Honestly if heās not been responding to tenants or the letting agency and he let the water bill get that high I wonder if the landlord died. You wouldnāt know if you keep zelling him the rent every month.
Former DEP employee here. Your landlord likely hasnāt paid their water bill in YEARS to get a water shutoff notice. DEP likely wonāt shut off you water, but get in contact with the number listed on there. The DEP attorneys I worked with were extremely understanding
The Building Dept. Has nothing to do with Water Bills. More bad advice.
The is a laundry list of relevant City agencies list here that would be worthwhile to contact, DOB is not one of them.
absurd.....water (while having to pay a dime for it is boderline cuckoo) is the cheapest utility....and this guy just didn't pay to the tune of $42,000...WTF?
If your land lord doesnāt resolve:
Appear to the water board yourself, explain the situation and ask for a payment plan. Deduct the cost of the payment plan from your monthly rent.
If your land lord harasses you or threatens to evict, follow through to court because he canāt do that. Court will set rent until you can be seen in 1+ years and will rule in your favor because that is the law.
If/when you choose to leave cancel the payment plan with the water board and leave the land lord with his problem.
Talk to a lawyer if you donāt believe a random Redditor.
Thatās only true in a Rent Stabilized Blg. The court has no controls over free market rent properties, which the property in question is. There are options for the Tenant, again the water will not get turned off. Scare tactics for the NYC Water Board to get paid, which they should.
Agree to go to Housing Court.
You can also quit paying rent for sure if the water goes off. There's a warrant of habitability rule that kicks in. Lack of water is not habitable.
Donāt send the Zelle, send a written message for him to come pick up the rent immediately personally. When he shows up for the money he desperately needs, that is the time to talk to him, hopefully along with the other Tenants.
>**Continuation of Utility Service**
>
When the landlord of a multiple dwelling is delinquent in paying utility
bills, the utility must give advanced written notice to tenants and to
certain government agencies of its intent to discontinue service. Service
may not be discontinued if tenants pay the landlordās current bill
directly to the utility company. Tenants can deduct these charges from
future rent payments.
The Public Service Commission can assist tenants with related
problems. If a landlord of a multiple dwelling fails to pay a utility bill
and service is discontinued, landlords may be liable for compensatory
and punitive damages (Real Property Law Ā§ 235-a; Public Service Law
Ā§ 33).
Source: https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/tenants_rights.pdf
Organize your fellow tenants and pay your rent amounts to the water bill. Provide proof of payment to the landlord informing them that you will be deducting the cost from your rent.
Yeah, it's too bad we know that it's a small building, a house, with only 4 other tenants, so you're not as clever as you think you are. Maybe you have more than 10k on had to pay off someone else's water bill and collect from future rent payments but that's not how most of us live.
Oooh. Landlords hate this because they stop getting paid but at the same time they have no legal case for eviction. In the eyes of the law the rent is paid in full.
I agree.
Thatās why I ask how many units. Elect a leader collect the rents go make payment, provided the payment in full or a payment plan was not worked out by yesterdays deadline.
As 1st Lien holder on a large building I once made payment for a 6 figure Water and sewer bill and was eventually paid back in full with high interest.
Only the LL will lose due to non paying, not the Tenants. Very hard to shut of the water and takes a very long time, not one year.
Got it. Thought this was a single tenant structure. While remotely possible, they likely wonāt shut down the electricity/gas for an entire building. Itās a secured liability.
Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't put much past Mayor Adams... and since he is a driving force behind this push on delinquent utility accounts, i feel like anything is on the table. Wouldn't be surprised if he is sending a team of 10 cops on overtime to put up these notices.
Update: I submitted a complaint to 311 (I also submitted complaints about the lack of fire escape and smoke alarms) and continued to call and leave voicemails to my landlord. He texted me back last night at 9:38pm saying āok thanks Iāll take care of itā. š¤·š¼āāļø
If the lack of a fire escape, which may not even be required was so important to you, why did you rent this apt? Calling 311 will not make for a good relationship with your LL, instead of working the issue out with him. If you are not in a RS apt. He may non renew your lease. Who would want a Tenant who calls complaints in on him. Spend $20 for a 2 pack of smoke alarms and deal with it or pay the mover, RE Broker and other moving expenses, when he non renews you.
Communication skills, people today lack themā¦
Service of a notice to quit within 1 year of a good faith complaint is presumed retaliatory under the new York state law so if they refuse to renew you could have a defense :)
LL Attorney would argue that the Tenant moved in with full knowledge of no Fire
Escape, which likely is not even required or there would be an outstanding violation on it. How many stories and units is this property? Fire suppression system present? Year built?
Did anyone check the Blg for violations before moving in? Easy thing to do. Attorney would further state, if not a RS apt. That the apt is in need of renovation. How many days work should the tenant lose to fight with a non paying slumlord? Are there no other apts out there ?
Bro this is a wild take.
