I need some advice?

Question

Unfortunately, I live in a basement apartment. The landlordes don't live here they rent the house out. It is so cold down here and theres no heat. I called the landlored and he told me to tell the people upstairs so I did and they put the heat on for like a couple of days and then turned it off. Tonight it's freesing and when I asked them to turn the heat on they said no because they're warm even though before they said they could easily close there vents. It's October 22nd I live in Canada and i'm freezing. What should I do? When I call the landlored they tell me to work it out with the people upstairs and when I talk to them they say they won't put on the heat. Legally it has to be atleast 22 degrees celcius as of September 1st right now it's like 10 degrees. Should I call the landlord and tenant act or should I give it a couple more days?

Answer 1

Your landlord has a responsiblity to provide a heating unit for your apartment. The minimum temperature the landlord must provide is determined by municipality, (usually between 20-21 degrees C)
Here is information for Ontario:
http://www.ontariotenants.ca/law/law.phtml#Q7

An apartment without heat, or an apartment where the heat is shut off by the people upstairs does not meet the minimum standards for public health.

You can contact your city's Building and Inspections department or your city councillor. An apartment without it's own heat, is not a legal apartment. The landlord needs to provide you with either a thermostat control for the central heating system, or your own heater.

Take a series of pictures of a thermometer in your apartment showing the temperature below 20 degrees C, sitting with a newspaper where the date is visible.

Send copies of these pictures to your landlord with a letter stating that the heating problem must be repaired. Contact an atorney or your Community Legal Clinic to discuss your options.
Here is CLC contact info for Ontario:
http://www.ontariotenants.ca/law/tenant.phtml#clinics

In the meantime, turn on your stove at night. Cook something in your oven before you go to bed. Cover any windows or doors, or any source of drafts with blankets or insulation. Buy an inexpensive heater for your bedroom at night. In a worse case scenerio, use a hair dryer to help warm up a small room.

Good Luck. If your landlord refuses to make any changes, take your pictures, and the Health Department report, and Building Inspector report to your attorney to discuss withholding your rent, or completing the changes yourself using the rent money to pay for installing the new heater.

If your current rental agreement is that heat is included in your rent, then discuss a reduction in rent if the separate heating unit requires you to pay a separate electric, or fuel cost.

The landlord should realize that if he installs a separate heating unit for you, the fuel costs for the people upstairs will be reduced because your ceiling will heat their floor. It also increases the value of his property. Try to use these arguments when talking to him. Hopefully, it will motivate him to act quickly.

Answer 2

Call the landlord and the upstairs neighbors again and tell them that you need REGULAR heat immediately, all day long, and remind them that you have a legal right to 22C or better after September 1st. Also mention that you WILL contact the authorities if they do not act within 12 hours, something like that. But yes, definitely begin the legal process soon. HeavyD

Answer 3

Call your landlord and tell him that you don't have heat and the folks upstairs refuse to turn it on. Point out the law to him and tell him if he doesn't do something immediately, you will be contacting the authorities.

Give him an hour and then call the authorities.

In the meantime, you might want to invest in a small electric space heater, just in case the problem comes up again.

Answer 4

Be there for her and attempt and get her to talk to her dad and mom... via her chatting with them supplies her greater thoughts on wether or no longer she desires to maintain it or perhaps adoption she has greater thoughts now than she would be able to later. Her dad and mom will locate out finally purely determine it relatively is to no longer previous due. And be a good pal and attempt and help/handbook her to make the thoughts she needs and not what all people "needs" her to do because of the fact she am has to handle it in an prolonged time in life no count what she comes to a decision... and prefer the girl till now reported her dad and mom will strengthen to the assumption and sure there's of challenge they're going to loose it however the will no longer harm her or the toddler. So inspire her to make her judgements which will earnings her interior the top.

Answer 5

I would wrap up in an electric blanket and start looking in the ads for another apartment.