Posted by Chris G on June 21, 2001 at 09:30:11:
In Reply to: How Long For Repairs posted by Kay on June 20, 2001 at 20:38:49:
even tho some laws are different for LL's with many properties, there are some basic laws that affect everybody. for example, the LL is to provide you with a property that is fit for human habitation. if she's letting this carpet thing slide, she isn't holding up her end of the bargain. so definitely withhold the rent until it is resolved. but LL's are supposed to provide lodging for tenants if the property is being renovated or is otherwise unable to be lived in. i think your situation qualifies.
offer to help in the process and things might go smoother. maybe you can make some calls and show the cleaners the apartment. i assume the LL's apartment did not flood or you can bet she'd be right on top of it!
: There was a major leak in my apartment over the weekend, and my carpets are soaked with water. I've cleaned up the worst of it, but they are still wet. My landlady has said she's going to either have the carpets professionally cleaned and extracted or replace the carpet completely. But it keeps getting delayed, first they were supposed to come to make an estimate on Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday and now Thursday. Four days doesn't seem like much, but my carpets are very wet and with the hot weather they are starting to mildew and mold. The stench is getting so bad that you can smell it even outside the apartment. It gets worse every day. I don't have the equipment to clean it up any more myself, I've opened up the windows and doors and run fans and it's not helping, and I don't know what to do. She has said she's going to fix it, but I don't think it can be done before the middle of next week, probably later.
: If the apartment becomes unliveable temporarily, what can I do? I don't have any place else to stay, even temporarily. A couple of week delay seems like too minor to justify withholding rent, but I'm not sure I can stay here while the apartment continues to get moldy and the stench gets worse. Are landlords expected to pay for other housing if the apartment is unliveable? (I'm not sure mold qualifies anyway, but it might.)
: I live in a suburb of NYC. My apartment is a converted garage and my landlady only owns this one apartment -- some of the rent laws are written to cover "landlords owning three units or more" so I wondered if they applied to a landlord with a single apartment.
: K
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