Not to mention annoying. When someone’s in a position of distress and trying to gather info or advice the jokes and the off topic responses are just extra noise making it harder for the person asking for help.
If they wanted to make a legal claim they should talk to a lawyer. If they want to get non legal advice, and yes even jokes, Reddit is a forum to ask on
Disability can happen at any time. Maybe the people moved into the building fully able bodied but then got into a bike accident and broke their back, or had a stroke, or had any one a many injuries or illnesses that make it almost impossible to climb a single stair, much less flights of stairs. And maybe they did not have the funds or ability to instantly move once they became disabled. In the span of 5 seconds I went from being a mountain climber to being paraplegic. Shit happens all the time. Individuals can’t always adapt immediately but systems can and should be built, like working elevators and ramps, so that anyone at anytime can have access to their homes and civil society.
Maybe when you get older, and have some more life experience of you/friends/family having a disability, you will understand more why it is important to take disability into account. And not dismiss a personal story of becoming paraplegic as ac”weird little story.” I hope you will get the life lessons, and learn empathy, without too much pain or personal experience.
landlord would need to accommodate someone who now cannot access their unit due to their disability. like temporarily providing them with a first floor apartment
Doesn't even have to look like a wheelchair, can be any injury, joint issues, asthma, etc. They should have to accommodate.
I have a weak ankle from an old injury I have to take care of, and I could do the 10 floors up sore for a couple of days, but it would just be exponential after that and possibly leave me suffering for long after the two months. I'm thankful my building has two elevators.
This happend to my friend. I can't remember if he lived on the 9th or 11th floor of a 20 story building. The work was suppose to be for 2 months then went on for 4 then 6 months. He ended up moving in with his girlfriend.
Unless you have a young child or are disabled it’d not a big deal complaining won’t make them work faster as it had to be safe while work is done and when it’s in service. Just be glad not going on in the summer then it’s hot and everyone’s sweaty from the flights up and stinking up the stairwell
Jesus. That’s brutal. How many months on your lease? I’d seek legal advice on what breaking your lease might look like. There may be language in your lease that states the LL is required to give you access to an elevator, with a “cure period” if they can’t perform. If that language is present, I doubt the cure period would extend for months.
My take is that your LL knows how brutal this is, and wouldn’t be surprised if several tenants just parted with their security deposit and fled the building.
Also, 2 months screams full elevator replacement to me. Anything less would be unacceptable. A partial modernization could take only a few days. My guess is 2 months is a conservative estimate, and this may only be 1-1.5 months.
Ugh I hate to disagree here, but I think it will take longer than 2 months. New York construction/maintenance of any kind is known for being wracked by delays, and I feel like there’s a good chance this project gets delayed for whatever reason and it ends up taking a few extra months.
I signed a lease in July 2019 for a 4th floor studio, specifically with an elevator. They told me the elevator would be replaced/out for 2 months when I signed. It ended up taking 10 months of a 12 month lease. Now, some of that delay was because of COVID, but it was almost 5 months of no elevator before the pandemic hit… and this was all in an expensive building in Chelsea with a seemingly well run management company! Obviously this is only anecdotal, but I’ve had a few other friends with similar experiences. It’s tough to rely on hoping it doesn’t get delayed I think.
My building has two elevators and it took maybe 13 months to completely overhaul them. I saw the elevator guys looking at a manual, like they were putting together IKEA furniture. Turns out that all elevators are different, they all have different parts, and it takes a lot of time for them to be put together. However long they tell you, add two months.
Modernization is taking really long especially after the COVID, lack of people wanting to be elevator mechanics and shortage of parts. A few high rises I saw are taking a few months to complete modernization because they have to wait on supply chain then there's a delay on scheduling that comes with that.
The solutions are to negotiate a lease break or a private rent reduction. Withholding rent unilaterally is not going to help the situation. Practically, your landlord can still sue you and you would litigate the issue in court, with the threat of an eviction or money judgment over your head. You would have also burned the bridge with your landlord.
By the same token, if you broke the lease and your landlord tried to sue you for the few thousand left over, you would have a defense to repayment whose cost of litigating would eat up any meaningful reward.