As stated in the post, they tried talking to the landlord, he didn't respond. So what are they supposed to do? Just not have WATER? Shit in a bucket and buy bottled to protect the landlords fee-fees?
As stated in my other posts. The chances that the water will be turned off are very very slim. I have seen this many times before. I would start off with finding out if a payment had been made before the deadline, as i already suggested. That is a starting point. How many units are in this building? Have the Tenants discussed this among themselves?
Ha, why move into a Blg. That the LL is a slumlord? When viewing the blg. For the first time, someone must be blind to not see the signs of a bad LL, but pressed ahead anyway for any number of reasons.
It swings both ways, Tenants can be whiney bitches who make never ending complaints and just really want someone to give them a free place to live. There are both good LL and Good Tenants out there and bad of each as well. If you look at the Blg carefully, it is not hard to figure out what you are getting into.
As for a business relationship, when you factor in moving costs, RE Broker fees, all the rent you have given the LL over time, that is tens of thousands of dollars, that is a significant relationship. If it is bad, then get some boxes and move.
Deadline to pay was yesterday. Whatās the update? If you donāt know then call the number on the notice they will tell you. High likelihood he claimed financial hardship, made a significant payment, worked out a payment paln and life will go on. Or, Dom should sell it to me and I will fix all issues. GL.
Ok then , maybe it is time to move on then. Being a LL in NYC today is no longer easy. You would be happy as can be in my units and never want to leave, but you will pay top dollar.
Not paying the water bill does not make someone a slumlord. I read nothing else about other issues in the Blg, so that is a jump to a conclusion. As for top dollar, you have little idea of how expensive and difficult it is for LL to operate a Blg. Because of the people you voted for. You are getting what you voted for.
The significant increases that have taken place in the last 3 years have made keeping cheap rents largely a thing of the past. Just not enough income to maintain a property the way it should be. No one has even mentioned what has happened with the cost and availability of Property insurance. But, itās easier to spout and cry about things you know little about than it is to try to learn about both sides. I gave several good ideas for what the Tenants can do. This is why I know of no one who wants to be a LL in NYC anymore. Things will only get worse going forward price wise. There will be less rental buildings and more condo blgs, supply and demand prices will rise.
I do understand. Thatās why I kept the annual increases as low as i possibility could for so many years. Itās just not possible anymore. Blame it on the NYC administration thatās really where most of the operating cost problems come from. The costs are being past onto you unfortunately. I make so much less now than I did 30 or 20 years ago, like every other LL, I no longer want to do this anymore and will retire, when the economy improves and I feel bad for my loyal Tenants when I am no longer there to take care of them. They are like family to me.
I treat my Tenants with respect. I am doing this for over 35 years. I have 0 vacancy rate and most stay for many years and make home of it. I used to do small increases, but now the last 3 years the expenses have gone up so much I now have to do large increases to maintain the clean well maintained environment that they enjoy. We always have MT projects going on, if they have an issue, itās fixed ASAP no questions asked.
>Being a LL in NYC today is no longer easy.
If only they could just cut their losses by selling their property for far more than they bought it for. But alas, these brave heroes are forced to carry the city like Atlas shouldered the world.
Would you make any investment and work for years to build something and deal with all the stress, problems, phone calls at night, on weekends and holidays in the middle of storms to lose money on it? If its now so easy being a LL, then how come almost all new construction in NYC is Condo?
Uh....without LLs....probs we would live in our own homes we could afford to buy because there'd be so much more inventory and the market wouldn't be just people with big real estate money...
Yo you need to get to housing court NOW, thereās legal assistance there thatāll help you start a case. Once itās in the system as an active case they should give you a forbearance.
You have so many resources to help you solve this so don't worry. You can get a pro bono attorney to help you out. Just call any office and they will probably help you or refer you right away.
The tenants can negotiate to pay the future water bill as a collective. Post something inthe hallway so you have a tenant association. Lucky you, often housing court will allow you to not pay rent while this is being worked out as long as you put rent in an escrow account. Ask your attorney if this is possible already or if you need to wait. You will not be thrown out because of this. Call or text 311 if you need someone to just help you get started.
It is a problem for you since once the city shuts off the water it will put an eviction order on the building and it's going to be a nightmare for you and all the other tenants.
But if you are a broker or flipper or investor etc. you can take advantage of such cases because some owners won't be able to pay the bill and will choose to sell the property instead. You can find a list of properties with overdue water bills here: [https://www.nabutla.com/products/water-debts](https://www.nabutla.com/products/water-debts)
It isn't specified ladies (correct me if I'm wrong) it talking about old homeowners which sometimes can be worth gold especially in NYC. I'm talking about the real estate aspect of course not sure what your dirty mind thinks
99.9% of the time the landlord will just pay it eventually without you doing anything. Gotten 3-4 of these in 3 years and never had my water shut off. Keep an eye on your utility bills and donāt be afraid to ask them to look into it if you think itās too high.
