Is there a landlord in the house?

Is there a landlord in the house? (Full Version)

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FelineFae -> Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 6:48:21 PM)
i am living in a motel/apartment complex. my appartment often smells strongly of gas from the stove, even when the stove is off. The first time i notised this i asked the owner, he said that was normal. my mother in law thinks it a means to be concerned. i also fail to reckonize anything in the room as a smoke detecter, and there's a stove, but no fire extingisher. i like the people that run this place, they seem to be descent folks, family business and such... but should these things be brought to their attention by a someone other than a code inspecter?

servantforuse -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 6:51:56 PM)
Contact the gas company. They will determine where the smell is coming from. Not having this checked out could have deadly consiquences. Houses blow up every day because of gas leaks

kittinSol -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 6:55:29 PM)
In a word, yes. Not only should they be made aware of the situation, they should do everything to remedy it and ensure that you are safe. It's not just a question of moral rectitude: I think (I hope) the law requires that a rented dwelling be up to safety standards, and this includes fire extinguishers, smoke alarm, and making sure that there are no gas leaks.

Vendaval -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 7:07:01 PM)
Definately call the local gas company and have them investigate.

SteelofUtah -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 7:12:00 PM)
If you like these people get ready for them not to like you. Fire Code in ALL 50 STATES requires a Smoke Alarm PER apartment. If it is a Rental Property Hotel/Motel Style they are required to have a fire extinguisher per every 3 (Or 5, our landords thought it was 5) apartments located in a conspicuous place. If it is a Rental for Monthly only then they do not HAVE to because you are expected too. Any and ALL gas leaks or believed gas leaks they are required to look into it with 72 hours of the complain (24 in some states) and Yes if you call the Gas company they will tell your landlord who called. If you do not want to cause waves I would suggest that you get renters insurance for the MAXIMUM amount and just Prey you are not home when something goes horribly wrong. Steel

kittinSol -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 7:12:49 PM)
In the meantime, can you bear to leave your windows opened? I think it's crucial to keep the flat ventilated, in case.

slaveboyforyou -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 7:20:54 PM)
If you have gas in your place, you really should have a carbon monoxide detector. It's not required everywhere, but they aren't that expensive. Instead of haggling with your landlord over it; go buy you a smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, and maybe a fire extinguisher. Keep the receipt and subtract it from your rent.

SteelofUtah -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 7:24:25 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: slaveboyforyou If you have gas in your place, you really should have a carbon monoxide detector. It's not required everywhere, but they aren't that expensive. Instead of haggling with your landlord over it; go buy you a smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, and maybe a fire extinguisher. Keep the receipt and subtract it from your rent. THIS IS A GOOD IDEA Steel

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 7:42:28 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: FelineFae i am living in a motel/apartment complex. my appartment often smells strongly of gas from the stove, even when the stove is off. The first time i notised this i asked the owner, he said that was normal. my mother in law thinks it a means to be concerned. i also fail to reckonize anything in the room as a smoke detecter, and there's a stove, but no fire extingisher. i like the people that run this place, they seem to be descent folks, family business and such... but should these things be brought to their attention by a someone other than a code inspecter? Three things. First of all, have you checked to make sure that all of the stove's pilot lights are lit? If even one of them is out, it wouldn't be unusual to have a strong smell of gas near the stove. It could be that's all it is. Second, before you go withholding part of the rent, check your state's tenant laws carefully. The law varies from state to state as far as what is and is not an acceptable justification for doing that, and in some states you could actually be evicted if you haven't followed the proper procedures. At the very least, you're setting the stage for a confrontational situation with your landlord, perhaps unnecessarily so. I'd suggest working with him on this, if for no other reason than common courtesy. Find out what the law is in your state regarding fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors, and if any of those things are not up to code, just go to him and say, "hey, we need to get a smoke detector in there; how about if I pick one up, take it off the rent, and give you the receipt?" Or some such. It sounds as though there's some sort of confrontation coming one way or the other, but if you plan on continuing to live there, there's no sense in making it any worse than it has to be. Especially since you say he seems like an alright guy. And third - this probably goes without saying, but until you get this sorted out, whatever you do don't smoke or have any open flame anywhere in the apartment. Good luck. Please don't blow up and die. OK?

TNstepsout -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 7:55:21 PM)
Good advice from Panda. Don't create a confrontational situation if it's not necessary.

StrangerThan -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 8:01:38 PM)
You can't take back dying. And you get no points for doing it politely. I think I'd go to them and not be demanding or pushy, just talk about how strong it smells and that you're going to get someone out to look at it. And I think I'd do it sooner rather than later. Things don't have to explode to cause injury or death. You're breathing the stuff too.

