Who lives in York, PA?

I have been without heat for 3 days now. i also do not have hot water. i live in Reading, PA and the landlord lives in New York. they are very hard to get a hold of. i finally got someone last night and she told me to call the real estat

• Answer:

  I'm sorry about your distress. I would take a moment and read the leasing agreement. This will let you know what to do in case there are repairs needed in the unit. Where we manage, Philly, we use 24/7 emergency technicians for our residents. We normally provide oil-filled radiators for each bedroom until the heater has been repaired. If you don't have that accessibility, you do have some choices. Try the managing RE agent, again. Send a certified letter to your LL and RE agent requesting that the heater be repaired by them or you will pay for the expense and deduct it from your next month's rent. After you have sent the notice and the heater still has not been repaired, have the heater repaired at your own expense and deduct as stated above. You can always call the office in your locality that manages rentals and/or fair housing practices to start a complaint. However, be prepared that you may still be out of heat for up to the required time the LL has to make repairs. BTW, it sounds as if you have an oil heater, because both the house heater and the hot water tank are not performing. Maybe you need oil. If you live in a single family home, I would order a minimum amount of oil after sending the notice to the LL and still deduct it from next month's rent. Also, once you have heat and hot water again, take a deep breath and talk with your LL or RE agent about the future. You should have a way to contact someone in case of an emergency. We keep our lines open all night, but don't expect that from every manager. You should expect a response within a reasonable amount of time, ie...before the end of the work day.