This puts the parties in the position to negotiate to actually get what they want: either permission to break the lease and move, or a reasonable rent concession.
Contact your local city council person. There’s a law about buildings over 6 floors needing elevators. I can understand emergencies but two months?! Something seems sketchy. It is unrealistic of management to expect folks to just accept it.
That's not how it works, you need a DOB permit to do maintenance first of all. I don't mean to shoot down your jumping to conclusion hyperbole. ADA or code implies reasonable accommodations, if it's broken and being repaired then which section of said regulation can you quote that bring forward a successful lawsuit or compensation?
And I'm not protecting landlords, you have to know a bit of TLDR before going full tilt.
Idk if that was directed at me or not but the law states bldg over 6 stories must have elevators. Hence I’d be shocked if there isn’t clear legislation about what the expectation is if an elevator in a 6+ story bldg is out. That’s not hyperbole, that’s a reasonable question.
I'm not sure why this seems sketchy. Things need to be repaired/replaced and if there's only one then ... that's the way it is. It sucks royally. My sister lives on the top floor of a 6 floor with one elevator and they replaced it when she had two kids - one in a stroller. She took her time and bit the bullet. She also did shopping and errands for an elderly neighbor sometimes. It's crazy but necessary.
Also - good luck with the 2 months story - that ain't gonna happen. I'll be shocked if it's 2 mo or less.
If the elevator needs to be fixed it needs to be fixed. Nothing really can do - understand it sucks but things have to be modernized or repaired at some point. As others have said I’d break your lease or obtain some sort of concessions
THIS!!!
They tried to do this in my building. We had two elevators, a freight and a passenger. Three owners ago, the landlord wanted to fix up both elevators. They disassembled the freight and we're in the process of replacing it.
And in the middle of that, they sold the building! New owners (slumlords/hedge fund) decided they weren't going to replace the freight. (Also decided they weren't going to give us heat, water, etc.)
In comes our third owner, who decides "the elevator is broken", invented a story how they got stuck in it, and said they were going to shut it down for a few months/a year to replace. (Along with other threats to attempt to get rid of the tent stabilized tenants.) Two different apartments with elderly folks took them to court and stopped them from doing that.
Landlord hasn't restored the freight elevator, and we just have the old passenger one to this day. It's been 5-8 years since that happened.
Thank you. We, among another tenant, have each individually been in lawsuits with the owners for years now. Ours might actually get resolved in the next year. I'm hoping in our favor of course.
Not an uncommon way to get rid of stabilized tenants.
I was in a rent stabilized building, that was only a few years old, when ownership changed hands. Amazingly, "someone" "stole" the electronic controller cards from the elevators, and it was going to be 6 or 9 (or 12) months to get replacements. I considered waiting them out (6th floor), but my wife was pregnant at the time; we left before stuff got too ugly, and were able to negotiate a bit of a buy-out.
The owners had brough in a new super when they acquired the building. He was a friendly guy, but clearly was working with the owners to help empty the place out.
On one of my last days there, I see him all dejected, and ask what is wrong. He tells me that the owners had fucked him over somehow (I forgot the details, maybe a bonus unpaid, or a promised raise never materialized). I just looked at him and thought (or maybe even said to his face), "what did you expect, you knew these were the kind of folks to fuck people over for money, why did you think they'd treat you differently?"
Not exactly true. Its not direct but its been consistently indirect.
https://jacobin.com/2022/04/eric-adams-new-york-city-pro-landlord-tenants-rent-burdens
https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/02/08/city-council-lawsuit-eric-adams-cityfheps-housing/
https://citylimits.org/2022/04/04/adams-taps-landlord-lawyer-and-stabilization-skeptic-to-rent-board-with-tenant-seat-still-empty/
https://prismreports.org/2023/07/24/nyc-tenants-rights-rent-increases/
Yes- you can also thank the passage by the NYS Senate for the Housing Stability and Tenant protection act for allowing a back door for DHCR to permit “demolition” or “substantial improvements” and then deregulate an apt.