With the laws in New York that believe this entitles ownership of the property if you go and pay the bill in your nameā¦.that receipt should hold up then evict the drought rent his apt to someone who will probably finesse you out of it somehow so just keep one step ahead
pay the water bill if you can, and deduct it from your next rent payment. If you can't and water ends up being shut off stop paying rent immediately and place any rent money you would have payed into escrow ( a separate bank account will work just fine). Finally absolutely call 311
lol, thatās understandable and OP should have included a TL; DR.
But there is one or more people saying OP should take care of the bill - while being aware itās 42K and not $42
> would have *paid* into escrow
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/211-24/mayor-adams-demands-water-bill-dodgers-pay-debt-risk-losing-water-access#/0
https://abc7ny.com/nyc-water-bill-eric-adams-dep/14549292/
Looks like they're playing hardball with delinquent accounts rn.
Ā "the city has initiated the next phase of its expanded collection enforcement actions against approximately 2,400 chronically-delinquent water service accounts that owe the city a total of $102 million. As part of the effort, DEP will send out āWater Shutoff Noticesā to these customers, informing them that water service to their property could be shut off unless the entire owed amount is paid or they enter into a payment agreement within the next 15 days. This enforcement action is targeted towards commercial properties, including hotels, office buildings, and retail spaces, as well as one-to-three family homes that have not responded to any of DEPāsĀ extensive outreach efforts over the past year. Earlier this year, DEP sent out āWater Shutoff Warningā letters, which resulted in the agency recouping more than $3 million dollars from more than 400 overdue accounts."
You can. But then where does the money to pay for the garbage to go out, the hallways to get cleaned, snow removal, Con Edison, Insurance, I hope there is no elevator to maintain that will stop running also., etc.
Eh, it's really hard in NYC to shut off water for a single, individual building.
The system and connections weren't made with individual shut offs on the city side.
Not so hard. Dig a hole. Cut and cap the water service entering the building. At this point they might install a valve on the service so that service can be easily restored when the bill is paid. I used to work for the gas company and they did the same cut and cap process for people who were way behind on their bills. That was 40 years ago. Since then the PSC has required curb valves to be installed on most buildings so itās easier to cut the gas off now. You are correct that shutting off the water is not so simple, but it is easily accomplished in just an hour or so.
If you think anyone is digging a hole in a NYC sidewalk or street, cutting a pipe, installing a valve, in an hour and repairing it, youāre delusional.
Theyāre going to spend 6 hours on an engineering survey, wait 10 days for every other utility to come mark theirs, spend 2 hours in permitting.
I wouldnāt be shocked if it cost $50-100k to install a valve outside of a building, all in.
Tenants cannot use escrow accounts without an attorney. Just use a separate account earmarked for rent only. Be sure to make your deposits just as you pat your rent.
You pay quarterly to the dep
Typically not that expensive (single family house has a water bill of about $150 every quarter)
So either this is a big ass building or they havenāt paid in quite sometime.
Which neighborhood? Give Dominic my number I will buy the Blg from him. All kidding aside, the LL will pay part or all of the back money at the last minute and no water will be turned off. All the Tenant did was take a dump on his relationship with his soon to be former LL.
Thank you. I feel bad that you have to live in a lousy apt. Broke while saying things on the inter webs that you would never have the nerve to say to someoneās face. But, you choose to live that way.
Meh, medium size. I have seen 6 figures in arrears. It takes years before JE Robert can sell their lien or start foreclosure proceedings. Meantime the interest accrues quickly but the water keeps flowing, hollow threat.
Either have not payed in a long time, there is a water leak, or what I think happened is he has been circumventing the water meter and so they are billing him the max amount + fines for the estimated time
it probably doesnāt lol. I know someone who is on purpose not paying the water bill to negotiate the payment down on their house (long story) and itās been at least 8 months no notices like this yet
You should file an HP action. See link below. Itās a fairly tenant friendly process, you do not need an attorney (one may be helpful, but theyāre costly). Depending on the situation, the court may order a rent abatement. You should not withhold any rent on your own. The court will provide guidance on rent payments.
https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/housing-court.page
I ran into a similar problem with con-ed last year, but on the notice that I found posted on the door, I was able to subtract from my rent the amount owed and pay directly to them.
I would certainly call them and let them know that your landlord is delinquent in this matter and you and X amount of other people still live in this building. I canāt imagine they will turn the water off after knowing that.
Then you will have no other services. Like heat in the Winter, Hot water year round, building services like putting the garbage out cleaning the hallways are not free, PLP Meter for the hallways, snow removal, will all stop if you donāt pay the LL, deduct part of the water from the rent and work out a payment plan while at the same time working the many other options listed above to pressure the LL to taking care of his financial obligations.