Termyn8or -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 8:13:38 PM)
FR CORRECTION ; You cannot deduct from the rent unless it is by mutual agreement or intervention of a court of law. Period. The best advice here that I have seen is to call the gas company. YOU are their customer and they have a vested interest in seeing their product used safely and hopefully efficiently. What's more whatever the leak is, it is likely to be at your stove, not in the building's pipes. In most cases the gas company will be happy to tighten up your connections to eliminate any leaks, however I have not perved your profile so I don't know where you are. For example if you are in Canada I believe that flexpipe is illegal, that gas appliances must be hard piped all the way. That makes it plumbing and thus part of the building. That changes things a bit, but it is still highly unlikely that the leak is in the pipes. Wherever you are, around here (Cleveland Ohio) the gas company has been proven to be very helpful in such matters in the past. If you are in the US and don't want, or are unable to deal with this yourself, they should be the first number you dial. If you smell gas anywhere but the kitchen, it could be something else, equally important, but harder to deal with. But if you rent that does not fall on you. That's the breaks and the landlord should not have a problem with fixing it, after all, if the place blows up he gets no more rent. The fact that you are friendly with them means nothing, if they have half a brain the will see it as "business is business" and everything should be fine. Around here they have some highly sensitive gas leak detectors, that because of what happened a few years ago. A gas leak happened underground and when the snow came it pretty much bottled it up and it went into the house, and that house literally blew up, blew it right off the foundation. They go around from time to time doing random checks now. Why ? Simple, the house blowing up even though it had no plumbing faults makes a very strong case for an all electric home, in which case they no longer get to collect the gas bill every month. Money is at the root of everything. Thus I think they will be as cooperative and helpful as is possible. T

slaveboyforyou -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 8:18:42 PM)
quote: I'd suggest working with him on this, if for no other reason than common courtesy. Find out what the law is in your state regarding fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors, and if any of those things are not up to code, just go to him and say, "hey, we need to get a smoke detector in there; how about if I pick one up, take it off the rent, and give you the receipt?" Or some such. It sounds as though there's some sort of confrontation coming one way or the other, but if you plan on continuing to live there, there's no sense in making it any worse than it has to be. Especially since you say he seems like an alright guy. You're nicer than I am. Landlords are always nice in the beginning. Family run places are the ones that usually cut the most corners in my experience. I don't negotiate with people when it comes to my health and safety. It's bad advice to tell someone to work with someone while they are living in a potentially dangerous situation. I've had landlords pull that kind of crap with me in the past. I have subtracted rent for the costs incurred when I've had to pay out of pocket for repairs and bills that are their obligation. I've been threatened with eviction. But it takes ten days to evict someone in this state. Since they are keeping your security deposit anyway....think of the mischief you can get up to in a ten day time period. You don't ever let anyone push you around like that.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 8:39:20 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: slaveboyforyou quote: I'd suggest working with him on this, if for no other reason than common courtesy. Find out what the law is in your state regarding fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors, and if any of those things are not up to code, just go to him and say, "hey, we need to get a smoke detector in there; how about if I pick one up, take it off the rent, and give you the receipt?" Or some such. It sounds as though there's some sort of confrontation coming one way or the other, but if you plan on continuing to live there, there's no sense in making it any worse than it has to be. Especially since you say he seems like an alright guy. You're nicer than I am. Landlords are always nice in the beginning. Family run places are the ones that usually cut the most corners in my experience. I don't negotiate with people when it comes to my health and safety. It's bad advice to tell someone to work with someone while they are living in a potentially dangerous situation. I've had landlords pull that kind of crap with me in the past. I have subtracted rent for the costs incurred when I've had to pay out of pocket for repairs and bills that are their obligation. I've been threatened with eviction. But it takes ten days to evict someone in this state. Since they are keeping your security deposit anyway....think of the mischief you can get up to in a ten day time period. You don't ever let anyone push you around like that. You're reading something into my post that's just not there. I want to make clear that I'm not suggesting FelineFae spend any time going back and forth on this - she should call the gas company first thing tomorrow morning no matter what. I never said she should negotiate with him on that at all; she's already done what she needs to do by giving him a chance to solve it on his own. I'm just saying that for the other things, before she goes around withholding rent and demanding that the landlord bring things up to code, she needs to take a half a day and make sure she knows what the code is. Which she currently does not, and neither does anyone else in this thread because none of us know the law where she lives. If the law in her state only requires a smoke detector, and she demands he put in a smoke detector, a Co2 detector, and a fire extinguisher, she's not going to get anywhere. I'm suggesting she find out what the law requires, tell him she'll pick it up and install it and deduct it from her rent, and then go and do it. if she wants any protection over and above what the law requires, she can pick that up and keep the receipt herself. Personally, I agree that every dwelling needs at least one smoke alarm, one Co2 detector, and one fire extinguisher in it no matter what, and I have two Co2 detectors and two fire extinguishers - one in the kitchen, and one next to the fireplace. I bought the larger fire extinsguisher and one Co2 detector myself, because with a fireplace i feel better having the extra protection. When my landlord saw the extra fire extinguisher and the extra Co2 detector, he offered to reimburse me for them, and I told him to forget it. It was my idea, and worth every penny to me. I think it's worth it, and she may feel the same way. But until she knows what the law is, she's just going to make things messier than they need to be by shooting from the hip and demanding the landlord install equipment he may not be required to provide.