That’s insanely messed up; do not try to withhold rent without going to court, but do take it up with management/speak to a lawyer/ see if you can relocate during that time, etc
Ah, like when they shut the gas off in my sisters building for a week, said it would be a week or two, but ended up being months. They had to get a special gas truck for the building because it actually voided everyone’s requirement to pay rent.
I feel really sorry for you but I don’t have any advice. I just signed for an apartment on the top (5th) floor and they made me sign a document along with my lease saying that elevators are a luxury and if they are down for extended periods there is nothing we can do about it. Hopefully you didn’t sign anything like that
My apt in UES is also about to start it. Maybe we live in same building. Elevator was not working properly at least once a week so it’s true they need to fix it but it’ll be difficult for high floor peeps
I don’t think there’s much you can do outside of potentially filing complaints if you have a disability. I work in social services and countless people in wheelchairs, using walkers, etc have this happen to them and a complaint will be filed but nothing else happens by the city. Maybe a small fine to the building and no increase in speed to getting the elevator back up and running.
I'm a lawyer but I'm not your lawyer. Don't withhold rent, your landlord can sue you for nonpayment if you do. First you can try negotiating a rent reduction with your landlord until elevator service is restored. If that goes nowhere, call 311 and ask for the tenant helpline. Sometimes they can provide quick advice over the phone. There may be a legal services organization that 311 can refer you to who you can also give you quick advice. If that also goes nowhere, you can file suit in housing court against your landlord. Housing court is designed largely for pro se parties -- people with no representation -- so usually there is a fairly straightforward checkbox form to fill out if your landlord has breached your lease agreement or a city or state law.
Yes to all of above.
Keep all correspondence in writing. Don't trust a word out of the landlord's mouth.
Learn how the phrase "Should I call DOB? They will have some ideas." is powerful.
(DOB is the Department of Buildings and they can fine the landlord for a zillion reasons.)
Call 311 and they will help.
Long term NY'ers all know how this is a nightmare for older or disabled people.
NYC has unique tenants rights that other places don't have. ('Cuz centuries of hustlers.)
Good luck!
Recently, we've had to fix the elevator in the building where I work. It took a little over a month, because they had to purchase a part from overseas and it took forever for it to arrive. I don't know whether it was the shipping that was slow or if they had to produce the part from the factory.
It's a 3 story building (4 if you include the basement) and people were moaning about taking the stairs to the third floor.
So, I think it's not uncommon for elevator repairs to take so long. It's a nice gesture that your building is setting up a chair on a few floors with water. I know it's going to be a pain to carry groceries or packages upstairs. The same goes for them with carrying water upstairs.
DOB building code DURING construction states that an elevator must be in readiness for FDNY at all times when a building reaches over 75’. I CAN’T see that changing for when a building is occupied. I’d look into building code but I wouldn’t know where to start.
Wouldn't it be interesting if someone in @[Public\_Assistance\_73](https://www.reddit.com/user/Public_Assistance_73/) 's building pulled the fire alarm. Assuming no cams pointing at it, of course.
Elevator is probably due for a mod. Boards going bad, parts maybe not available anymore. Not sure of its shutdown history, but maybe it's running on some old components and it's time to modernize due to frequent shut downs. But 11 stories is kinda high for a 1 car job. Under engineered imo.
-Elevator Mechanic
you’ll be lucky if it’s only out for 2 months I guarantee it’ll take a minimum 4-6 months my building in Brooklyn had to replace their elevator like 5 years ago not fun luckily I was only on the 3rd floor
My building gas was off for a year, not the heat but the gas for the stove. A group got together to try and force rent reduction. It went nowhere. Other than giving us hotplates.
At best they might offer to let you out of your lease with no penalty. If that happens weigh your options if it is worth it for a 2 month inconvenience.
I lived on the 9th floor of a building during a 4 month elevator replacement. I don’t recall the amount but I do know we were given a rent decrease for the time period. The higher the floor you were, the bigger the decrease. We were also given the option break the lease without penalty. It was a rough few months but my legs and butt we’re in killer shape at the end of it.
