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Can I Deduct From Rent For Furnace Not Being Fixed ?
February 8, 2010 by admin
Filed under Heating & AC FAQ
I rent a house and my furnace is broken. I have 3 kids and we have been without heat since Wednesday night. ( 5 nights now). My landlord has had someone look at it and the repairman claims he has to order parts and will not be fixed until the end of the week. At that point it will be well over a week with no heat. Landlord hasn’t offered me a heater or anyway to stay warm. I have nowhere else I can stay. Can I deduct money from my rent for the time I was without heat ? I live in NY.
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No, but it appears your landlord has violated your lease by being negligent. Talk to the landlord about reducing your rent for the month to compensate you for having no heat.
If you deduct the money he may get Pissy. As a Landlord I would have found that part somewhere and had it shipped next day. Short of that at least provided you with some electric heaters, Also leaving someone without heat for so long is probably a health code violation.. I would call the guy again-and talk to him-to me it doesnt seem he views this as an Emergency
Not sure if you can deduct from the rent or not, but your landlord should have provided you with some source of heater. Especially where you have children. And if the guy fixing it says its going to be a week, he should have checked around with other heating supply companies that keep parts in stock. Who pays the bill if your kids get sick with colds?
Tenant rights in NYhttp://www.oag.state.ny.us/bureaus/real_…
Yes you are right. The landlord has to keep his properties habitable and must keep up on repairs that affect living conditions. You should report him if he cant come up with a suitable offer or a break on your rent because nobody would agree to live there with no heat.
depends on what your lease says