I live in a privately owned 16 unit building and over the past few months both myself and neighbours have noticed that we are running out of hot water frequently. It’s happened in the shower and while just washing dishes… I’ve questioned my landlord about it and was told that it’s just too many people using the hot water at the same time. WTF??? Is this normal in apartment buildings? I need to get a cold shower because I didn’t get up earlier than the other tenants in my building? —Brrrr
This article appears in Apr 19-25, 2012.
Sounds like they need a better system, private owned? yup good luck with that getting done.
yes not getting up early enough is exactly why you had a cold shower! As well as your landlord turned the hot water tanks down for the winter to save money.
this sounds like a bitch we had last year. or this is a clone. just fucking move. i have all the hot water that i could ever want here, and have had very few problems, i the 7 years i have lived here.
Ahhhh, isn’t it lovely to see Survivor return to the board!
I’m no expert but I think that as part of maintaining a habitable premises, they, (building owners/managers), HAVE to provide adequate hot water to service all the units regardless of whether or not they are all using hot water at the same time. This is especially true if it mentions that hot water is included in your rental agreement. They are essentially defaulting on that agreement and you are paying for a service/utility that you’re not receiving. You may have a valid case to take before the residential tenancy board if it’s not rectified in a timely manner.
Keep track of everything. Keep detailed notes each and everytime you question the landlord about this problem. (How many times you’ve approached them, what was said, follow up discussions, how many times you lost hot water, what time do you lose it, is it the same everytime or random, etc, etc) Get your neighbors to do the same. That way, you have a bit of a record regarding this issue and can show that you did everything in your power to get this deficiency fixed.
this happened once in my apartment building, the company immediately installed a second larger hot water heater and the problem never happened again :/ You really should find a new place.
Is this what you folks refer to as a “First World Problem”?
I dunno, I think it’s a legit bitch. What do they expect tennants to do, boil the kettle to do dishes and heat up their stock pots so they can have a bath? I know I’d be pissed, especially if it was a recurring problem and I felt like I was getting fed a line about everyone using all the hot water at the same time. DOUBLE pissed if it is something I am paying for and not getting. (*shrug*)
Dude needs to put in another hot water heater. It’s inadequate for the needs of the building, and that’s a deficiency the landlord needs to take care of.
Go to the residential tenancies board and make a complaint. If hot water isn’t being provided in sufficient quantities for the residents of the building, than he’s a slumlord and that’s against da law!
it’s because are landlords are cheap as dirt and wont spring for bigger water heaters. FFS I really miss those orgasms from my handheld shower head. Bitch, you ain’t alone on this issue. Slumlords rot in hail!
most things we bitch about, captain, could be considered fwp. we don’t live there
Define “frequently”?
How long are your showers op?
You sound like you’ve never lived in an apartment before.
eats_crayons: I’ve lived in apartments for the past 7 years and never once have I run out of hot water. Sometimes if I’m feeling like crap, I’ll stand in a steaming hot shower for 30-45 minutes… and it’s still nice and hot.
So no, this shouldn’t be happening.
I have more hot water now than when I lived at home in mah parents’ house. They had a HUGE ass water heater too.
Kinda glad my building uses a combined hot water system for heating the apartments and, well, general hot water. I doubt it’s even possible to run out unless someone purges the whole damn thing.
Apparently the landlords don’t have the heater(s) to do the job. Take it to the Tenancies Board or get up earlier.