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Property management unacceptably slow at making repairs. What are my options? (SOLVED)
Riale
I'm a little slowRegistered User regular
I'm a little slowRegistered User regular
On the 20th of August I was using the stove in my shitty college apartment, when I began to see sparks coming from inside the stove (as in, under the burners where the coils connect to the central area of the stove). After the sparks, I smelled the distinct smell of burning wires/electrical parts. I immediately shut off the stove, and checked to make sure there wasn't an electrical fire. Everything seemed okay, but the area where the coils connected into the stove looked blackened and charred.
The following Monday (The 22nd) I gave a written description of the problem (as per my lease) to the property management company who handles work orders. They agreed that I shouldn't risk using the stove until the problem had been assessed. I gave their workers free permission to enter, and began waiting.
That friday, and the friday following, I hassled them about the situation as I still had not seen hide nor hair of the workers coming to examine the stove. They complained that because school is starting they were swamped, and they would get to it 'as soon as possible'. In other words, lip service.
Today, completely fed up with being unable to cook any food for over two weeks, I demanded to be given an exact date upon which a repairman would come to look at the stove. They said they needed to call the company they contract the work orders out to in order to find out who had the work order and what the status is. They said I should receive a call by the end of the day. Here I stand, at the end of the day, with no call.
I understand they're busy, but I can't keep eating canned soup and PBJs. I'm on a fixed income, and I can't afford to buy pre-prepared food. After two weeks of basically eating shit because I can't cook, I'm starting to feel sick, because I'm used to a diet of freshly prepared food (I cook dinner for the apartment every night). I'm basically at my wits end here, and I don't know what I can do to make them realize that this is an issue, and should be dealt right the fuck now rather than when they feel like it.
My options at this point as far as I see it, is for me to either sit and take it (which I refuse to do at this point), or go in there and raise a serious shitstorm. I don't want to resort to that, because they've been nice enough this last year, and I have a feeling it's more of a communication breakdown than any kind of outright malice or neglect.
The last option, is to ask my mother to call and bitch them out. I don't require her to fight my battles, and I would be happy to bitch at them myself, but seeing as they are essentially a college apartment renting agency I have a feeling they are used to brushing off requests from students, and would be more likely to sit up and pay attention when a parent complains.
Does anyone have suggestions?
The following Monday (The 22nd) I gave a written description of the problem (as per my lease) to the property management company who handles work orders. They agreed that I shouldn't risk using the stove until the problem had been assessed. I gave their workers free permission to enter, and began waiting.
That friday, and the friday following, I hassled them about the situation as I still had not seen hide nor hair of the workers coming to examine the stove. They complained that because school is starting they were swamped, and they would get to it 'as soon as possible'. In other words, lip service.
Today, completely fed up with being unable to cook any food for over two weeks, I demanded to be given an exact date upon which a repairman would come to look at the stove. They said they needed to call the company they contract the work orders out to in order to find out who had the work order and what the status is. They said I should receive a call by the end of the day. Here I stand, at the end of the day, with no call.
I understand they're busy, but I can't keep eating canned soup and PBJs. I'm on a fixed income, and I can't afford to buy pre-prepared food. After two weeks of basically eating shit because I can't cook, I'm starting to feel sick, because I'm used to a diet of freshly prepared food (I cook dinner for the apartment every night). I'm basically at my wits end here, and I don't know what I can do to make them realize that this is an issue, and should be dealt right the fuck now rather than when they feel like it.
My options at this point as far as I see it, is for me to either sit and take it (which I refuse to do at this point), or go in there and raise a serious shitstorm. I don't want to resort to that, because they've been nice enough this last year, and I have a feeling it's more of a communication breakdown than any kind of outright malice or neglect.
The last option, is to ask my mother to call and bitch them out. I don't require her to fight my battles, and I would be happy to bitch at them myself, but seeing as they are essentially a college apartment renting agency I have a feeling they are used to brushing off requests from students, and would be more likely to sit up and pay attention when a parent complains.
Does anyone have suggestions?
Riale on
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Go down there first thing in the morning. Ask to speak to the property manager. As in the person who run's that office. If they are not available, ask for their business card, if it does not have a cell phone, ask for it. Call, leave a message. Also find out from whoever you talk to when the property manager will be expected in.
Also you can call the emergency line (which your apartment should have) and report the problem to them. That may help, I don't know.
If the property manager does not give you an answer you like before the end of the conversation, google your property management company and get e-mail contacts for their upper-level managers (regional VP or whatever) start sending e-mails.
I'd talk to a lawyer before doing anything drastic, but you may be able to have a lawyer draft a letter or something stating that if the appliance you are renting from them is not repaired/replaced by a certain date, you will take a certain action. In some states, failure to repair an essential appliance can be considered breach of contract on the part of the management company, allowing you to break your lease and move out, without penalty.