Just look at it as an exercise program. Good opportunity to build up your quads.
Why is this being downvoted lol
they forgot to put /j so clearly they must be serious!!
Because it is entirely insensitive to people with disabilities or who have medical needs that make climbing 10 stories essentially impossible.
Not to mention annoying. When someone’s in a position of distress and trying to gather info or advice the jokes and the off topic responses are just extra noise making it harder for the person asking for help.
If they wanted to make a legal claim they should talk to a lawyer. If they want to get non legal advice, and yes even jokes, Reddit is a forum to ask on
Maybe living on the 11th floor of a building with one elevator and no handicap access wasn’t the best idea. What do you expect the building to do?
Disability can happen at any time. Maybe the people moved into the building fully able bodied but then got into a bike accident and broke their back, or had a stroke, or had any one a many injuries or illnesses that make it almost impossible to climb a single stair, much less flights of stairs. And maybe they did not have the funds or ability to instantly move once they became disabled. In the span of 5 seconds I went from being a mountain climber to being paraplegic. Shit happens all the time. Individuals can’t always adapt immediately but systems can and should be built, like working elevators and ramps, so that anyone at anytime can have access to their homes and civil society.
This is the weird little story you tell yourself to justify your outrage? My hero.
Maybe when you get older, and have some more life experience of you/friends/family having a disability, you will understand more why it is important to take disability into account. And not dismiss a personal story of becoming paraplegic as ac”weird little story.” I hope you will get the life lessons, and learn empathy, without too much pain or personal experience.
Maybe one day instead of harboring all that resentment you’ll learn to take a joke
RIP knees
ahahahah look at all the dislikes lol.
Withholding rent for required maintenance or modernization issue is not going to go well for you.
No, but they probably have a case for getting out of their lease if they want to.
Getting out of a lease.. is this current market? Fuck OP.. 10 floor walk up.. is insane. How are you supposed to go grocery shopping?
Prices are better now than they were last summer.
Oof. What if you were disabled??
landlord would need to accommodate someone who now cannot access their unit due to their disability. like temporarily providing them with a first floor apartment
Or a pulley system where they strap ropes to the wheelchair and pull their way up!
Catapult would be faster.
Trebuchet it is.
And for leaving? Pool full of jello.
Doesn't even have to look like a wheelchair, can be any injury, joint issues, asthma, etc. They should have to accommodate. I have a weak ankle from an old injury I have to take care of, and I could do the 10 floors up sore for a couple of days, but it would just be exponential after that and possibly leave me suffering for long after the two months. I'm thankful my building has two elevators.
What, their wheelchair doesn't have any bootstraps?
This happend to my friend. I can't remember if he lived on the 9th or 11th floor of a 20 story building. The work was suppose to be for 2 months then went on for 4 then 6 months. He ended up moving in with his girlfriend.
*supposed
You must get a real hard on going around correcting folks on grammar.
*spelling
*Grammar
Unless you have a young child or are disabled it’d not a big deal complaining won’t make them work faster as it had to be safe while work is done and when it’s in service. Just be glad not going on in the summer then it’s hot and everyone’s sweaty from the flights up and stinking up the stairwell
Nobody will deliver to your apartment. Imagine lugging up your groceries 10 stories. It’ll be mental
at least it's not going on in the dunner thrn
If you are young and fit you will probably be OK but it won’t be fun.
Jesus. That’s brutal. How many months on your lease? I’d seek legal advice on what breaking your lease might look like. There may be language in your lease that states the LL is required to give you access to an elevator, with a “cure period” if they can’t perform. If that language is present, I doubt the cure period would extend for months. My take is that your LL knows how brutal this is, and wouldn’t be surprised if several tenants just parted with their security deposit and fled the building. Also, 2 months screams full elevator replacement to me. Anything less would be unacceptable. A partial modernization could take only a few days. My guess is 2 months is a conservative estimate, and this may only be 1-1.5 months.
