It’s no secret that New York City is a crushingly expensive location, especially for regular renters. For their prices, one would expect everything in these apartments to be functional and for landlords to adhere to building codes. However, one family got a rather cold surprise after they found out their $3,000/month New York apartment has no heating whatsoever, forcing them to endure the winter cold with nothing but clothes.
The frustrated mom of two posted the video in early February, and in the footage, you can hear her complain that the landlord has been rude and doesn’t seem to want to do anything about the lack of heating despite the renter paying $3,000 per month. In the video, you can see her steamy breath, which usually only happens below 45°F (7°C), technically pretty close to subzero temperatures. This ordeal went on, allegedly, for two weeks.
The New York mom had to rely on water heaters and other appliances to heat her apartment, but sadly, those were not enough. It’s not that she didn’t file a formal complaint, according to the New York mom, she did, but “nothing ever really happens, even after reporting to 311, even after reporting to HPD (Housing Preservation & Development).” Hence, the purpose of her video is to make the situation public, as apparently, other tenants are suffering the same.
Furthermore, the New York mom highlighted a supposed issue with corruption in the city where “they give us these subsidies that ‘help us pay the rent,’ and the landlords take the money a lot of the time.” So tenants like her end up without proper housing utilities, “like heat, hot water, refrigerator– even a stove.”
People Online Are Advising Litigation
Some renters in other states were confused about the situation, implying that utilities such as heating and appliances are the responsibility of the renters, “What does the landlord have to do with turning on the radiator and warming up the house?” asks one commenter. However, landlords in New York are legally required to provide heating and hot water.
For that matter, it appears the New York mom in the video has a good legal basis for taking the matter to court. Naturally, some commenters advised legal action, “Omg, she should sue him,” as a reaction. Even discounting the legal action, some have argued that the tenant is not legally obligated to pay rent if the landlord doesn’t provide heating, “She legally doesn’t have to pay rent if there’s no heat. I hope she knows a lawyer . Cause that’s not ok.”
Of course, the other matter at hand is that she still pays $3,000 for an apartment that might eventually lead to her death by hypothermia. Rent has always been notoriously high in New York City, and even $3,000 is on the lower end, as $4,000 is usually the average monthly rent in the area.