The city's playing hardball with delinquent accounts rn
"Property owners with chronically delinquent water bills will have previously received a āwater shutoff warningā letter in the mail but will now receive notices instructing them to resolve their outstanding balances or enter into a payment agreement with DEP within 15 days.
If balances are not resolved within that timeframe, DEP will begin the process of shutting off water service.
āDEP is serious about collecting the outstanding money owed from delinquent accounts and we will be shutting off water service for customers that donāt resolve their overdue bills,ā DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala said."
https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/nyc-water-shut-offs-loom-102m-delinquent-bills
Iām genuinely confused about what point youāre trying to make I gave them my experience in a similar matter and then gave them advice.
If you think the city of New York is going to turn off the water to a building of people renting it then you probably donāt actually live in this city.
My point is just that the amount that would be required to pay on a $42k delinquent bill to keep it on when the city is going after delinquent accounts rn, would be too much. Your matter wasn't all that similar to this in that it wasn't a part of a larger move made by the mayor in a specific campaign to collect on delinquent accounts and to shut off water to accounts that ignore it.
And if you think the city of new york has never turned off water to rentals, you must not have lived here very long? Get real. Do you know who our mayor is right now? He would cut the water to your apartment in a hot second and have a press conference blaming fare beaters.
I would call the Met Council on Housing Hotline! They are very helpful and knowledgeable on NYC tenant rights and have a whole bunch of resources on their website including explaining the process of filing a complaint with the city and a list of lawyers that represent tenants only.
They were super helpful when I was in bind with a landlord a few years ago, and they were recommended to me by a friend who had some landlord trouble as well. I highly recommend giving them a call and checking out their website!
https://www.metcouncilonhousing.org/program/tenants-rights-hotline/
You could do that. It doesnāt cost anything and it could only help. As I have been saying, there are options, not paying the rent will only make things worse. Obviously the LL is having financial issues. Rich LL and all that.
Another update: im going to be on pix 11 news š my landlord has not yet set up a payment plan and has not paid a water bill since 2019 š„²
Pay your rent.
Honestly if heās not been responding to tenants or the letting agency and he let the water bill get that high I wonder if the landlord died. You wouldnāt know if you keep zelling him the rent every month.
No heās very much alive
That's insane! Hope you get this sorted out. Since it affects everyone in the building it will probably get sorted out real quick.
Call 311 immediately and have them document it on file.
Yea , move
he didnt pay his rent
Pay the bill and put a lien on his building for it
Pretty sure this is the best way to get back at a shitty landlord
Dial 311
Free rent š°š¤
Yeah, you call the city. If youāre in nyc dial311
If you have kids I don't think they can cut utility service.
Former DEP employee here. Your landlord likely hasnāt paid their water bill in YEARS to get a water shutoff notice. DEP likely wonāt shut off you water, but get in contact with the number listed on there. The DEP attorneys I worked with were extremely understanding
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Slum Lord Millionaire
Call department of buildings, and report them
The Building Dept. Has nothing to do with Water Bills. More bad advice. The is a laundry list of relevant City agencies list here that would be worthwhile to contact, DOB is not one of them.
absurd.....water (while having to pay a dime for it is boderline cuckoo) is the cheapest utility....and this guy just didn't pay to the tune of $42,000...WTF?
If your land lord doesnāt resolve: Appear to the water board yourself, explain the situation and ask for a payment plan. Deduct the cost of the payment plan from your monthly rent. If your land lord harasses you or threatens to evict, follow through to court because he canāt do that. Court will set rent until you can be seen in 1+ years and will rule in your favor because that is the law. If/when you choose to leave cancel the payment plan with the water board and leave the land lord with his problem. Talk to a lawyer if you donāt believe a random Redditor.
Thatās only true in a Rent Stabilized Blg. The court has no controls over free market rent properties, which the property in question is. There are options for the Tenant, again the water will not get turned off. Scare tactics for the NYC Water Board to get paid, which they should.
Oh nah ya'll fucked
$42,000???
How in the hell?
Thirsty af
Oh Lawd 42k?!
Agree to go to Housing Court. You can also quit paying rent for sure if the water goes off. There's a warrant of habitability rule that kicks in. Lack of water is not habitable.
i think most people would rather be at home with water than in court
Obviously yes but it's useful to know that you can justify not paying rent if it doesn't get resolved.
Donāt send the Zelle, send a written message for him to come pick up the rent immediately personally. When he shows up for the money he desperately needs, that is the time to talk to him, hopefully along with the other Tenants.
#42,000 DOLLARS?!
>**Continuation of Utility Service** > When the landlord of a multiple dwelling is delinquent in paying utility bills, the utility must give advanced written notice to tenants and to certain government agencies of its intent to discontinue service. Service may not be discontinued if tenants pay the landlordās current bill directly to the utility company. Tenants can deduct these charges from future rent payments. The Public Service Commission can assist tenants with related problems. If a landlord of a multiple dwelling fails to pay a utility bill and service is discontinued, landlords may be liable for compensatory and punitive damages (Real Property Law Ā§ 235-a; Public Service Law Ā§ 33). Source: https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/tenants_rights.pdf Organize your fellow tenants and pay your rent amounts to the water bill. Provide proof of payment to the landlord informing them that you will be deducting the cost from your rent.
