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Gas LeakNov 30, 2017

Everything you describe are the correct protocols Con Ed follows when a gas leak is detected. A gas leak, no matter how small, is an urgent safety matter.

It's your management company that's causing all the problems. From your description it sounds like they have no interest in dealing directly with you, so stronger measures are required.

I assume as a luxury building you are not rent stabilized or rent controlled. If you were, you could get legal help from NYC or the Legal Aid Society.

Have you spoken to the other tenants about this, and do you feel they would be willing to take legal action with you against the building management? If they are, great. As a collective you can hire an attorney and split the cost among all the shareholders (you'll probably get it back in the end).

If not, and you have to go it alone, the first thing I would do is contact the insurance company who has your renters insurance, assuming you have a such a policy. They have the resources to deal with the management, you probably don't. Your policy hopefully has a "loss of use" clause which means your insurance will pay for temporary housing for you (up to policy limit) and then they will work to get the problem resolved.

If you don't have insurance, it's going to be painful for you. You'll need to find an attorney and discuss the situation with them, and find out what your options are. This will cost you a few hundred dollars. If you decide to move forward with any of the options, the attorney will handle it for you at additional expense.

I would advise you to not confront building management or start any legal action on your own. They have much greater resources and most likely attorneys on retainer. You could prejudice your case and make things worse for yourself if you say or do something that can be used against you in litigation.

I know this is not a comfortable situation and I feel for you. There are laws to protect tenants in your situation, but you need an attorney who knows how to work within the laws to have the most effect.

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

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