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Hi, the gas to my building has been shut off by Con Edison for a week now. The management company has not given the reason for this to their tenants and give no estimate for length of time to repair. Their statement seemed to blame Con Edison for the gas shutdown. I contacted Con Edison and they informed me that there was a gas leak detected in the building and that the gas was subsequently shut off. Con Edison also informed me that it is the building's responsibility to fix this and it is at their discretion as to how quickly this is done. However, the management company admits nothing and it quite argumentative about it and has not offered anything to it's tenants (considered a luxury building) other than an electric stove top. I think that the tenants deserve rent abatement and honesty about the situation. An educated suggestion(s) for me would be most appreciated. Thanks.
Join the Conversation Comments (2)Thanks so much for your time and suggestions. I will certainly utilize them to deal with this unfortunate issue.
AW, If your whole building has been shut off, your fellow coop/codo is also having the same problem including your board members. Where are they? This shut down should have been told to everyone. I would contact my insurance co. to see what they can do ASAP! I gather you still have heat, hot water and electric. If so your still living in your place right? Talk to the people in your building including your board members. Remember elections are coming up for board members. Also try to change your managing agent. Every coop/condo need to do this once the managing agent gets lazy. Best of luck.
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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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