Heating problems

[redbird]

Our building has had no heat or hot water since last night. There's a hand-written sign next to the elevator, dated last night, which just says "No heat. Boiler broken."

I just called the city of New York's main non-emergency number. Before you get to talk to someone, it tells you (a) if this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911, followed by (b) alternate side of the street parking is in effect today and tomorrow. Then it connected me (quickly) to someone who asked me a couple of questions, and transferred me to "a specialist in the Department of Housing Preservation and Development." [I assume this is the old heat complaints line.]

That specialist took the information, including my phone number and name (yes, in that order), the borough, address, that we have neither heat nor hot water, and that the landlord is aware of the problem. (I base this on the sign in the super's handwriting.) She asked the name of the management company, which I gave her. Then she asked if we had a specific contact there. Yes, but I don't remember his name, it's Joseph something. "Joseph Lipson?" she asked me. Okay, that saved time and trouble, but I'm not at all sure it's a good sign. Ditto for her telling me that it's okay if I don't have this number handy, they have numbers for Samson Management.

[Anyone who responds to this by telling me to buy a house will be asked to contribute the down payment.]

Comments

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

No fun. No fun at all.

GAS? (pun intended)

[sinboy.livejournal.com]

That truly sucks. My old place in Sunnyvale had heat problems on occasion, but NY gets much colder.

Anyway, I have some advice if you'd care to hear it. Yes/no?

Re: GAS? (pun intended)

[redbird]

Absolutely. (Gas heat would be a fine thing; for some reason, despite having the gas piped in, and a gas stove, the building has oil heat.)

Re: GAS? (pun intended)

[sinboy.livejournal.com]

Oh, I wasn't going to suggest a way to fix it. I was going to suggest you see if you can get a reduction in your rent. If you're paying for a heated building and don't get one, you may have recourse.

[ailbhe]

I sympathise, but your last sentence *really* makes me want to say "Here's a nickel. Go buy yourself a real apartment."

Sorry :(

A.
who once had a very exciting landlord who first tried to gas his tenants and then to incinerate them

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

Buying a house would not guarantee that you would never lack hot water and/or heat. Trust me. All it would guarantee is that you'd have to fix, including pay for, the problem yourself.

[redbird]

Oh, I know. But I'd at least know that the plumber/repair people had been called, if not when they'd arrive.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

Yes, but then you, rather than the super, would have to do the waiting.

The upshot is, neither apartment dwelling nor home owning is all beer and skittles.

[lcohen]

boy howdy.

(my furnace went out twice this winter.)

[kate_nepveu]

Good luck. I've been watching the snow come down hard, sideways, up here for several hours; if you guys are getting the same, this is really sucky timing.

[redbird]

We're on the fringes of it: temperature just above freezing, thin layers of snow or slush depending where (or maybe when: uptown, for me, also meant almost an hour later than the Village, which is generally warmer no matter what).

[treadpath.livejournal.com]

That sucks!!! We had a situation here last year where the boiler broke unfixably and had to be replaced in the middle of January during the big deep freeze. Fortunately, we had bought a portable non-exposed element electric heater a few years back, and could huddle 'round that for warmth, but the drafty windows nearly did us in. All better this year--new boiler, new windows. Still have the heater just in case, though.

Just read your next post--glad to hear the heat's back on! :)

[angeyja.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you got this back. Not a good day for it. Heat is something that I had always taken for granted until last April when we had the ice storm hit April 6th and lost power for two day. Fortunately by April not nearly as cold as now. Since then we've lost it twice more, and I've invested in space heaters and am eyeing a backup for the main furnace.

But I agree, there's much more of a "sense" of being able to expedite when there's a problem, and also prepare for future ones. And having that is a good thing.

[cattitude.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm... Maybe you should buy a house.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

In Manhattan?

Maybe if this happens again you should buy a hot water bottle and heat up water to fill it on your gas stove.