lusciouslips19 -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 8:46:43 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Termyn8or FR CORRECTION ; You cannot deduct from the rent unless it is by mutual agreement or intervention of a court of law. Period. The best advice here that I have seen is to call the gas company. YOU are their customer and they have a vested interest in seeing their product used safely and hopefully efficiently. What's more whatever the leak is, it is likely to be at your stove, not in the building's pipes. In most cases the gas company will be happy to tighten up your connections to eliminate any leaks, however I have not perved your profile so I don't know where you are. For example if you are in Canada I believe that flexpipe is illegal, that gas appliances must be hard piped all the way. That makes it plumbing and thus part of the building. That changes things a bit, but it is still highly unlikely that the leak is in the pipes. Wherever you are, around here (Cleveland Ohio) the gas company has been proven to be very helpful in such matters in the past. If you are in the US and don't want, or are unable to deal with this yourself, they should be the first number you dial. If you smell gas anywhere but the kitchen, it could be something else, equally important, but harder to deal with. But if you rent that does not fall on you. That's the breaks and the landlord should not have a problem with fixing it, after all, if the place blows up he gets no more rent. The fact that you are friendly with them means nothing, if they have half a brain the will see it as "business is business" and everything should be fine. Around here they have some highly sensitive gas leak detectors, that because of what happened a few years ago. A gas leak happened underground and when the snow came it pretty much bottled it up and it went into the house, and that house literally blew up, blew it right off the foundation. They go around from time to time doing random checks now. Why ? Simple, the house blowing up even though it had no plumbing faults makes a very strong case for an all electric home, in which case they no longer get to collect the gas bill every month. Money is at the root of everything. Thus I think they will be as cooperative and helpful as is possible. T This is not true. By law, at least in Illinois, If the renters dont fix a problem after they are notified, they have 2 weeks. After 2 weeks you are allowed to submit reciepts and deduct from the rent

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 8:51:08 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: lusciouslips19 This is not true. By law, at least in Illinois, If the renters dont fix a problem after they are notified, they have 2 weeks. After 2 weeks you are allowed to submit reciepts and deduct from the rent Yeah, everything we're talking about here varies from state to state and province to province, and in addition to that many cities have their own codes as well. A quick phone call or two in the morning (right after she calls the gas company) should tell her what laws apply to her, another phone call to the landlord to let him know what she's going to do, and she can get it up to code by dinnertime tomorrow. But she needs to know what she's working with first.

ThatDaveGuy69 -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 8:58:51 PM)
Uhm... am I the only person who looked at the OP's profile? She says she is in Korea. I doubt any laws from any of the 50 states would apply there. Fea: You have legitimate concerns about your health and safety. Definitely discuss this with the owners. Ask them to call the gas company and if they refuse, call the fire department. That will usually trigger an inspection. But be prepared to lose your residence. I've been told it's much better than losing your life :D ~Dave

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 9:01:34 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: ThatDaveGuy69 Uhm... am I the only person who looked at the OP's profile? She says she is in Korea. I doubt any laws from any of the 50 states would apply there. Oops. I'm guessing you are. Yeah, that may change things a bit!

Termyn8or -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 9:09:29 PM)
luscious, OK if that's the way it is there.But I would bet if rent deductions are done without court intervention or a agreement, there will soon be court intervention. The tenant will have to provide proof of the law and facts or face eviction. People's opinions vary on this, and they all think they are right. On top of that the law is ambiguous and frequently applied with discretion, if not selectivity or prejudice. My friend had a tenant who sent him the bill for curtains instead of a rent check. TYhe same tenant also had a failure of the hot water tank. The tenent never called him, just called a plumber. Eight hundred bucks later for installing an electric water heater, which is ridiculous price wise, he was there looking for his money. I find it hard to believe that the law is written that way in IL, but it could be so. If so I bet there are only limited circumstances where the tenant can do that, as it would have to involve a specific legal requirement of the landlord to be unfulfilled, and most likely have to involve health and/or safety. Aesthetics and comfort would not hold up, IMO, unless their laws are as looney as those in Utah. Apparently there you can lose your house over a $43 dental bill, as it was an issue not long ago. T

slaveboyforyou -> RE: Is there a landlord in the house? (3/17/2009 9:36:02 PM)
quote: Uhm... am I the only person who looked at the OP's profile? She says she is in Korea. I doubt any laws from any of the 50 states would apply there. Nope you aren't. I assumed the OP's dom is military. The OP says she is beholden to one man, so I assume this is her hubbie. She also claims an extra slavegirl, so I assume the said slavegirl is online or has manged to come to the OP under the radar of the U.S. military. Of course the OP may have moved back since her posting in Korea. Which would mean that he can live off base without the scrutinization of military officials. Of course, the OP says her career requires her moving around a lot. So maybe they are circus performers. Who knows?

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