT to ever look for advice on city-data.com again.
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.
