List Only

I have no hot water in my apartment and rent is due this weekend. What should I do?

I got back to my apartment Sunday to find out that there is NO HOT WATER! I called the maintenance line on Monday morning and left a message. Tuesday when I was leaving my apartment I found a notice clipped to my door saying: "The issue is being worked on. The original problem of an obstruction to a gas line revealed a much larger problem. This along with being stood up by feeble contractors has made a difficult situation into a very uncomfortable situation..." Then the note said that the hot water will hopefully be working by this Friday, December 1st. So for the past few days I've either had to take my showers in the Wellness Center of my college or bear through a painfully cold shower at my apartment. Rent is due Friday, but I don't want to go pay rent for next month only to find out that they're going to take longer to fix it than they said. It would be one thing if this was the first problem, but it's not. Over the summer our dish washer didn't work for a full 3 months! It wouldn't let me fit it all above... Also over the sumer half the electric sockets and the ceiling light/fan didn't work in my roomies' bedroom didn't work for about 4 months too. The maintenance guys here are so lazy. The guy that fixed her fan was new and he was telling us about how the other guys just sit around and he couldn't believe that we went so long without a dishwasher because he knew those guys weren't working on anything. i don't live on campus. moving somewhere else isn't an option. i have a lease through April, then i'm moving to another city and transferring schools. and other than the current hot water issue it's not so bad here (now that the dish washer works haha!).

Public Comments

1. It sounds like you are looking to find out what your tenant rights are in this situation. Does your college have a housing advocate board of some sort, or know if there is someone you could talk to about this issue? Possibly check with your Student Services coordinator - perhaps that person knows how to contact someone regarding your tenant rights. My concern is that you make sure you are following the law. Let's say you refuse to pay the rent over this, could they have the legal right to evict you or start procedures to do so? You have the right to hot water, especially if that is included in your rent. But you want to make sure you don't do something that could create more hardship for you in the long run.
2. Dish washer isn't something that is considered a necessity. Hot water, however, is. If it isn't working by Friday, and you'll have to check your state laws on this one, you are entitled to live there without paying rent until the hot water is fixed. Again, check your state laws on this one.
3. If you don't pay your rent, you can put yourself at risk for eviction. You should, however, feel free to voice your displeasure and demand that the management company or landlord compensate you for the inconvenience, either by cutting you a check or giving you a rent credit or otherwise making it right (perhaps a gift card to an area grocery store or a visit to a day spa!). Do all this in writing with proof of deliveries so it can stand legal scrutiny in small claims court. Depending on the terms of your lease you may not have any right to legal recourse and you may get nothing...but then again you might get a nice massage and a hot soak in the whirpool. ;)
4. Search the net for Landlord/Tenant law in your state/county. I experienced something similar just this year. You are legally allowed to withhold rent in my area, IF you set up an Escrow account. You can do this for free. What you'd be doing is basically putting your rent into this account and it would be withheld from your landlord until they provided you with a livable space. HOWEVER, I strongly suggest you look into moving. It was easier for me to move than to go through the legal tape just to have a comfortable living space. I paid first and last month's rent up front, instead of a Security deposit, so I lost no money. I moved only after four months in the condo. The landlords were not responsive to ANY of my complaints. We were cordial, but I definitely decided to move!!!
5. I would try and find another place to live. Also, contact a lawyer and find out who you need to speak to in order to report the owner of the apartment complex. The owner must be violating some local and or state laws.