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moved in - waiting on repairs

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moved in - waiting on repairs

Postby NJSTEE » Fri Nov 18, 2011 11:01 pm

hi,

i moved into an apartment nov 2nd and the owner's the maintence company has still not made repairs the bathroom needed. Before moving in i asked the realty company if the apt would be ready on the 1st or later in the week to allow them to come in and make the repairs. they said the repairs will be made and I'll be ready to move in on 11/1.

the repairs the bathroom needs are the tiles need to be grouted, the drain is the shower is rediculously slow, the fan is old and discolored and filled with dust etc etc. I've had trouble getting replies from the company on when they can come in and have read some bad reviews about them. they were set to come in on the 12th but had an "emergency" and werent able to get to my place. they first emailed me that they would come back this monday or tuesday to complete it but didnt show up.

So, my question is do I have any recourse with the rent money paid. half the month has gone by and the apt (bathroom) is still not repaired. Am i allowed to take money off the next month's rent because the apartment is still not ready.



what actions can i take?



thanks for the help
NJSTEE
 
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Postby concord » Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:04 am

(1)

Firstly I am assuming that you have at least a one-year lease and that the landlord (LL) won’t be able to evict you any time soon.

Secondly, you should not delete the email from the plumber.

Thirdly I believe you can call 311 to report your problem. You would be forwarded to an HPD associate who would take the information. They would schedule an inspection. This step documents the status of the repairs and you have now started a traceable paper-trail that you would need at some point if you were to pursue any action to recover rent money from the lack of service if you are even entitled to any such reimbursement.

(2)

There was an unusual case in which a tenant, in NY City, was supposed to have a functioning dish-washing machine as part of the rental agreement. But the machine in the apt never worked. The tenant kept requesting that the LL fix it but the LL ignored the tenant.

This tenant took the case to Small Claims court. The tenant calculated how much time he had spent washing his dishes. He multiplied those hours by the minimum wage. He reached a final dollar amount. The judge agreed that the tenant was entitled to reimbursement of that dollar amount from the LL.
concord
 
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Postby NJSTEE » Sun Dec 04, 2011 3:00 am

yes, i signed a 1 year lease

also, forgot to mention i'm in new jersey.

since my post they have come in and done some repairs.

still half the bath needs to be grouted and they say they cant get the floor of the bathtub any better. i asked them to re glaze it but only about half the grime(dis-colorization) had come off

over 1 month in, and the bathroom is still not mwhat i expected when i moved in. i already sent decemeber's rent fearing if i with held anything, they would not finish the job, but am prepared to take some off on next month's rent if i am able to
NJSTEE
 
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Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 3:11 am

Postby TenantNet » Sun Dec 04, 2011 4:04 am

Is your shift key not working?
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