heat/hot water question

[bigboy101]

hi, i'm about to sign a lease for a 1800 sq. foot residential space in brooklyn...the landlord wants to install an individual heat/hot water set-up in the apartment, deduct $100 per month from our rent, but make us responsible for the utility bills as a result.

1) what are the landlord's obligations for heat / hot water in brooklyn?

2) is this a fair deal he is proposing?

thanks!

[Cranky Tenant]

Is it electric or gas?

[bigboy101]

not sure if it will be electric or gas. the landlord wants me to meet the plumber to discuss all of this. i would think that gas is cheaper and better, no?

what i really want to know are the landlord's legal obligations for a residential unit...

[Chimera]

Landlord is responsible to provide heat and hot water in a residential unit. It could very well be a fair deal, provided that your heat and hotwater cost 100 dollars or less per month.

[Cranky Tenant]

An 1800 sq ft space that doesn't already have heat and hot water doesn't sound like a legal residential space. If the space is illegal you should be aware of that before you sign the lease.

Check to see if the unit has an energy efficiency rating and what the average power costs might be, Don't forget to factor in the height of the ceilings because you're heating cubic feet, rather than square feet.

Generally gas is less expensive than electricic heaters but they require a gas line and, usually, an exhaust vent.

[joliett]

I am enclosing the following from the Office of NYS Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
TRUTH IN HEATING
Before signing a lease requiring payment of individual heating and cooling bills, prospective tenants are entitled to receive from the landlord, a complete set or summary of the past two years' bills. These copies must be provided free upon written request. (Energy Law §17-103)

I am also not sure if a landlord CAN put in a lease the requirement that a tenant must pay for heat - in NYC.

[Chimera]

I wonder how it would work with a new system, if the building is being converted from central heating to individual heating, the landlord can't possibly supply two years worth of accurate bills.

[joliett]

You can firgure some sort of educated guess by knowing the entire building's heating charges and dividing it up by square feet per apartment. Not exactly perfect but better than nothing.