Is this enough to break a lease?

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

I spoke with her and her main problem is getting the place re-rented. I offered to show the place, fully staged with my stuff, on my own time once I get word that I can move back into my old place.. it should rent easily since the location is golden on paper, and I've already dealt with the BIG problems..

Well, the problems just keep on coming. Now that the furnace and thermostat are fixed, I've discovered they're both completely worthless in the bedroom. Walk through the doorway and the temperature drops 15 degrees, even if I've had the door open all day with the thermostat set to 65. Fortunately, this is Northern California, so it's not like my life is in danger, but it's still a problem because my living room is basically unlivable to me, and my bedroom (which is otherwise OK) isn't getting heated.

And then there was the homeless man who greeted me on the way up the stairs this afternoon. That certainly made me feel cheerful.

[Ultrarunner]

A couple of thoughts...

Right now the Bay Area is going through a cold snap... we normally don't have many nights where it dips to freezing.

Almost all apartments, especially older ones, only have a gravity wall furnace... bedrooms are always colder because the air doesn't circulate well.

You can move air with a small fan or use a portable oil filled type electric heater for zone heating. An electric blanket might also work in a pinch.

Not recommended... my Grandmother would heat her kitchen just enough to take the chill off by turning on her oven and leaving the door open for a few minutes on days she didn't bake.

More Town Homes and Condos will have forced air heat as well as single family homes built around 1960 and newer. Might also want to check for Central Air for your next move... we do have a week or two every year with temps around 100.

[sonarrat]

My old apartment had individual electric heaters for each room. (It also had a dishwasher, which this apartment does not.)

[Copernicus]

Wow, what a tough situation. I would vote for the peaceful solution to break the lease as others have suggested. With all negotiations its better to start out with a friendly discussion of the facts before escalation.

However, if that doesn't work, I guarantee you that there is someone in an agency in government up there looking to be a hero - one that could wreak havoc on your landlord.

That list includes code inspectors, health department etc. There is no end to the list of separate agencies that might be willing to take a look at your case.

One time I had a landlord that wouldn't keep the heat turned up - I called "Heat Hotline" (for situations where the power gets turned off) - problem solved.

Another time I had an electrical outlet shooting sparks. Called for service three times. No one came. I called the electrical inspector for the city. When he put his testers in the wall, he unfortunately received significant burns on his hands. Needless to say problem solved.

I am in the camp of doing the right thing and directly addressing the problem. But if you hit a wall, there are a lot of options open to you.

Best of luck to you........

[chestnut1234]

Need to break my lease:Gas furnace almost blew up, gas company called out, and shut it off, and said it needs to be repaired, said also that the furance hadn't been serviced in a long time. She has 30 days to do this.Back porch light, flashes off and on, (not the lightbulb) a problem with electrical wiring.Spouting and gutter is falling down.Trees are uprooted and rotting in the yard.Fireplace was never cleaned and also not usable because dirty from renters' before and also insert is coming out of fireplace.Electrical outlet on range is on the floor underneath the range and not fixed on the wall.If these things aren't fixed in 1 month, I will call code violations of the City, and they can comeout and tell her also, we are out of here.