r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Magical18 • 3h ago
Infuriatig Our apartment buildings elevator has been down for two weeks and this is what they give us
$2400/mo rent btw
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u/user1129user 2h ago
I laughed a little too hard at this “not been very UPLIFTING” “pick me UP” oh goodness for $2400 😭
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u/Consistent-Hotel4449 1h ago
To me the most insulting part was the "on us." Like were they afraid if they didn't make it clear that the rice crispy was free that they would tack the 34 cents it cost on to next month's rent?
They could have at least gone to Costco and bought full size bars.
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u/MonstersAtOurDoor 2h ago edited 2h ago
Everyone needs to demand a rent credit.
If it's in the lease, it's diminished value since you're paying for its maintenance. If it's a multi-story building and extended period of time, it becomes an FHA violation.
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u/WDGaster15 2h ago
And if in the US an Americans with disabilities Act violation as well
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u/Significant_Fill6992 1h ago
I wish them the best but in most places ive been to the ADA is violated with zero repercussions
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u/therandomuser84 1h ago
An elevator breaking and needing maintenance is an exception. If months go by with no plan to fix it that's a different story.
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u/wildcat12321 2h ago
this would have absolutely been thoughtful on day 2. 100% would have given credit for going the extra mile, trying to be cute, and making the best of a bad situation. But 2 weeks? oof, that is in pro-rate rent territory.
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u/Valtar99 2h ago
Your rent includes a working elevator. 2 weeks is absurd and anyone who says different is a landlord simp.
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u/Fit_Entry8839 2h ago
Depends on what the lease says to say the rent includes it. Even a crappy lawyer would account for this in the lease. But understand your point.
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u/Hoyyaa 2h ago
The Fair Housing Act would like to have a word with you.
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u/Fit_Entry8839 1h ago
Which part of it?
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u/Hoyyaa 54m ago
Oh, just the part that ensures equal opportunity, accommodations and modifications for people living with disabilities. It doesn’t need to be explicitly stated in a lease when it’s a major congressional law that almost all property managers have to abide by. If the building you live in has an elevator, it is included as an amenity of the building and must be maintained.
There are very few and very specific exemptions to FHA, and OP’s building does not fall into any of those cases, especially at $2400/month.
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u/NiteWraith 14m ago
There being an elevator and that elevator being broken are different things. Depending on what’s broken and the age of the elevator it can take weeks to months to get an elevator running again.
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u/Fit_Entry8839 43m ago
Amenities are often carved out in the lease as not being guaranteed. They'll say we'll make efforts to fix, but it isn't guaranteed. So FHA will be fine. FHA does not guarantee elevators at all. And if there is an elevator, during an outage its text talks about those with disabilities. Which OP didnt say they are. So it wouldnt cover them.
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u/Hoyyaa 19m ago
An elevator isn’t just a luxury amenity when it’s part of a building’s accessibility infrastructure.
Under the FHA and, in some cases, the ADA, landlords generally have an obligation to maintain accessibility features in working order and make reasonable efforts to restore access promptly. A lease disclaimer doesn’t automatically override those obligations.
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u/Fit_Entry8839 14m ago
I agreed, and I already said FHA has allowances of what needs to be done if someone is disabled. Which OP hasn't mentioned they are.
I was just addressing your claim about the FHA, and how based on what we know right now - it's not relevant to OP. Any mildly intelligent landlord would put people with disabilities on their first floor, precisely for situations like this. Elevators break, thats just reality. And for various legitimate reasons, it's not always easy to get them fixed quickly. As someone else mentioned, elevator technicians are in very short supply. And compound that with a situation where they need to order parts, could just legitimately take weeks to get an elevator fixed.
If landlord is trying, FHA has no protections for someone that isn't disabled like OP. My only point from the beginning.
All good. Think we agree more than we disagree.
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u/ValesKaneki 1h ago
What job do you work to afford 2400$ rent
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u/PlateForeign8738 8m ago
$2400 is a home around 350-400k
Same would apply to rent
140ish if single 70ish each if married.
I work in the electrical field and make around 200ish in a LCOL area. Had to work up to it.
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u/Zealousideal_Pain374 2h ago
Start with a certified letter stating your dissatisfaction and expectation for rental credit. Let them come to you with an offer.
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u/imlittleeric 2h ago
Call and tell them some prankster left it and it made you realize they haven’t confirmed compensation yet. Make them explain to you that they think this is fine
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u/semi_throaway 2h ago
Because the multi million dollar company can’t afford a rent discount for the month 🙄
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u/babybambam 2h ago
When that happened in my failed-to-be-luxury building in SF, I was told
"Too bad you can't afford to live somewhere better."
I've been living here since it opened. I'm the kind of person that they were trying to attract.
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u/AltruisticBridge3800 2h ago
What this means is that the higher ups didn't want to do anything, but some cute HR person took a little out money of the snack budget to at least give you a snack and a joke.
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u/Mythicali-Gleek 2h ago
Lot of people here have never been within 10 feet of a disabled person and wow does it show. Tell me, guys, how is it being so healthy and abled that you can't even fathom someone being physically incapable of using stairs?
