So I moved in a month and a half ago and off the bat noticed the apartment was cold and the heat wasn't working. They claimed it was (sending a maintenance guy to come check it out) but there was no way the heat was working and it was that cold. It began to get warmer the next few days so I let it sit. A week or so later it began getting cold again and I found myself waking up in the middle of the night shaking.
One evening, I had the heat as high as it can go on the thermostat but no heat was coming out. I was freezing! I reached out to the maintenance and this was the first time they told me the heat gets shut off in the building. Temperatures were below 50 degrees and in the 30's at night!!!! They claimed it gets shut off during mid-April since "utilities are included." I got off the phone disappointed because this is something I would think they'd inform a tenant before we move in.
I get off the phone frustrated, considering I've never lived anywhere that shuts off the heat. This is the most uncomfortable I've ever been living somewhere outside of the time I lived out of my friends car when I was younger and got kicked out of my house as a teenager. I did a bit of research to find out that city laws require complexes to maintain a "comfortable living temperature" and must keep the heat on between October 1st and April 30th. Even after those dates, they're required to keep the heat on anytime the temperature dips below 50 degrees.
IT WAS 39 DEGREES LAST NIGHT!!! (nearly freezing temparatures) Guess whether the heat was on or off? Hmmm......
Let's put it like this - instead of getting ready for work, the first thing I did when I woke up was send another email to the apartment complex telling them they are again breaking the law (4th time now I've reached out to them.) The entire day goes by and I get no response so I come home to another cold apartment only hoping the heat would turn on. No luck.
I reached out to maintenance again and he was extremely rude, stating he's keeping it off regardless of what the law requires. Annoyed, I hung up on him after telling him I'm reaching out to the city. I immediately call Philly 311 and a city worker confirms that the heat must remain on and that they have to keep a comfortable living condition. Joyce (the city employee) even read the laws to me over the phone.
She gives me the contact information to both the Tenant Union Representative Network (TURN) and Fair Housing Commission and told me I should reach out to them first thing in the morning. She told me there are penalties for breaching these laws. While on the phone, she also informs me that for whatever reason, she cannot find a leasing inspection license (I believe that's what she called it.) She spent over 10 minutes trying to find the license on record, using the 13512 Bustleton Ave address along with the Petoni Place address also found on Google. No luck. She informs me if they don't have that on hand, legally they cannot even be renting properties in the city of Philadelphia.
She again stresses for me to reach out to TURN first thing in the morning to verify if they even have a leasing inspection license and to inform them of these breaches in city law. I've never seen this type of disregard to a tenant.
I got off the phone with her after a call that lasted nearly 45 minutes, sent the property management another email for documentation purposes and to inform them of the steps I will be taking if this situation isn't immediately corrected, and then went to the neighbors to let them know about the laws this complex is breaking. While speaking to the other tenants, I hear story after story about how negligent this complex is when something goes wrong, how rude they are, and how nothing ever gets done (FROM MULTIPLE TENANTS.) Apparently, everyone in the building has had an issue with the cold, even saying that the heat goes out completely during the wintertime.
I rather this not escalate further, but what's wrong is wrong. I will not sit around while these people continue to offer a living condition not suitable to what is considered "fair housing." I will fight this until the bitter end and will make sure the entire complex and city knows about this if this isn't corrected IMMEDIATELY.
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Great initial experience, and overall gr...
Great initial experience, and overall great experience living here.
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Renovation is necessary otherwise it is ...
Renovation is necessary otherwise it is a great experience.