NYC - Issue with Repairs at Large Landlord
Hey guys anyone know any remedies for dealing with an issue with an unresponsive large landlord in NYC.
Have had an issue with flooring for a few weeks where they're supposed to come and replace it but they keep pushing the time. It's now at 2 weeks since they replaced them the first time and have pushed off the contractor date 2x after saying they would come.
They clearly don't care, I threated to withhold rent and they said I would incur a late fee. At this point thinking of calling HPD as well. Thoughts? Seems you can't really win and have to pay rent in most situations/are at their mercy for timing of more minor repairs? 10+ pieces of flooring are missing at the front of my apartment and others are coming up, which actually present a tripping hazard.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are some steps you can take to address the issue with your unresponsive landlord in NYC:
Document Everything:
Send a Formal Written Request:
Contact the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD):
Consider Legal Action:
Withholding Rent:
Tenant Associations:
Safety Concerns:
Remember, dealing with unresponsive landlords can be challenging, but documenting everything and knowing your rights can help you navigate the situation more effectively.
Sources: What Are Your Thoughts on Rent Control?, NYC Tenant Horror Stories, Apartment Renewal Negotiating Tips, Multi Family Investing - New York City, Anyone own any property on the side?
Go to court first; NYC is tenant-favorable in court. There are even some pro-bono firms or services out there that walk you through the process. Once you go to court you can have them set up an escrow account to withhold the rent till the issue is fixed. They can't charge a late fee, as the court has most likely issued an order against them.
Also, that's a life safety issue; find out who has the loan on the property and contact their asset management. They should be compliant with the UW condition of the property. If it's an agency loan, contact Fannie or Freddie, who are hard on finding fraud and AM issues in NYC right now.
FYI, a friend just took A&E to court and won; they didn't even show. Judges or magistrates hate that.
Thank you, helpful to know. It's a more minor issue (see comment below) but just ridiculous it's been 2 weeks to address it. If my lease wasn't up soon would be open to pursuing this.
Had another issue with somewhat big RE family that had a unit that was not habitable, let us move in pay first and security and dragged it along for 1-2 months. Some serious scumbag landlords out there.
Are you sure it's the landlord's fault and not the contractor? I mean, obviously the landlord bears the ultimate responsibility, they're the owner, but you seem to be accusing them of acting in bad faith without actually having the slightest fucking clue if that's true.
Go ahead and call HPD if you want, but I doubt it gets you anywhere. As with everything else, do your diligence better next time and leave a nasty review if you can. Or fix it yourself; if the issue is a threat to your health or safety, then you can deduct the cost of the repair from your rent. If it isn't a pressing issue, then you're out of luck.... but then again, it isn't a pressing issue, so who cares?
Thanks for your great attitude as always. It's 100% their fault due to lack of consistent maintenance, there was a leak 3+ weeks ago and the floors started coming up/getting moldy. Landlord took a week+ to fix that, then my door wouldn't open because the flooring came up.
They removed flooring again then and it's now been 2 weeks for them to come back to fix that with the existing floors coming up again. They also just found a leak in the pipe so the issue was never addressed in the beginning. 100% the landlords fault, they're cheap and don't properly maintain other areas (trash room light has been out for 2+ months on my floor, elevator was out for a month, gym had leaks for 3+ months). This is supposed to be a luxury highrise building, I get things happen but these should be fixed quickly in this type of building. They're just cheap and don't address the issues.
So withhold rent and refuse to pay the late fee. What exactly are you looking for, here? You want a silver bullet and none exists. You can either fight your landlord and take the attendant risks (a hit on your credit report, essentially), you can call HPD who aren't going to do anything, you can fix it yourself and deduct it from the rent you pay, or you can suck it up and leave a bad review.
My attitude is that I gave you a piece of advice you aren't taking, and mentioned that the details you left out of your original post might shed some additional light and context on what's going on. Is this the kind of response to give to all criticism or advice, however mild? I'm sure your boss loves that!
While you may have success in court, it could wind up a pyrrhic victory. If you end up on a tenant black list, it will be very difficult to lease your next apartment in NYC.
True, not going that route they fixed the issue. I'm moving out soon so don't care lol, I'll share the landlord here when I do so people can stay away.
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