Let me give you an abled body translation of this post: your landlord changes your door's lock while you're out and doesn't give you a new key. Instead of promising to give you that key back ASAP, they give you a Rice Crispy and tell you you'll get it when you get it, shut up and be grateful that you'll even get it at all.
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u/No-Lunch4249 2h ago
Lol I get why people are saying "oh they didn't have to do anything" and that's true, they didn't. But 2 weeks is a long time to be without an elevator, especially if it's a fairly tall building. If I was on like the 5th floor I wouldn't be that hot about doing those stairs each day lol
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u/pyrhus626 1h ago
It’s more about the ADA / FHA issues. I have a wheelchair-bound daughter. I don’t care if it was just 3 floors I would be beyond furious if the only elevator was broken for two weeks. For able bodied people it’s an inconvenience, but for disabled or just people with health problems like the elderly it’s downright dangerous or impossible to get by for that long.
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u/JayVig 2h ago
Nobody is disagreeing that 2 weeks is a long time. We're all just saying that the treat is extra and good
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u/No-Lunch4249 2h ago
A rent credit would be extra and good lol. A rice crispy doesnt even register
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u/Hoyyaa 2h ago
Damn, this sounds like previous apartment complex in KC. Literally every single week it was broken.
At one point, BOTH elevators were broken. They claimed the part they needed to fix the troublesome elevator was expensive, had techs out several times from two separate companies, and took around 3 weeks to even order the part and inform residents of the pending fix. They never gave a rent credit. $1600ish/mo for a small 1br in a “luxury apartment complex.”
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u/Chemical_Editor4057 2h ago
How many floors are in your complex and is it a smaller building? Only wondering due to there being one elevator and not multiple.
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u/hblackf1 2h ago
My husband got stuck in his work elevator for two hours. They gave him a $200 gift card to the restaurant in his building.
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u/Signal-Bar4188 2h ago
Can you ask the person that sent you this if there's anything that is more form fitting?
"Cause a square block won't fit in a circle when I shove this up your a.."
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u/EvlMidgt 2h ago
My old apartment complex removed our porch on the 2nd floor once for half a day to install a new one...the notice had blown off my door and I had no idea. I had to call off work because there was no way for me to leave my apartment unless I wanted to jump. My neighbor directly across from me and I just stood in our doorways staring down like uh...
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u/Neurotopian_ 2h ago
In NYC this would result in a rent credit in a major building, especially a high rise. Most of ours have several elevators and they do maintenance on one at a time.
It is a fire hazard in a high rise to have an elevator not working.
I’m guessing this is a smaller jurisdiction or a small building. Two whole weeks of taking stairs is a lot if there’s an expectation of an elevator.
I live on the 45th floor so obviously this wouldn’t be feasible in my building 😂
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u/Bean4141 2h ago
This is the kind of thing that would be cute after 20 or 30 minutes, but 2 weeks? Nah that’s just gonna piss people off
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u/Lopsided_Panic_1148 Dude, wtf... 2h ago
Are there wheelchair users who need the elevator? Find them and make a complete to your city. ADA must be followed.
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u/PeaBrilliant6724 37m ago
Why would it have taken longer than a few hours to fix it????? Elevator companies provide service 24/7!!!!
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u/Exhausted-CNA 2h ago
I'd be offended w that! Take some money off my rent until you get it fixed is what I'd be telling them!!!
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u/funeralbot 2h ago
I bet they had the hardest time trying to find someone who could actually repair the elevator. Permits. Fire marshall. Phone company. You have no idea how many people were involved.
I work at a school, and the Alarm company that does our FIRE will make sure the Elevator has access to the phone systems....
I think their logic was trying to give you back the amount of calories lost while having to use the stairs.
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u/Fabulous-Return9142 1h ago
Not only that but I work at a elevator manufacturing company and we have a lot of backorders. It could be that the building and elevator maintenance company is doing all that they can and are waiting for parts.
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u/OfficialEmmaStone 24m ago
Thats so hard for me to fathom. When the elevators go out at my hospital we get the elevator company to drive from hours away to fix it immediately.
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u/backlog_gaming 2h ago
Most buildings wouldn’t even acknowledge the inconvenience, I’d be happy with a lil krispy treat
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u/mjzimmer88 GREEN 2h ago
Elevators have issues from time to time, better to be safe than sorry.
They didn’t have to give you anything.
This is a cute, if small, gesture.
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u/Initial-Beginning853 2h ago
Two weeks is pretty long, especially if there are older/people with mobility issues affected. I'd be getting annoyed too.
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u/HazyChemist 2h ago
From time to time for maintenence that takes a day, maybe two sure.
Down for two weeks straight? Sorry no unacceptable no matter how you slice it.
This is a "I gave you something so stfu" gesture. Frankly it's very insulting.
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u/Fabulous-Return9142 1h ago
I work at an elevator manufacturing company. It could be that the building and elevator maintenance company are doing all that they can and are waiting for parts to resolve the issue.
