TenantNet Forum

Where tenants can seek help and help others



HELP please-Fire/smoke in my apartment

Public Housing (NYCHA), SRO, HUD, HPD, Mitchell Lama, Lofts, Coop/Condo

Moderator: TenantNet

HELP please-Fire/smoke in my apartment

Postby divya » Tue Dec 08, 2009 1:18 pm

I have read most of the articles on the site, but I have a question that hasn't really been answered...

There was a fire in my building last week (Wednesday), in the apartment below me (tenant's fault, a cigarette-in-bed fire). The only "big" damage to my place was smoke, soot, and a broken door. The broken door was fixed (by my super), and my apartment/surfaces cleaned for the smoke and soot on Friday (on my dime, but going to submit this to mgmt). I have had an air scrubber running since Friday, and noticed no improvement in the smell of my apartment, especially in the bedroom. This is because the soot and smoke in the hallways, heating system, and the burnt down apartment below have not been touched yet. Of course, I get no clear answer from the management company. It sounds silly to be asking about a smell, but such a toxic odor that I get headaches, coughing, etc when I go into my apartment, and so I am now staying at a friend's house.

I want to know-What rights do I have in this situation? Do I need to send the management a doctor's note noting the toxic air quality being linked to the coughing? I would like to move (since the management has been giving me one headache after another, and since I work from home so it's affecting my career), but I want to know what my legal steps I need to take since I'm sick every time I spend more than 10 minutes in my apartment, and as a result, am not able to live there without risking my health.

THANKS!!
divya
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2009 1:01 pm

Postby TenantNet » Tue Dec 08, 2009 1:23 pm

There's an entire section devoted to "Tenants Rights in case of a fire" in the reference section, see link above.
The Tenant Network(tm) for Residential Tenants
Information from TenantNet is from experienced non-attorney tenant
activists and is not considered legal advice.

Subscribe to our Twitter Feed @TenantNet
TenantNet
 
Posts: 10308
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2002 2:01 am
Location: New York City

Postby divya » Tue Dec 08, 2009 1:26 pm

sorry-where's the link??
divya
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2009 1:01 pm


Return to Other NYC Housing Issues

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests