Now that it looks like we are getting the first big accumulating snow, I had a very simple question: who is responsible for shoveling the sidewalk, the landlord or the tenant?
I live in Bucktown in a building in a 2-flat (just two apartments). I’m totally physically capable of shoveling the walk in front of the building, though I’ll need to acquire a shovel, and I’ll happily do it if it’s the tenant’s responsibility. Not the most fun thing, but it’s a workout and I could do with some exercise.
However, if it’s the landlord’s responsibility, then I’d like to at least get in touch with my landlord (who is very friendly and responsive) to see what the arrangements are; after all, I wouldn’t object to a deduction in rent in exchange for shoveling.
It’s the landlords responsibility.
However your neighbors may be a little pissed at you for ingnoring it.
Why not give the landlord a call and say “Hey I don’t mind helping out this once but it’s really not my job, but if you’re willing to knock 25$ off the rent for each time I shovel I’d be OK with that.”
Yeah, my first inclination is that it’s the landlord’s responsibility. It may be stated in the lease agreement. I’ve lived in apartments since 1992 and have never had to shovel a sidewalk - but might have if it didn’t get done by them. If the landlord doesn’t live there, they may have a service hired, and if that’s the case it just may take up to a day from the snowfall for them to get to your property, since a service will have many properties to take care of. My current building’s got a service and my property manager has 10 buildings she takes care of, so sometimes it takes until the next day, but it always gets done. They even shovel all the decking in back - and that’s a lot of decking!
Unless it’s specified in the lease as the tenant’s responsibility, it’s the landlords, at least where I live.
No reason you can’t call him up and make your offer. It’s been a mild winter so far, he may not be willing to go for the ‘every month thing’. Maybe consider $10 off for every shovel requiring snow?
I’m a Chicago landlord, and I always take the responsibility to get the shoveling done. I don’t know if I have to by law, but it seems logical. I’m the one who’ll get the ticket if I don’t.
If a tenant offered to shovel for a break on the rent, I’d definitely take him up on it.
I’m a landlady in Kansas, I figure it’s my responsibility. But the law about shoveling is not really enforced here.
Same goes for the yard. I own a large house and live upstairs, renting out the first floor which is a separate apartment. The current tenant was a friend(and still is!) before I rented to him and his SO. I hate mowing, kind of scared of those spinning blades, and he offered to do it for a sum off of the rent. Works out pretty well.
It took our landlord’s service two days to get to my building after the blizzard last year, and they did an extremely poor job. They shoveled a one person width down to about the last two inches, then didn’t shovel out to the street or the alley. I think I may have gotten them fired, after I took pictures and sent them to the landlord and the alderman.
Edited to mention what I was going to say in the first place: 16 apartments and it turns out no one in my building owns a snow shovel.
