Apartment Problems....ie Heat, Hot Water, AC...ETC!

Updated on December 04, 2010
K.K. asks from Fredericksburg, VA
7 answers

Hi ladies,

Seems like I just keep having problems with the apartment I live in. I moved in during mid-January. Everything has been a hassle. The first two weeks, I had no water coming out of my shower and it was all gritty. I had to take showers at work and my parents house. That finally got fixed. But ever since I moved in; I was never able to fill the bath tub half way with warm water. Today I tried to take a bath so I could shave and the water started out warm (not even "hot") and it quickly turned to cold water. I even let the water run before I filled the tub for a few minutes. I had to yet again take a cold bath. Last night I tried to bathe the dog and it was cold water as well. Maintenance keeps coming out for this problem and turns up the water system. They keeping telling me everything is fine and they don't understand the problem.

As far as my heat and AC, that is another problem! After numerous calls and maintenance coming over for the AC during the summer, nothing was working. It was about 90 degrees in my apartment most days and I kept the thermostat at 68. My mother was furious and she had to come in to talk to them about this. My dad was even at my apartment one day trying to hang pictures up and he was exhausted from the AC not working. They finally arranged to have a company come out and they replaced the unit--it was over 30 years old and not working properly. The company also replaced the thermostat.

Now that it is cold outside, the heat hasn't been working. I set the thermostat to 71 degrees thinking that would be extremely warm, however its been freezing cold. I even have on of those space heaters and it read 63 degrees in the apartment. Something just is not right here. The maintenance person came out (5th time for the heat now) and said everything was fine and that I should keep my apartment at 78 degrees. Now I'm sorry, but I think it's a bit crazy to keep the place at 78 degrees. When I lived in a house, it was set at 68 degrees and that was so warm! The guy kept making excuses how the building is old and has drafts. I told him that I had 3 sweaters on, a robe and a big blanket and I was still cold at 71 degrees. He just said he would have to talk to his boss (ie the leasing people) about it. I asked for him to call out the company and he said he didn't feel like there was a reason to.

I'm sorry, but I feel like I am getting taken advantage of because of my age. I also think these apartments have all the controls set low (heat, AC) so you pay big amounts of money to keep your place cool/warm. I think they are screwing people honestly. I don't see how the maintenance people can keep telling me everything is fine when I'm freezing cold or do not get any hot water! I would like to have a bath where I can actually shave and not get cuts due to cold water!

Any suggestions? I'm sure the option of moving out will arise. I wish I could, but then again I'd owe them a specific amount...I believe its over $1,500 for breaking a lease. Any ideas?

Thanks ladies!

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More Answers

E.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Happens everywhere unfortunately. You have to be a pretty aggressive and persistent renter to get some landlords to live up to their side of the contract. I found this online for VA (www.vdacs.virginia.gov):

Q: My landlord refuses to repair anything. What can I do to get things repaired?
Serious repair issues, such as faulty electrical wiring, gas leaks, and structural damage may be violations of the local building code which should be brought to the attention of the Building Inspection office for your city or county. The Building Inspector may inspect your building, and if warranted, issue a citation to the landlord for any violations that require repairs. Section 55-248.13 of the VRLTA outlines the duties and responsibilities of the landlord to maintain the rental property.

For issues not involving safety, you should advise the landlord in writing of the specific items needing repair. The letter should state that the landlord has a reasonable amount of time not to exceed thirty days, from the date of receipt to make the repairs. You should consider sending the letter via certified mail so the delivery date is noted. If repairs are still not made, the tenant may place the rent in an escrow account with the General District Court having jurisdiction in that locality. This action is detailed in Section 55-248.27 of the VRLTA.

The contact information for the appropriate General District Court in your locality is available from the Virginia Supreme Court Web site. You may also wish to check your local telephone directory.