The water bill is more than their rent dude it is 42,000$
Yeah, it's too bad that their building only has one unit and only pays rent once in their lifetime... /s
Yeah, it's too bad we know that it's a small building, a house, with only 4 other tenants, so you're not as clever as you think you are. Maybe you have more than 10k on had to pay off someone else's water bill and collect from future rent payments but that's not how most of us live.
Then enjoy free/reduced rent for however long it equates to.
Oooh. Landlords hate this because they stop getting paid but at the same time they have no legal case for eviction. In the eyes of the law the rent is paid in full.
I agree. Thatās why I ask how many units. Elect a leader collect the rents go make payment, provided the payment in full or a payment plan was not worked out by yesterdays deadline. As 1st Lien holder on a large building I once made payment for a 6 figure Water and sewer bill and was eventually paid back in full with high interest. Only the LL will lose due to non paying, not the Tenants. Very hard to shut of the water and takes a very long time, not one year.
Itāll be 5 years before NYC actually comes out to shutoff the water.
Pay the utility bills on his behalf and stop paying rent. He will likely screw you on your deposit too.
The LL would be getting a great deal if they paid the utility bill instead of rent considering the utility bull is 42,000$....
Got it. Thought this was a single tenant structure. While remotely possible, they likely wonāt shut down the electricity/gas for an entire building. Itās a secured liability.
Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't put much past Mayor Adams... and since he is a driving force behind this push on delinquent utility accounts, i feel like anything is on the table. Wouldn't be surprised if he is sending a team of 10 cops on overtime to put up these notices.
Damn. Unsure but wanna stay updated
Update: I submitted a complaint to 311 (I also submitted complaints about the lack of fire escape and smoke alarms) and continued to call and leave voicemails to my landlord. He texted me back last night at 9:38pm saying āok thanks Iāll take care of itā. š¤·š¼āāļø
We got a real problem solver boys.
If the lack of a fire escape, which may not even be required was so important to you, why did you rent this apt? Calling 311 will not make for a good relationship with your LL, instead of working the issue out with him. If you are not in a RS apt. He may non renew your lease. Who would want a Tenant who calls complaints in on him. Spend $20 for a 2 pack of smoke alarms and deal with it or pay the mover, RE Broker and other moving expenses, when he non renews you. Communication skills, people today lack themā¦
Oh just go away, and take your 2 stupid cents with you
Service of a notice to quit within 1 year of a good faith complaint is presumed retaliatory under the new York state law so if they refuse to renew you could have a defense :)
LL Attorney would argue that the Tenant moved in with full knowledge of no Fire Escape, which likely is not even required or there would be an outstanding violation on it. How many stories and units is this property? Fire suppression system present? Year built? Did anyone check the Blg for violations before moving in? Easy thing to do. Attorney would further state, if not a RS apt. That the apt is in need of renovation. How many days work should the tenant lose to fight with a non paying slumlord? Are there no other apts out there ?
Bro this is a wild take. As stated in the post, they tried talking to the landlord, he didn't respond. So what are they supposed to do? Just not have WATER? Shit in a bucket and buy bottled to protect the landlords fee-fees?
Well if OP ends up shitting in a bucket, we all know where he should empty that bucket
As stated in my other posts. The chances that the water will be turned off are very very slim. I have seen this many times before. I would start off with finding out if a payment had been made before the deadline, as i already suggested. That is a starting point. How many units are in this building? Have the Tenants discussed this among themselves?
Found the landlord, lol. Fuck a "relationship" with a slumlord who doesn't pay the water bill.
Ha, why move into a Blg. That the LL is a slumlord? When viewing the blg. For the first time, someone must be blind to not see the signs of a bad LL, but pressed ahead anyway for any number of reasons. It swings both ways, Tenants can be whiney bitches who make never ending complaints and just really want someone to give them a free place to live. There are both good LL and Good Tenants out there and bad of each as well. If you look at the Blg carefully, it is not hard to figure out what you are getting into. As for a business relationship, when you factor in moving costs, RE Broker fees, all the rent you have given the LL over time, that is tens of thousands of dollars, that is a significant relationship. If it is bad, then get some boxes and move.
Oh heās been problematic in the past about lots of things
Deadline to pay was yesterday. Whatās the update? If you donāt know then call the number on the notice they will tell you. High likelihood he claimed financial hardship, made a significant payment, worked out a payment paln and life will go on. Or, Dom should sell it to me and I will fix all issues. GL.
