Thursday, August 20, 2009

No a/c fee for me... EVER!

I've decided I'm not going to pay the A/C fee. Before getting into this, I would just like to state for the record, that in theory, I think all these rent-stabalization laws are stupid and counter-productive. However, I'm not going to say no to free money.

Also, very important, I know FBG doesn't read this, but I really wish they did, because I will say this and mean it... Getting into these little fights costs me more money than I save, by being away from work to do it. If FBG management showed one drop of courtesy or respect, I would gladly pay these things instead of fighting over them. However, since they have ignored 10s of phone messages, 10s of voicemails, and 10s of letters mailed to them, all requesting that they just call me back so I may ask them a question or two, since they have ignored me so much, I will be a pain, and exercise my rights to not pay them.

Here's a fun fact about the air conditioner fee:
http://www.dhcr.state.ny.us/rent/factsheets/orafac27.htm

"An owner may collect from a rent stabilized tenant any of the charges for an air conditioner without obtaining a DHCR order. An owner must charge a tenant for an air conditioner at the time the units are initially installed, or within a reasonable period of time after its installation. If the owner fails to charge the tenant within a reasonable period of time after the installation, the owner waives the right to collect the charge."

This is the part that makes me so freakin' happy: When I first moved in, I wrote 10s of letters about the things that were never finished in the apartment, and begged them to call me to tell me if they would fix them, or wouldn't, so I could hire someone. They ignored me. However, the best part is, in those letters, I asked them to bill me for my air conditioner units installed in July 08. They ignored that too. I thought, wow, at least I'm getting some benefit from their total incompetence. However, this section of the DHCR regulations states that I now never have to pay them. To be sure, over a year would probably be unreasonable even if I never brought it to their attention, but it's 100% unreasonable since I begged them to bill me for it a year ago, and they refused. I haven't told them I'm not paying it yet, so we'll see how that goes. I'm guessing, not well.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why don't you move? I would not want to live in a place where I had to go to extremes to get management to make necessary repairs. Now if you decided to start a tenant organization to combat the problem on a greater scale that would be different. If FG is where I am thinking that it is - the old Vandeveer - Move. Rents have come down all over Brooklyn and you can probably get a better deal elsewhere.

Unknown said...

I'm curious as to how this will play out. I had an AC for a good while last year without a charge to be had. I never paid one as nobody brought it to my attention, untill I tried to get a parking space for my car when the "new" garage opened up. They refused my application till I paid almost $400 for an AC in our bedroom, ran nights only. My thought for this year is to get a portable one that doesn't stick out of the window and see how far I get with that.

Melissa said...

Just be careful your lord doesn't find a loophole to kick you out by not complying with rent control laws!

Flatbush NYC said...

Anonymous: I like it here and I hate moving. It's a decent place unless everyone in your household works M-F.

Anandi: Those portable once probably get the job done re avoiding fees. I had one of those in DC, and keep in mind, (1) they're more expensive to buy, (2) take up floor-space, and (3) they only work like 80% as well as a window unit of the same BTU rating.

MM said...

So I've been periodically checking this all summer and no new posts ever appeared and I thought you fell off the face of the earth. Turns out my browser is just stupid and I was missing out on all this exciting news. I wish I had known about everyone's lovely free a/c! I didn't put one in cause I'm a cheapskate and sweated my balls off for a couple weeks but its ok now.

Ace D said...

I realized this post is gone dead, but...You pay for AC fee!

What air conditioner fee anway? what country is this. I pretty sure you pay your fee with the rent.

I agree with you../ No A/C free.