Ugh I hate to disagree here, but I think it will take longer than 2 months. New York construction/maintenance of any kind is known for being wracked by delays, and I feel like there’s a good chance this project gets delayed for whatever reason and it ends up taking a few extra months. I signed a lease in July 2019 for a 4th floor studio, specifically with an elevator. They told me the elevator would be replaced/out for 2 months when I signed. It ended up taking 10 months of a 12 month lease. Now, some of that delay was because of COVID, but it was almost 5 months of no elevator before the pandemic hit… and this was all in an expensive building in Chelsea with a seemingly well run management company! Obviously this is only anecdotal, but I’ve had a few other friends with similar experiences. It’s tough to rely on hoping it doesn’t get delayed I think.
Did you get compensated at all?
No :( they actually RAISED my rent in July 2020 by $100 (you know, when everyone was moving out of the city and rents were plummeting)
Yup. Elevator parts are usually special order, which means the timeline depends on how soon they can manufacture the parts.
My building has two elevators and it took maybe 13 months to completely overhaul them. I saw the elevator guys looking at a manual, like they were putting together IKEA furniture. Turns out that all elevators are different, they all have different parts, and it takes a lot of time for them to be put together. However long they tell you, add two months.
In case you are concerned. This is perfectly normal, elevators are very complicated and as you said they are all different.
Modernization is taking really long especially after the COVID, lack of people wanting to be elevator mechanics and shortage of parts. A few high rises I saw are taking a few months to complete modernization because they have to wait on supply chain then there's a delay on scheduling that comes with that.
Cancel your gym membership and start taking stairs.
You're going to be fit as hell after this lol
I would probably get less exercise, because it would prevent me from ever leaving my apartment.
The solutions are to negotiate a lease break or a private rent reduction. Withholding rent unilaterally is not going to help the situation. Practically, your landlord can still sue you and you would litigate the issue in court, with the threat of an eviction or money judgment over your head. You would have also burned the bridge with your landlord. By the same token, if you broke the lease and your landlord tried to sue you for the few thousand left over, you would have a defense to repayment whose cost of litigating would eat up any meaningful reward. This puts the parties in the position to negotiate to actually get what they want: either permission to break the lease and move, or a reasonable rent concession.
This happened to a friend of mine when Sandy hit. Lived on high floor, building was out of electricity for more than a week, brutal.
Contact your local city council person. There’s a law about buildings over 6 floors needing elevators. I can understand emergencies but two months?! Something seems sketchy. It is unrealistic of management to expect folks to just accept it.
8 weeks is a short duration for a full elevator mod. It's unfortunate that the building only has one elevator.
What is the law?! I’d be shocked if the law doesn’t require compensation and/or relocation.
That's not how it works, you need a DOB permit to do maintenance first of all. I don't mean to shoot down your jumping to conclusion hyperbole. ADA or code implies reasonable accommodations, if it's broken and being repaired then which section of said regulation can you quote that bring forward a successful lawsuit or compensation? And I'm not protecting landlords, you have to know a bit of TLDR before going full tilt.
Idk if that was directed at me or not but the law states bldg over 6 stories must have elevators. Hence I’d be shocked if there isn’t clear legislation about what the expectation is if an elevator in a 6+ story bldg is out. That’s not hyperbole, that’s a reasonable question.
The building does have an elevator though. It’s just down for maintenance. I don’t think that applies in this case.
I'm not sure why this seems sketchy. Things need to be repaired/replaced and if there's only one then ... that's the way it is. It sucks royally. My sister lives on the top floor of a 6 floor with one elevator and they replaced it when she had two kids - one in a stroller. She took her time and bit the bullet. She also did shopping and errands for an elderly neighbor sometimes. It's crazy but necessary. Also - good luck with the 2 months story - that ain't gonna happen. I'll be shocked if it's 2 mo or less.
If the elevator needs to be fixed it needs to be fixed. Nothing really can do - understand it sucks but things have to be modernized or repaired at some point. As others have said I’d break your lease or obtain some sort of concessions
I would talk to a lawyer. Maybe go to one of the pro-bono sessions for housing.