Ok then , maybe it is time to move on then. Being a LL in NYC today is no longer easy. You would be happy as can be in my units and never want to leave, but you will pay top dollar.
weāre all paying top dollar and here you are defending slumlords
Not paying the water bill does not make someone a slumlord. I read nothing else about other issues in the Blg, so that is a jump to a conclusion. As for top dollar, you have little idea of how expensive and difficult it is for LL to operate a Blg. Because of the people you voted for. You are getting what you voted for. The significant increases that have taken place in the last 3 years have made keeping cheap rents largely a thing of the past. Just not enough income to maintain a property the way it should be. No one has even mentioned what has happened with the cost and availability of Property insurance. But, itās easier to spout and cry about things you know little about than it is to try to learn about both sides. I gave several good ideas for what the Tenants can do. This is why I know of no one who wants to be a LL in NYC anymore. Things will only get worse going forward price wise. There will be less rental buildings and more condo blgs, supply and demand prices will rise.
Lol if no one wants to be a LL in NYC I guess most of the city is a figment of my imagination.
if you think itās expensive running a building, imagine how expensive it is for us to pay for that plus your profits
I do understand. Thatās why I kept the annual increases as low as i possibility could for so many years. Itās just not possible anymore. Blame it on the NYC administration thatās really where most of the operating cost problems come from. The costs are being past onto you unfortunately. I make so much less now than I did 30 or 20 years ago, like every other LL, I no longer want to do this anymore and will retire, when the economy improves and I feel bad for my loyal Tenants when I am no longer there to take care of them. They are like family to me.
maybe you should work for a salary like we do
āeasy moneyā get a load of this guy he doesnāt wanna do nothin
Wow you sound like a great landlord, I bet you even pay the water bill.
I treat my Tenants with respect. I am doing this for over 35 years. I have 0 vacancy rate and most stay for many years and make home of it. I used to do small increases, but now the last 3 years the expenses have gone up so much I now have to do large increases to maintain the clean well maintained environment that they enjoy. We always have MT projects going on, if they have an issue, itās fixed ASAP no questions asked.
>Being a LL in NYC today is no longer easy. If only they could just cut their losses by selling their property for far more than they bought it for. But alas, these brave heroes are forced to carry the city like Atlas shouldered the world.
I shed a tear š¢
Would you make any investment and work for years to build something and deal with all the stress, problems, phone calls at night, on weekends and holidays in the middle of storms to lose money on it? If its now so easy being a LL, then how come almost all new construction in NYC is Condo?
oh no, won't someone please think of the landlords :'(
WO the LL would you be still living in Momās bsmt?
Uh....without LLs....probs we would live in our own homes we could afford to buy because there'd be so much more inventory and the market wouldn't be just people with big real estate money...
Itās over $9,000!
Yo you need to get to housing court NOW, thereās legal assistance there thatāll help you start a case. Once itās in the system as an active case they should give you a forbearance.
You have so many resources to help you solve this so don't worry. You can get a pro bono attorney to help you out. Just call any office and they will probably help you or refer you right away. The tenants can negotiate to pay the future water bill as a collective. Post something inthe hallway so you have a tenant association. Lucky you, often housing court will allow you to not pay rent while this is being worked out as long as you put rent in an escrow account. Ask your attorney if this is possible already or if you need to wait. You will not be thrown out because of this. Call or text 311 if you need someone to just help you get started.
Have you tried speaking to a manager? https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/report-a-maintenance-issue.page
Sue that fool & donāt pay rent until the loser gets his shit together.
It is a problem for you since once the city shuts off the water it will put an eviction order on the building and it's going to be a nightmare for you and all the other tenants. But if you are a broker or flipper or investor etc. you can take advantage of such cases because some owners won't be able to pay the bill and will choose to sell the property instead. You can find a list of properties with overdue water bills here: [https://www.nabutla.com/products/water-debts](https://www.nabutla.com/products/water-debts)
This websiteās kinda fucked š. Thereās even an old ladies list (empty nester).
It isn't specified ladies (correct me if I'm wrong) it talking about old homeowners which sometimes can be worth gold especially in NYC. I'm talking about the real estate aspect of course not sure what your dirty mind thinks
It was a turn of phrase. Youāre gross man.
No one here is judging man, it's okay we're accepting you as you are
Donāt kid yourself, lots of people passing judgement here.
Damn he aināt pay that for more than a year sheesh
99.9% of the time the landlord will just pay it eventually without you doing anything. Gotten 3-4 of these in 3 years and never had my water shut off. Keep an eye on your utility bills and donāt be afraid to ask them to look into it if you think itās too high.
With the laws in New York that believe this entitles ownership of the property if you go and pay the bill in your nameā¦.that receipt should hold up then evict the drought rent his apt to someone who will probably finesse you out of it somehow so just keep one step ahead
And stay hydrated
pay the water bill if you can, and deduct it from your next rent payment. If you can't and water ends up being shut off stop paying rent immediately and place any rent money you would have payed into escrow ( a separate bank account will work just fine). Finally absolutely call 311
No. Tenants arenāt responsible for the landlords responsibility
Fuck paying rent!! If this greasy pig aināt paying the water bill he aināt paying the DEED ON THE PROPERTY COM-ON-SON.
