Do you rent an apartment?? Please help... (HEAT RELATED)

Hi everyone. Please help me.
My mom passed away last month and she took care of our rental properties so this is all new to me. I have four apts above my business. Last month 1 of my tenants said her apt. was cold. I called the boiler company and they came out and gave me a new boiler & hot water heater- that all came out to $6500. I thought everything was settled. So for the la 2 1/2 weeks that same tenant calls me EVERY single day, several times per day to complain about the heat. (No other tenants have said a word.)

Now this is were you come in:

I have a preschool on the first floor (commercial building). During the day I keep the heat between 68 and 70 which is extremely warm in the school. At 3 pm we go home I turn the heat to 73 to ensure the ppl upstairs are comfy. I am so aggravated w/ this one tenant that today I proposed that put a separate meter for her apt so that she can control her own heat. She didn't like this idea. My whole thing is out of all 4 apts this woman is the only one home during the day. Why can't she put on a sweater? That is what I do in my house. There have also been times when I get to work in the am and look up to her apt and see the windows OPEN!!!

How does it work in our apt??? Do you pay for your heat and can you control it?


Please help! My lawyer is gone for the day and I need help.

Re: Do you rent an apartment?? Please help... (HEAT RELATED)

I live in California so it may be different. But I live in an apartment and I pay for my own heat and we control it.

Re: Do you rent an apartment?? Please help... (HEAT RELATED)

I dont pay for the heat but in a way our rent is gauged by it so we are very concious of it. That and we like our landlords!

We all wear sweaters, keep doors closed in rooms so they are super comfy. We do have a horrible draft but we know about it and have drapes at the bottom and top of our stairs to take off the chill. We have lots of comfy blankets to keep us warm in both our living room and our bedroom. AJ has (of course) lots of blankets as well.

As you know Im not from around here and this whole heat issue is new to me but frankly I thought the law only said you had to have it up to a certain temp and after that the tenant is on their own. I remember living in one place that only turned on the heat overnight and we boiled on the first floor from 3am to 8am, then by 10am it was cold again! ALL WINTER LONG! We tried to complain and they said as long as it was over I think it was 50 degress they (Housing authority) could do nothing.

Re: Do you rent an apartment?? Please help... (HEAT RELATED)

No I do not pay for my heat but I can control it. Mind you I am in a prewar building with lots of apartments and when I say I can control it I mean the super sets it at a certain amount and I can lower it if it gets too hot (it always does). Is your tenant elderly? We have alot of elderly people in my building who always complain that their apartments are too cold even though when you visit it is actually super warm.

Re: Do you rent an apartment?? Please help... (HEAT RELATED)

I rent in a private house & we don't pay for the heat. But I think that just because she's the only one home during the day, it doesn't mean that she should have to be cold.

When I was home on materninty leave, my landlords made sure I was comfortable during the day. I think it's unfair for you to expect her to "put on a sweater"

Re: Do you rent an apartment?? Please help... (HEAT RELATED)

I used to live in an apartment in a house. It had 3 apartments ...a basement apartment, a first floor and a 2nd floor. We lived on the second floor. We had our own control and it also had a separate meter so we paid for our own heat.
However the people on the first floor and the basement were under one control. The owner lived in the basement apartment and complained all the time about the girls on the first floor. They always said it was freezing. He had an someone come in and they put a thermometer in there apartment. It read 75 degrees. The landlord told them basically if they didn't like it they could move or buy their own space heater. Its not like he wasn't putting the heat on.
Im sure there are rules landlords have to follow when it comes to providing heat. As long as you are following those rules and the heat is actually working in her apartment then I would inform her of the policies and tell her to buy a space heater.

Re: Do you rent an apartment?? Please help... (HEAT RELATED)

Message edited 11/25/2008 4:51:24 PM.

Re: Do you rent an apartment?? Please help... (HEAT RELATED)

UPDATE: My lawyer just called me back and said that I need to give her a separate meter and a thermostat. This way everyone can be happy and not only can she control her own heat she can pay for it too! Thanks for your help.

Re: Do you rent an apartment?? Please help... (HEAT RELATED)