Apartment Problems....ie Heat, Hot Water, AC...ETC!

Happens everywhere unfortunately. You have to be a pretty aggressive and persistent renter to get some landlords to live up to their side of the contract. I found this online for VA (www.vdacs.virginia.gov):

Q: My landlord refuses to repair anything. What can I do to get things repaired?
Serious repair issues, such as faulty electrical wiring, gas leaks, and structural damage may be violations of the local building code which should be brought to the attention of the Building Inspection office for your city or county. The Building Inspector may inspect your building, and if warranted, issue a citation to the landlord for any violations that require repairs. Section 55-248.13 of the VRLTA outlines the duties and responsibilities of the landlord to maintain the rental property.

For issues not involving safety, you should advise the landlord in writing of the specific items needing repair. The letter should state that the landlord has a reasonable amount of time not to exceed thirty days, from the date of receipt to make the repairs. You should consider sending the letter via certified mail so the delivery date is noted. If repairs are still not made, the tenant may place the rent in an escrow account with the General District Court having jurisdiction in that locality. This action is detailed in Section 55-248.27 of the VRLTA.

The contact information for the appropriate General District Court in your locality is available from the Virginia Supreme Court Web site. You may also wish to check your local telephone directory.

Consumer Protection HOTLINE Toll free in Virginia: 1.800.552.9963

Virginia Fair Housing Office
3600 West Broad Street, 5th floor
Richmond, VA 23230
888.551.3247 or ###-###-####

How long is your lease? Usually they are for a year, so you can give your landlord 30 days notice and be fine to move out mid-January. If your lease is longer than a year, review your lease and the laws of Virginia and find out if there are legal grounds to break your lease where you are not liable for the breaking of the lease fee. You have the right to basic necessities and I consider hot water to be one of them as well as heat. AC, may still be considered a luxury, but I don't know who can live without it. For now, start documenting every problem. I know $1500 is a lot to break a lease, but maybe you can afford $200 to talk to an attorney and find out if you have any legal remedies, or maybe find a legal aid clinic. Check the area colleges to see if they have an legal clinics, or call the Virginia bar association to see if they can recommend anyone to you.

I had same hot water problem years ago in an apartment - the hot ran out very quickly - turned out it was a heating element in the water heater. The unit had to be replaced.

For all of your maintenance problems you need to put it all into writing. What is wrong (be specific), when (dates and times) you have reported the problems, what the response has been (a verbal platitude, a maintenance visit, a repair) and send it to the leasing company. It is time to circumvent the maintenance man.

Do you have an on-site apartment manager? Bring a copy of the letter to him/her also.

Check with your local fair housing authority about tenant rights - they can also advise you on how to handle this. If you think you are being treated differently than other tenants because of your age then this discrimination and they can help you address that.

Good Luck!

Renters usually have more rights than landlords. I am sure if you google renter's rights for your state you can find a way out of your lease or a way to compell them to fix the issues. Good luck!

How long is your lease? You said you moved in mid-January and most leases run a year at a time, right? So you could move mid-January, or on February 1, 2011. Give proper notice and you shouldn't have to pay for breaking the lease. Where is your copy? Check it!

Now for the CURRENT problem: Keep on them! Call them daily....several times a day if you have to....until someone comes to do something about it. You are RIGHT that you should be able to keep it at 68-71 degrees and be comfortable. Let them know (by your actions) that you will not stand for it. Stand up for yourself! Do Not Let Them Walk All Over You Anymore!!!

PS: I agree with Lesley B. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!

In the state where I live renters have lots of rights. Can you find out your rights? I believe that you can not pay rent and still legally stay in an apt that doesn't comply to certain standards. Maybe you could break your lease if standards aren't met. Maybe search "renters rights" or talk to a lawyer who does real estate law?

It sounds like they are trying to slap a bandaid over every problem you're having. And it's not like you're complaining about petty things; these are basic essentials that every renter is fully entitled to. You rented an apartment with a/c, hot water, and heat. I wouldn't stop badgering them until these things are fixed. They will get sick of you calling and eventually fix everything so they don't have to hear from you anymore, haha.

Regarding the hot water, since your water gets warm, the unit is functioning. So either it's on its last leg and needs to be replaced, or the temperature setting is too low. If I were you, I'd go down to where the hot water heater is located and check around the base of the unit to see if you notice any water leaking out of the bottom. If there is, the unit is about to break for good. Secondly I'd have a family member or friend come over and check to see where the temperature is set for the hot water and see if it's too low. Then involve the mgmt company again and demand (nicely :) that this is fixed.

Regarding your heat, if you have central a/c and they said that the unit was over 30 years old...well guess what, so is the furnace. I would call the mgmt company again and tell them that you appreciate them sending the maintenance guy over, but that the furnace still isn't working. The furnace probably needs to be cleaned, filter replaced, and maybe even additional maintenance needed on the furnace itself.

I don't think that the mgmt company or owner would benefit in any way by you paying more for gas/electric....more just that they don't want to spend the money to replace the furnace or water heater if they can get away with it.

Keep on them, you're entitled to adequate heat and hot water!!