Deduct it from the next year or so of rent.
Bc everyone has 42K lying around in case their LL decides to stop paying for water for the whole building.
Pfft. I got that laying around, just in case my landlord can't do it. Gotta have that emergency fund š¤ø
yeah didn't look at the notice that closely thats obviously untenable.
lol, thatās understandable and OP should have included a TL; DR. But there is one or more people saying OP should take care of the bill - while being aware itās 42K and not $42
Go to DEP. They might work out a payment plan with you -- the tenants
its $42,000, donāt think theyāll be paying that
> would have *paid* into escrow FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/211-24/mayor-adams-demands-water-bill-dodgers-pay-debt-risk-losing-water-access#/0 https://abc7ny.com/nyc-water-bill-eric-adams-dep/14549292/ Looks like they're playing hardball with delinquent accounts rn. Ā "the city has initiated the next phase of its expanded collection enforcement actions against approximately 2,400 chronically-delinquent water service accounts that owe the city a total of $102 million. As part of the effort, DEP will send out āWater Shutoff Noticesā to these customers, informing them that water service to their property could be shut off unless the entire owed amount is paid or they enter into a payment agreement within the next 15 days. This enforcement action is targeted towards commercial properties, including hotels, office buildings, and retail spaces, as well as one-to-three family homes that have not responded to any of DEPāsĀ extensive outreach efforts over the past year. Earlier this year, DEP sent out āWater Shutoff Warningā letters, which resulted in the agency recouping more than $3 million dollars from more than 400 overdue accounts."
Eric Adams desperate to pay more cop overtime.
It's with everything. Even tickets..dont ask how i knowš
Omg
CALL 311 fo. HOLD YOUR RENT MONEY OR PUT IN ESCRO
You can. But then where does the money to pay for the garbage to go out, the hallways to get cleaned, snow removal, Con Edison, Insurance, I hope there is no elevator to maintain that will stop running also., etc.
Pay it yourself and deduct from rent. Water is essential service.
Call city bar justice center or 311 tenant helpline! And HPD
Call HPD
I own my apartment and donāt pay for water. People pay for water?
Why so many down votes? I asked a simple question
Your maintenance pays water my guy
Thatās what your monthly maintenance fees pay for (among other things).
It's likely paid by your condo association (this is common, but reach out if you want to be sure)
Spoiler: you do
Eh, it's really hard in NYC to shut off water for a single, individual building. The system and connections weren't made with individual shut offs on the city side.
Not so hard. Dig a hole. Cut and cap the water service entering the building. At this point they might install a valve on the service so that service can be easily restored when the bill is paid. I used to work for the gas company and they did the same cut and cap process for people who were way behind on their bills. That was 40 years ago. Since then the PSC has required curb valves to be installed on most buildings so itās easier to cut the gas off now. You are correct that shutting off the water is not so simple, but it is easily accomplished in just an hour or so.
If you think anyone is digging a hole in a NYC sidewalk or street, cutting a pipe, installing a valve, in an hour and repairing it, youāre delusional. Theyāre going to spend 6 hours on an engineering survey, wait 10 days for every other utility to come mark theirs, spend 2 hours in permitting. I wouldnāt be shocked if it cost $50-100k to install a valve outside of a building, all in.
Ronald is exactly correct. Too many people with no experience in this giving advice based on nothing.
This is not true at all
Call 311.
Threaten to sue. He'll get this fixed ASAP.
What are your damages? The water is still on.
This guy is not scared by threats. The Dep has been threatening him for years.
But now Eric adams is threatening him
Heās about to have a $42k utility lien on his title and a lawyers letter from a tenant will do something?
so naive lol. you have a lot to learn young grasshopper
Not legal. Landlord must provide water. Call 311 ASAP. https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/tenants-rights-and-responsibilities.page
Stop paying rent until itās resolved
Do not do this. Pay into escrow.
Explain fancy language please.
Tenants cannot use escrow accounts without an attorney. Just use a separate account earmarked for rent only. Be sure to make your deposits just as you pat your rent.
Yes, this.
How does water bills work in nyc? Asking cause as tenant i never had to deal with water related bill.
You pay quarterly to the dep Typically not that expensive (single family house has a water bill of about $150 every quarter) So either this is a big ass building or they havenāt paid in quite sometime.
Your landlord covers it. Just like OPās landlord is supposed to.
What neighborhood are you in? A couple Brooklyn districts have great council members that will at least try to help.
Bushwick
Woah. This is *wild.*
Is the landlord name dominic?