Consumer Protection HOTLINE Toll free in Virginia: 1.800.552.9963

Virginia Fair Housing Office
3600 West Broad Street, 5th floor
Richmond, VA 23230
888.551.3247 or ###-###-####

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V.T.

answers from Dallas on

How long is your lease? Usually they are for a year, so you can give your landlord 30 days notice and be fine to move out mid-January. If your lease is longer than a year, review your lease and the laws of Virginia and find out if there are legal grounds to break your lease where you are not liable for the breaking of the lease fee. You have the right to basic necessities and I consider hot water to be one of them as well as heat. AC, may still be considered a luxury, but I don't know who can live without it. For now, start documenting every problem. I know $1500 is a lot to break a lease, but maybe you can afford $200 to talk to an attorney and find out if you have any legal remedies, or maybe find a legal aid clinic. Check the area colleges to see if they have an legal clinics, or call the Virginia bar association to see if they can recommend anyone to you.

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L.B.

answers from Biloxi on

I had same hot water problem years ago in an apartment - the hot ran out very quickly - turned out it was a heating element in the water heater. The unit had to be replaced.

For all of your maintenance problems you need to put it all into writing. What is wrong (be specific), when (dates and times) you have reported the problems, what the response has been (a verbal platitude, a maintenance visit, a repair) and send it to the leasing company. It is time to circumvent the maintenance man.

Do you have an on-site apartment manager? Bring a copy of the letter to him/her also.

Check with your local fair housing authority about tenant rights - they can also advise you on how to handle this. If you think you are being treated differently than other tenants because of your age then this discrimination and they can help you address that.

Good Luck!

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C.A.

answers from San Francisco on

Renters usually have more rights than landlords. I am sure if you google renter's rights for your state you can find a way out of your lease or a way to compell them to fix the issues. Good luck!

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R.D.

answers from Kansas City on

How long is your lease? You said you moved in mid-January and most leases run a year at a time, right? So you could move mid-January, or on February 1, 2011. Give proper notice and you shouldn't have to pay for breaking the lease. Where is your copy? Check it!

Now for the CURRENT problem: Keep on them! Call them daily....several times a day if you have to....until someone comes to do something about it. You are RIGHT that you should be able to keep it at 68-71 degrees and be comfortable. Let them know (by your actions) that you will not stand for it. Stand up for yourself! Do Not Let Them Walk All Over You Anymore!!!

PS: I agree with Lesley B. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!

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N.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

In the state where I live renters have lots of rights. Can you find out your rights? I believe that you can not pay rent and still legally stay in an apt that doesn't comply to certain standards. Maybe you could break your lease if standards aren't met. Maybe search "renters rights" or talk to a lawyer who does real estate law?

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A.H.

answers from Chicago on

It sounds like they are trying to slap a bandaid over every problem you're having. And it's not like you're complaining about petty things; these are basic essentials that every renter is fully entitled to. You rented an apartment with a/c, hot water, and heat. I wouldn't stop badgering them until these things are fixed. They will get sick of you calling and eventually fix everything so they don't have to hear from you anymore, haha.

Regarding the hot water, since your water gets warm, the unit is functioning. So either it's on its last leg and needs to be replaced, or the temperature setting is too low. If I were you, I'd go down to where the hot water heater is located and check around the base of the unit to see if you notice any water leaking out of the bottom. If there is, the unit is about to break for good. Secondly I'd have a family member or friend come over and check to see where the temperature is set for the hot water and see if it's too low. Then involve the mgmt company again and demand (nicely :) that this is fixed.

Regarding your heat, if you have central a/c and they said that the unit was over 30 years old...well guess what, so is the furnace. I would call the mgmt company again and tell them that you appreciate them sending the maintenance guy over, but that the furnace still isn't working. The furnace probably needs to be cleaned, filter replaced, and maybe even additional maintenance needed on the furnace itself.

I don't think that the mgmt company or owner would benefit in any way by you paying more for gas/electric....more just that they don't want to spend the money to replace the furnace or water heater if they can get away with it.

Keep on them, you're entitled to adequate heat and hot water!!

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