I considered putting this in the pit, but it really is a legit grievance, and I could use some advice here. I could start a huge BBQ thread about the crazy notions my landlord has, but this is the latest issue.
I live in a 4 apartment walk-up in Brooklyn - one apartment per floor, with a main hallway with a staircase. This game has been going on long enough. My landlord refuses to allow the light that hangs over the inside of the entrance to my walk-up apartment building to be on, even at night. Now that it’s getting dark before I get home from work, I can’t even see which key I need to open the door, and have to either fumble with them, or step under a street light to see my ring. When I asked him about this, he said that he doesn’t want other people to be able to see in from the sidewalk (even though there’s NOTHING to see except for a staircase and a couple of doors, and despite the fact that every other apartment on this street…no, every other apartment in the CITY has a lit entrance). Besides being a inconvenience, I could also see this as a safety hazard, both for tripping/bumping, and in the unlikely event that someone who shouldn’t be there is inside.
So tonight I’m running out to pick up my laundry from the laundromat down the street, and turn the light on (because fumbling with keys is one thing, but 30 pounds of laundry at night is even harder) and run into my landlord as I’m stepping out the gate. He asked if I turned the light on and I say “yes, I’ll be right back”. 5 minutes later I come back and not only is the light off, but the bulbs in the light have been removed!
Are there any rules or laws about keeping the common areas/entrance hallways lit? Where can I file a complaint about this, since my landlord is being totally unreasonable about this?
http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/hmc/sub2/art10.html Sec. 27-2038 Electric lighting fixtures in certain public parts of dwellings; fixtures and lights required In every multiple dwelling and tenant-occupied two-family dwelling, the owner shall provide electric lighting fixtures for every public hall, stair, fire stair and fire tower on every floor…[more details about type and brightness of lighting ommited]
Sec. 27-2039 Lighting to be provided at night; owner’s responsibility
The owner of a multiple dwelling shall turn on all required lights in every public hall and stair at sunset every day and shall keep them on until sunrise the day following.
By the way, generally speaking, the penalties for retaliating against you for reporting a violation are much more severe than the penalties for the violation itself.
Thank you. I printed out the code and hung it next to the light switch, and I’m sure i’ll be getting a knock on my door soon (probably to get a complaint that the scotch tape is fucking up his paint job).
I’d explain to him that it serves him legally in case someone hurts themselves on a dark stairwell or is attacked. It serves everybody everyday by being able to see the lock. If he’s worried about the electricity then install a CFL bulb with a night switch and charge everybody an extra 10 cents a month.
The last flat I lived in here in London had timers on the common area lighting. They stayed lit long enough for you to get in and out. Perhaps a compromise?
(although I was always convinced there was something lurking in the dark as I reached to the side of my door to flick on the light)
Coincidentally, I was involved in this situation recently. My 85 year old mother-in-law lives on the second floor. Each floor has a chandelier and the landlord had removed all but one bulb from each. They were on a timer which was set to twenty seconds, so she could manage about half a dozen steps before she was plunged in to darkness.
I pointed out to the landlord that should she fall down, I would be assisting her in a legal action to get redress. Next day, the bulbs were reinstated, and the timer reset to ten minutes.
I used to work with an Orthodox Jew who got into a problem with his landlord when he put motion sensor lights in the lobby of his building. Apparently on the Sabbath it was a violation of Jewish law for him to cause the lights to turn on because of his motion, even though it wasn’t his intent and completely outside his control. IIRC he wanted the landlord to leave the lights on full time Friday night. Don’t know how it turned out.
Oh sorry. The notice stayed up for a couple of days and my landlord did finally knock on my door, but only to state that if I have an issue, I need to speak to him directly rather than try to start trouble with signs. Ever since then, the lights have been working, and have been on from sunset to sunrise.
I think he was smart enough to figure out that I was aware of the actual laws and trying to push the issue further was going to get him fined.