Again, talk to a lawyer before doing anything drastic.
Honestly you'll probably be fine and get decent results playing a nice game of "Let me Talk to Your Boss."
Again, though, check your local ordinances, and preferably consult with a tenants' rights organization.
in some states, you're allowed to get help to fix the problem yourself and then withhold that amount from your rent, but this is a MAJOR and DRASTIC step, and messing it up = big ol problems legally and financially for you
what state are you in, or what country?
Usually, if the stove came with the apartment, then the landlord has to fix it "in a timely manner"
This not being an emergency (and it's not, there are plenty of things to make that don't require an oven), it'd be up to the discetion of whomever to decide just how long "in a timely manner" is
Check your lease, though, it could very well have clauses that spell all this out
I understand that not having a stove isn't life threatening, but I'm running out of options. Because I'm a broke college student, I buy most of my food in bulk and freeze or otherwise store it to prepare from scratch later. I'm not used to being without a stove, and outside of some cold salad dishes, canned food and pre-prepared stuff I'm lost. I can't afford to buy pre-cooked food, or stuff I can do in the microwave. Currently I have pounds of chicken and turkey in the freezer and loads of pastas/rices/etc that's all going to waste.
I don't have the ability (read:money) to get a lawyer involved for any of this. Also, I don't have a specific building manager because the building I live in is located literally next-door to the property management office. I'll try going in tomorrow and asking for their superiors if they don't have a satisfying answer and see how far that gets me.
Steam | XBL: Elazual | Last.fm
What rental company is it? Are you in Portland?
Steam | XBL: Elazual | Last.fm
No idea.
But honestly, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Go in there every day until they give you a solid date and someone has come in to fix it.
Steam | XBL: Elazual | Last.fm
Call them or go down there in person and ask for a resolution, with a defined timescale. They'll doubtless say that they'll call you back. Ask for a time when they will call. If they haven't called by that time, call them again. And again, etc.
As Esh said, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Likely, you're dealing with a chain of incompetent jobsworths- you just have to keep your cool and make them see that you're a problem that is not going to cause trouble, but also will not go away.
Check with the school, some colleges provide options for some free legal services.
Keep in mind that usually you're required to give written notice of your intent to do this.
Also most schools have some sort of student housing office that can act as a go-between with local landlords and property management companies. If you bring your concerns to them they might help bitch out your landlord.
this, if i were you, i'd send a certified letter saying how long you have been waiting and something like: "Give me a repair date immediately, if i get no response, or if the stove is not fixed within 30 days, I will contract a repairman and deduct the cost from the rent for (whatever month)" This is purely a CYA move. I'm pretty sure 1 month is considered reasonable. check with your school if they give legal advice as people have said.
I would imagine a stove is pretty much considered "necessary" like heat and plumbing.
I agree. I would be surprised if you had to give him more than a week. The whole reason this remedy exists is to allow tenants to act when their landlords are dicking them around. Check your tenant laws. Many states and municipalities publish tenants rights guides.
Another option may be to give your landlord notice that you intend to withhold rent until it is fixed. You will have to pay once it is fixed, and there may be other requirements, such as being able to demonstrate you were financially able to pay rent.
If I'm reading what I'm finding correctly its 48 hours for health/safety threats, 7 days for "essential" stuff and 30 days for all other repairs. The catch is that "essential" is not strictly defined. It likely includes heat, water, electricity but I'm not sure about a stove. You can find more here[www.osbar.org], but its not really going to be less vague. Honestly, everywhere I'm finding suggests consulting a lawyer before doing anything with deducting cost of repairs from the rent or anything like that and I can see why. It appears there's a fairly strict set of conditions that must be met before you should feel even relatively safe doing that and the first of those would be being able to prove on what date you notified the landlord (most places recommend certified mail it seems).
I'd suggest anyone in this situation notify the landlord in a fashion that leaves a paper trail and then consult a lawyer if they're not responsive.
On that subject, I'm guessing that you're at University of Oregon, in which case you may want to talk to the office of legal services, who are nicely free for students it seems.
You can't withhold rent ever. the best you can do is go to a judge, and get him to ok you putting the rent into escrow until the shit gets fixed. then, once it's fixed, the funds are released to the landlord. It's shitty, but it prevents tenants from withholding rent for every little thing i guess.
Citation needed. It won't be a problem until a fire starts.
chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
If you are really desperate you can get a hotplate or something like that. I know you probably have little cash on hand, but it might be a good immediate solution.
I would second going in person to the property management office and demanding polity for the time when a repair person will come.
Also if you have a microwave I think there are ways to prepare many fresh foods in it, not just frozen items. I do not know how though, here is somewhere to start.