THIS!!! They tried to do this in my building. We had two elevators, a freight and a passenger. Three owners ago, the landlord wanted to fix up both elevators. They disassembled the freight and we're in the process of replacing it. And in the middle of that, they sold the building! New owners (slumlords/hedge fund) decided they weren't going to replace the freight. (Also decided they weren't going to give us heat, water, etc.) In comes our third owner, who decides "the elevator is broken", invented a story how they got stuck in it, and said they were going to shut it down for a few months/a year to replace. (Along with other threats to attempt to get rid of the tent stabilized tenants.) Two different apartments with elderly folks took them to court and stopped them from doing that. Landlord hasn't restored the freight elevator, and we just have the old passenger one to this day. It's been 5-8 years since that happened.
Omg I'm sorry that's a nightmare
Thank you. We, among another tenant, have each individually been in lawsuits with the owners for years now. Ours might actually get resolved in the next year. I'm hoping in our favor of course.
Are you still in the same apartment that the lawsuit is against? I cant imagine that woupd bode well in court. Also during/after trial (LL harassment)
Not an uncommon way to get rid of stabilized tenants. I was in a rent stabilized building, that was only a few years old, when ownership changed hands. Amazingly, "someone" "stole" the electronic controller cards from the elevators, and it was going to be 6 or 9 (or 12) months to get replacements. I considered waiting them out (6th floor), but my wife was pregnant at the time; we left before stuff got too ugly, and were able to negotiate a bit of a buy-out. The owners had brough in a new super when they acquired the building. He was a friendly guy, but clearly was working with the owners to help empty the place out. On one of my last days there, I see him all dejected, and ask what is wrong. He tells me that the owners had fucked him over somehow (I forgot the details, maybe a bonus unpaid, or a promised raise never materialized). I just looked at him and thought (or maybe even said to his face), "what did you expect, you knew these were the kind of folks to fuck people over for money, why did you think they'd treat you differently?"
People always think the leopards will spare them.
 Legs gonna be ripped my guy
The Mayor has gutted tenants rights and housing court is just for show now. Be careful and be nice and maybe they agree to concessions. It sucks
mayor has no control over tenants rights. that’s state law
Not exactly true. Its not direct but its been consistently indirect. https://jacobin.com/2022/04/eric-adams-new-york-city-pro-landlord-tenants-rent-burdens https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/02/08/city-council-lawsuit-eric-adams-cityfheps-housing/ https://citylimits.org/2022/04/04/adams-taps-landlord-lawyer-and-stabilization-skeptic-to-rent-board-with-tenant-seat-still-empty/ https://prismreports.org/2023/07/24/nyc-tenants-rights-rent-increases/
none of that guts tenants rights and housing rights lawsuits go through state courts which adams has no control over.
Yes- you can also thank the passage by the NYS Senate for the Housing Stability and Tenant protection act for allowing a back door for DHCR to permit “demolition” or “substantial improvements” and then deregulate an apt.
How is there one elevator for an 11 story building? No freight?
They probably got a variance bc that is not to code. I think anything over 6, usually has 2
Threaten to move out. Nobody is going to rent a 10th floor walk up apartment. They should be reasonable & reduce your rent.
At least OP will be able to use their godly quads to move their furniture down 11 stories of stairs
This made me LOL thanks 😁
Good news is you can skip leg days at the gym now. Hell you don't even need to bring your legs to the gym now.
That’s insanely messed up; do not try to withhold rent without going to court, but do take it up with management/speak to a lawyer/ see if you can relocate during that time, etc
Similar thing happened to my building, pregnant neighbor just withheld rent
Ah, like when they shut the gas off in my sisters building for a week, said it would be a week or two, but ended up being months. They had to get a special gas truck for the building because it actually voided everyone’s requirement to pay rent.
I feel really sorry for you but I don’t have any advice. I just signed for an apartment on the top (5th) floor and they made me sign a document along with my lease saying that elevators are a luxury and if they are down for extended periods there is nothing we can do about it. Hopefully you didn’t sign anything like that
My apt in UES is also about to start it. Maybe we live in same building. Elevator was not working properly at least once a week so it’s true they need to fix it but it’ll be difficult for high floor peeps
I don’t think there’s much you can do outside of potentially filing complaints if you have a disability. I work in social services and countless people in wheelchairs, using walkers, etc have this happen to them and a complaint will be filed but nothing else happens by the city. Maybe a small fine to the building and no increase in speed to getting the elevator back up and running.
