Yesterday, we noted an AJ Clarke building on Ninth Street where tenants were left without gas for cooking. Here, the heat and hot water were also shut off, though management hopes to get it back on "within a day or two." However — "the process to restore the cooking gas service is long and arduous."
Residents in the Ninth Street building were told they would be given credit for the purchase of a hot plate.
And here? "No mention of any hot plate reimbursements, heater reimbursements, takeout stipends, or the like," said the reader.
According to Streeteasy, the average rent in this Seventh Street building is $3,300 a month.
What about reimbursement for all the extra electricity usage -
ReplyDeleteand you can only make one thing at a time on a hotplate -
tenants may need multiple hotplates.
Tenants may or may not be able to run more than one
plate at a time, depending.
There is also an issue in these old buildings of overloading the electrical outlets. You can't run a hot plate and other appliances at the same time. In addition to being annoying, it can be downright dangerous.
ReplyDeleteFaster and safer than regular hot plates are INDUCTION hot plates. They don't have burning hot coils so much less likelihood of burning yourself or starting a fire. They are more expensive, and you do need pots and pans that work on induction stoves, such as cast iron.
ReplyDeleteOnly in the East Village.
ReplyDeleteIt is crucial that tenants do claim rent abatement and reduce their rent when not receiving appropriate services, especially gas, heat or hot water. Also, start keeping a paper trail by reporting to 311. Joint letters, joint action and rent strike can be also very effective.
ReplyDeleteEV Grieve had earlier a post on this topic: http://evgrieve.com/2012/05/how-much-of-rent-discount-for-not.html
Depending on location, tenant advise might be available from the Cooper Square Committee, GOLES, or MetCouncil.
Keep in mind that landlords benefit double from withholding utilities:
(a) They safe money from not using gas.
(b) Making life uncomfortable for tenants helps landlords to increase turnover, so that they can jack up rent more frequently.
The city needs to urgently improve its supervision and enforcement. The worst landlord offenders, especially repeat offenders, should loose their privilege to own or manage other people's homes.
If you are a rent stabilized tenant, you can file a complaint with the DHCR for reduction in services.DHCR Form RA-81. For building wide service reduction for rent stabilized tenants, use DHCR Form RA-84. You will thank me later.
ReplyDeleteIf you are not rent stabilized, check your lease for what it says about reduction in services and act accordingly.
ReplyDeleteAJ Clarke is really weird Mngmt Co. ... some of their buildings are uber nice and some are total shitholes, guess depends on who owns them?
ReplyDelete93 East 7th also without gas going on 3 months now. Front door doesn't lock and roof caving in, too. Mgmt totally MIA.
ReplyDelete30, 32, and 34 went through all of this with AJ Clarke and Steve Kaplan a few months ago. After forming an alliance amongst the renters we had much better communication and an abatement-a-nd a new, really good Super. So.. it can be done.
ReplyDelete