I have been handling this in a very civil manner so far. I've never whined to them, and the reason I use the term 'confrontation' is that I feel that is all that is left. I've stated the issue to them as clearly as I can and as frequently as I can, only to be brushed off. After yet another talk with them, I was promised contact from the repair service that did not happen.
My understanding of oregon law is that because the stove is a non-essential service, I would have to wait 30 days. This saturday it will have been 3 weeks since the stove busted. Tomorrow, I plan to go in and ask them to contact the repair company while I am in the office, and I will not leave until I have an answer with a firm date, right then and there. This will not be pleasant, because their office is more than chaotic, but anything else I say or ask is simply brushed off. At this point, I seriously believe they may have lost the work order entirely (due to their reaction the last time we spoke) and unless I demand an answer it's obvious they won't stretch a muscle to do anything.
EDIT: Also, my mother will be in town visiting on Saturday. If they shove me out on Friday with more lip service, I will seriously consider at least having her come in with me next week to lodge a formal complaint, in the hopes that they will take it more seriously.
Steam | XBL: Elazual | Last.fm
It depends on where you live. That's why I said it may be an option. I know it's an option in NJ provided you give your landlord written notice that you will not pay rent until repairs are made and save your rent.
Keep going after the company until they fix it. And get a new appt next year, because that is way too long to have to wait.
You shouldn't be getting sick from not having a stove. There are plenty of ways to get cooked food otherwise. Go to a restaurant. Go to the neighbors. Go to the campus cafeteria. Go to a friends. Seriously.
but they're listening to every word I say
If that happens, the most likely "best case scenario" is that the judge views the actions of the property as being in violation of the lease, which releases the tenant from the lease.
Which means you move out.
I don't think you understand my situation well enough. Here's a better picture. I'm so broke that I have to buy my food with government assistance. My only friends are not close enough or well off enough financially for me to be using their food/facilities on a regular basis. I don't have the money to be going out to eat at a restaurant every night. It's hard enough affording food on food stamps. The only way it's even close to livable without eating complete shit is to buy basic ingredients in bulk and cook from scratch.
I don't need my mother to fight my battles. I can deal with things without her. However, in this scenario I have been dealing with this situation to the best of my ability and have simply been getting shrugged off. At this point, my only other options are either to make a serious shitstorm about it (which I will do tomorrow, but I'm not excited about because I'm in a lease for a year with this company and I don't want to be on their bad side) or to escalate the issue by having the repairs made and collecting compensation, which I'm not about to do without legal advice (which I cannot afford).
I can see that there are solutions to my dilemma, but I don't think you understand how hard it is to access many of them when you are dirt fucking poor and no one is taking you seriously.
EDIT: And yes, I've perused the Oregon tenant law long enough now to realize that if I escalate this, the most favorable outcome will probably involve me moving, which I cannot afford to do right now.
At any rate, this thread has served its purpose well enough in getting feedback. I don't think anyone else can provide information that will be useful to me at this point.
Steam | XBL: Elazual | Last.fm
Good luck, and if the thread stays open...update us on what happens?
"Be a grown up" etc doesn't really work with rental groups like the one you have - they are used to renting overpriced, under maintained, apartments to college kids and will blow you off repeatedly. If they think the person who controls the purse strings is upset, they might be more inclined to move on things.
We might have an extra electric skillet or something I could ship you but it probably wouldn't be cost effective to do that given I'm all the way in Maine. But if you want I can check our extra kitchen stuff, just let me know how the meeting with your landlord goes...
Is your mom any better off financially than you? Could she pick up a George Foreman Grill and a rice steamer or hotpot this weekend when she visits? It would cost < $50 total and at least let you make basic meat, side, vegetable meals.
unless your mom has some sort of knowledge to help you, like she's a lawyer or doctor or specialist in this field, then everyone at that apartment complex is going to hear about the kid who called his mommy
Riale: I wouldn't feel bad about getting your mother to come along so you can both give them hell. It's been a problem way too long, and simply put you shouldn't have had to put up with it. Especially from some big company. It's replacing an oven. That should not be a big deal. I rent out some properties and that's the sort of shit I'm fixing the next day at the latest.
Yes. Deal with things on your own first. It's a good rule. But you tried that. Bring in another involved party. Two people complaining makes more of an impression than one person complaining. Seriously. Stated as a landlord.
i think already trying for 3 weeks is an acceptable time to try things on your own. bringing in your mom isn't necassarily bad at this point. like skoal said, mom's can be bulldogs. and no one wants to deal witha pissed off mom
But that's exactly the problem; OP is re-enforcing that discrimination.
At least use the tools you have, OP, like yelp, Google, et al, to leave reviews on this company. You weren't able to find any help from your school?