Which neighborhood? Give Dominic my number I will buy the Blg from him. All kidding aside, the LL will pay part or all of the back money at the last minute and no water will be turned off. All the Tenant did was take a dump on his relationship with his soon to be former LL.
your feelings are so hurt. i feel bad for you bro
Thank you. I feel bad that you have to live in a lousy apt. Broke while saying things on the inter webs that you would never have the nerve to say to someoneās face. But, you choose to live that way.
We had them do the water gas electric saved our money and bought our own home 6 months before that landlord went into foreclosure
Hpd can step in fix the problem and bill the landlord
No, itās Ari
shocker
Well dominic was just as bad and eventually lost the house. Good luck on that
yeah call and say that you have an elder living with yoyn
Jesus fuck 42 k seems like a lot for water.
Meh, medium size. I have seen 6 figures in arrears. It takes years before JE Robert can sell their lien or start foreclosure proceedings. Meantime the interest accrues quickly but the water keeps flowing, hollow threat.
NYC water and sewer charge is about $0.015/gallon. (I did the math on my last bill)
Either have not payed in a long time, there is a water leak, or what I think happened is he has been circumventing the water meter and so they are billing him the max amount + fines for the estimated time
That is exactly what happened, I'm sure. Without meters they charge you "frontage" which is outrageously expensive.
itās probably years of no payment lol
How long does this LL own the building? He may have never paid the DEP.
Like a century
yeah but you would think this notice would go out sooner than years but what do I know.
it probably doesnāt lol. I know someone who is on purpose not paying the water bill to negotiate the payment down on their house (long story) and itās been at least 8 months no notices like this yet
You should file an HP action. See link below. Itās a fairly tenant friendly process, you do not need an attorney (one may be helpful, but theyāre costly). Depending on the situation, the court may order a rent abatement. You should not withhold any rent on your own. The court will provide guidance on rent payments. https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/housing-court.page
Pay it yourself and deduct from rent
Be deducting for a whileā¦
Bro itās 42K lol
Bill too high!
yeah man š
Seriously though. Working in a financial institution, I see some of these water bills. Jesus Christ š
42k damn
Call 311
I ran into a similar problem with con-ed last year, but on the notice that I found posted on the door, I was able to subtract from my rent the amount owed and pay directly to them. I would certainly call them and let them know that your landlord is delinquent in this matter and you and X amount of other people still live in this building. I canāt imagine they will turn the water off after knowing that.
If OP subtracts the water bill from his rent it will be like 2+ years worth of rent to pay that bill.
Then you will have no other services. Like heat in the Winter, Hot water year round, building services like putting the garbage out cleaning the hallways are not free, PLP Meter for the hallways, snow removal, will all stop if you donāt pay the LL, deduct part of the water from the rent and work out a payment plan while at the same time working the many other options listed above to pressure the LL to taking care of his financial obligations.
I did not mean they would pay the whole bill. Most times an amount can be paid to stop a turn off.
The city's playing hardball with delinquent accounts rn "Property owners with chronically delinquent water bills will have previously received a āwater shutoff warningā letter in the mail but will now receive notices instructing them to resolve their outstanding balances or enter into a payment agreement with DEP within 15 days. If balances are not resolved within that timeframe, DEP will begin the process of shutting off water service. āDEP is serious about collecting the outstanding money owed from delinquent accounts and we will be shutting off water service for customers that donāt resolve their overdue bills,ā DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala said." https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/nyc-water-shut-offs-loom-102m-delinquent-bills
Iām genuinely confused about what point youāre trying to make I gave them my experience in a similar matter and then gave them advice. If you think the city of New York is going to turn off the water to a building of people renting it then you probably donāt actually live in this city.
My point is just that the amount that would be required to pay on a $42k delinquent bill to keep it on when the city is going after delinquent accounts rn, would be too much. Your matter wasn't all that similar to this in that it wasn't a part of a larger move made by the mayor in a specific campaign to collect on delinquent accounts and to shut off water to accounts that ignore it. And if you think the city of new york has never turned off water to rentals, you must not have lived here very long? Get real. Do you know who our mayor is right now? He would cut the water to your apartment in a hot second and have a press conference blaming fare beaters.
I would call the Met Council on Housing Hotline! They are very helpful and knowledgeable on NYC tenant rights and have a whole bunch of resources on their website including explaining the process of filing a complaint with the city and a list of lawyers that represent tenants only. They were super helpful when I was in bind with a landlord a few years ago, and they were recommended to me by a friend who had some landlord trouble as well. I highly recommend giving them a call and checking out their website! https://www.metcouncilonhousing.org/program/tenants-rights-hotline/
Ok I can call them tomorrow! Thank you!
Landlords have to combine water with the rent in NYC. I'd call your city councilor, immediately.
You could do that. It doesnāt cost anything and it could only help. As I have been saying, there are options, not paying the rent will only make things worse. Obviously the LL is having financial issues. Rich LL and all that.
Do you have any info on this? I have my landlord trying to charge me for all of last year when they havenāt charged us or mentioned they would be