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Posted by pete on March 22, 2000 at 12:52:51:

In Reply to: water leaking from above, electrical outages, no super posted by Peter in Manhattan on March 22, 2000 at 08:38:05:

: I live in an old apartment building (there are 16 units) in Manhattan and i frequently encounter
: electrical outages. Neither the landlord nor the super live on the premises (the super is supposed to
: be available by pager, but this is highly
: unreliable), so I'm often stuck for 12 hours or more without electricity because the breaker switch is in the
: basement, which is locked, of course.
: There's also an upstairs neighbor with a questionable plumbing contraption that drips through my ceiling. I've
: complained about all of this and written letters to the landlord, but none of it has been resolved.
: What can I do? Are there laws that state how long a landlord has to restore electricity, or that a super must be
: available or live on the premises? How long must I live with this drip in the ceiling before I can force the landlord
: to do something about it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Good that you wrote letters. Be sure to send all letters by certified mail, return receipt requested. Also, keep a record on outages.
The leaky plumbing thing, though from your neighbor, is your landlord's responsibility to fix.

Seems to me like you have a good case for withholding rent. There is something called a warranty of habitability. Check out some of the pages here on what NY tenants can do for serious problems. However, try to get legal advice before withholding rent.

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Comments:
: : I live in an old apartment building (there are 16 units) in Manhattan and i frequently encounter 
: : electrical outages. Neither the landlord nor the super live on the premises (the super is supposed to 
: : be available by pager, but this is highly
: : unreliable), so I'm often stuck for 12 hours or more without electricity because the breaker switch is in the 
: : basement, which is locked, of course.
: : There's also an upstairs neighbor with a questionable plumbing contraption that drips through my ceiling. I've 
: : complained about all of this and written letters to the landlord, but none of it has been resolved.
: : What can I do? Are there laws that state how long a landlord has to restore electricity, or that a super must be
: : available or live on the premises? How long must I live with this drip in the ceiling before I can force the landlord
: : to do something about it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

: 
: Good that you wrote letters. Be sure to send all letters by certified mail, return receipt requested. Also, keep a record on outages. 
: The leaky plumbing thing, though from your neighbor, is your landlord's responsibility to fix. 

: Seems to me like you have a good case for withholding rent. There is something called a warranty of habitability. Check out some of the pages here on what NY tenants can do for serious problems. However, try to get legal advice before withholding rent.


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