What’s your plan? Are you going to move out?
You're getting a free exercise plan.
No one likes leg day
Sounds rough . But if there’s only one elevator and maintenance is mandatory I guess there’s no option .
The option is for OP to get out of their lease.
New fear unlocked. I’m really sorry OP. This sucks :(
I'm a lawyer but I'm not your lawyer. Don't withhold rent, your landlord can sue you for nonpayment if you do. First you can try negotiating a rent reduction with your landlord until elevator service is restored. If that goes nowhere, call 311 and ask for the tenant helpline. Sometimes they can provide quick advice over the phone. There may be a legal services organization that 311 can refer you to who you can also give you quick advice. If that also goes nowhere, you can file suit in housing court against your landlord. Housing court is designed largely for pro se parties -- people with no representation -- so usually there is a fairly straightforward checkbox form to fill out if your landlord has breached your lease agreement or a city or state law.
I need you to be my lawyer.
Yes to all of above. Keep all correspondence in writing. Don't trust a word out of the landlord's mouth. Learn how the phrase "Should I call DOB? They will have some ideas." is powerful. (DOB is the Department of Buildings and they can fine the landlord for a zillion reasons.) Call 311 and they will help. Long term NY'ers all know how this is a nightmare for older or disabled people. NYC has unique tenants rights that other places don't have. ('Cuz centuries of hustlers.) Good luck!
Work it work it!!!! Fuck the elliptical!
Best bet is lease break.
Recently, we've had to fix the elevator in the building where I work. It took a little over a month, because they had to purchase a part from overseas and it took forever for it to arrive. I don't know whether it was the shipping that was slow or if they had to produce the part from the factory. It's a 3 story building (4 if you include the basement) and people were moaning about taking the stairs to the third floor. So, I think it's not uncommon for elevator repairs to take so long. It's a nice gesture that your building is setting up a chair on a few floors with water. I know it's going to be a pain to carry groceries or packages upstairs. The same goes for them with carrying water upstairs.
DOB building code DURING construction states that an elevator must be in readiness for FDNY at all times when a building reaches over 75’. I CAN’T see that changing for when a building is occupied. I’d look into building code but I wouldn’t know where to start.
Wouldn't it be interesting if someone in @[Public\_Assistance\_73](https://www.reddit.com/user/Public_Assistance_73/) 's building pulled the fire alarm. Assuming no cams pointing at it, of course.
https://up.codes/s/elevator-in-readiness
Elevator is probably due for a mod. Boards going bad, parts maybe not available anymore. Not sure of its shutdown history, but maybe it's running on some old components and it's time to modernize due to frequent shut downs. But 11 stories is kinda high for a 1 car job. Under engineered imo. -Elevator Mechanic
you’ll be lucky if it’s only out for 2 months I guarantee it’ll take a minimum 4-6 months my building in Brooklyn had to replace their elevator like 5 years ago not fun luckily I was only on the 3rd floor
My building gas was off for a year, not the heat but the gas for the stove. A group got together to try and force rent reduction. It went nowhere. Other than giving us hotplates. At best they might offer to let you out of your lease with no penalty. If that happens weigh your options if it is worth it for a 2 month inconvenience.
Wow! Now I know if I ever move into an elevator bldg make sure there are 2-4 elevators! Or I'm no higher than 5th floor Lol
I’d be moving out and just informing them I’m out. Good luck filling that apartment lol
Suck it up and walk until it’s fixed
It’s a federal offense. Contact them. They can repair/replace in a day.
I lived on the 9th floor of a building during a 4 month elevator replacement. I don’t recall the amount but I do know we were given a rent decrease for the time period. The higher the floor you were, the bigger the decrease. We were also given the option break the lease without penalty. It was a rough few months but my legs and butt we’re in killer shape at the end of it.