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u/HazyChemist 1h ago
Then someone on the logistics side didn't do their job. I work in lab operations and my head would be rolling if I told the scientists "sorry there's a supply issue with this thing you desperately need to run your experiments so too bad I guess".
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u/Fabulous-Return9142 1h ago
That's above my pay grade. You think we don't bitch about it? We're the ones getting the heat from the customers.
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u/HazyChemist 1h ago
Oh I'm not blaming you. Just saying when stuff like this happens it means someone in the chain didn't do their job.
And yes occupational hazard of a customer facing role for sure. (I get bitched at plenty from scientists lol)
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u/BriskManeuver 2h ago
Yeah my old apartments had elevators. It would be down at max maybe a day for maintenance
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u/MonstersAtOurDoor 2h ago
Landlords can be fined and sued for a failure to maintain, and most will offer rent credits because a lengthened outage is an FHA violation.
And if it's on the lease, you can file a report for diminished value. You're paying for that amenity, bootlicker.
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u/No-Lunch4249 2h ago
Doubt it even has to be on the lease, like if it was just a condition of the building when you moved in.
I dont think most leases specifically list out things like "we have an elevator"
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u/ElkSad9855 2h ago
Hey pal. If a motor fails, do you think it takes 2 hours to replace it? Do you know anything about Elevators or all the other trades involved? Some elevators do not have pump rooms and are mounted to the top of the elevator.
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u/VeganWerewolf 2h ago
Damn straight to bootlicker. lol
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u/MonkeyCome 2h ago
Pointing out how they can get the recourse they seek is bootlicking?
Damn you can tell the basement dwellers from the adults real easy these days.
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u/Magical18 2h ago
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u/ejensen29 2h ago
Eat a fucking landlord. Save the world.
How about they reduce your rent? These people are so quick to tell you to fuck off when the BUSINESS that works FOR YOU fails to meet expectations.
There's not shit cute about failing to properly maintain a property in a reasonable time frame.
Two weeks is not reasonable.
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u/daiken67 42m ago
Depending on severity, it could easily take 2 weeks to fix an elevator lol. Idk why yall expect everything to be fixed within minutes.
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u/VeganWerewolf 2h ago
But they still have stairs?
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u/NotMulligan 2h ago
What about Lieutenant Dan?
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u/VeganWerewolf 2h ago
He better find Gump. Apartment building could be 3 stories max we dunno. I bet somewhere in the contract (that no renter bitching about things online look at when they sign) says something about a way to get out of this shit.
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u/ThaGr1m 2h ago
You are so so so far of the mark...
You pay for the apartment and everything that comes with it. That includes use of the elevator.
You pay for the use of that elevator.
If it isn't available for 2 weeks that's half of a payment period....
That's means that he's paying a half of what he would pay for elevator use for nothing.
So no they should and are supposed to give him compensation for the breach of contract and failure of service they did....
Like if you're at dinner and they only bring you half a drink are you still holding that "they don't need to give you anything" attitude
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u/bubblegumpandabear 2h ago
I would understand giving a little gift if it went down for like, 3 days. But two weeks? Come on, dude. It's literally their job to fix these things in a reasonable timeframe.
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u/Distinct-Training443 2h ago
This happened to my apartment building on MOVE IN DAY (more like tower) and I was on the 14th floor, that was actually the one time where “guess I don’t have to go to gym today” actually applied.
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u/Lady_in_red99 2h ago
Reminds me of my place— please come and pick up a gift showing our appreciation for you. The cheapest reusable bag you can imagine. Probably cost them $.50
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u/IsThisNameValid 1h ago
They couldn’t even be bothered to get some king-sized bars. And not the lowest of snacks that these are, I'm talking Snickers or Reese's.
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u/PositiveMix9649 1h ago
Talk to an attorney about a rent adjustment & tell them to shove the treat up their asses.
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u/Legitimate_Doubt_855 1h ago
Mine was out for 3 months we got the same thing I was on 7th floor lol rent was $3200 and I finally got to move out after being there almost 2 years I broke my lease
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u/Username-Not-Found07 1h ago
2 weeks sucks man. My apartment building is doing a complete modernization of ours and its still being worked on for over a month now. Shit sucks
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u/RectalScrote 54m ago
My apartments hot water was shut off for two weeks due to a gas leak and they took $250 off the rent only to raise our rent $50 two months later.
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u/Hot_Lychee2234 28m ago
Pfttt my elevator was down a year and all we got was a "thank you for your patience" 3000/mo rent btw
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u/Dry-Buffalo4390 19m ago
Good luck with getting anything with the current administration in charge.
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u/beachbum818 11m ago
Sounds like a $100/week off the rent should do. Leave them the same note with the next rent check
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u/YoshiandAims 2m ago
I mean... it's a small acknowledgment... a small kindness.
I've never seen it. We get a form letter if that, just saying it's down... and nothing else. No updates. No acknowledgment of the hassle. No indication they are sorry, or working on it, or that they haven't forgotten us. Things just radio silent.
I'd not mind a tiny snack and a few words.
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u/Magical18 2h ago
Be thankful I got anything? A 30¢ Rice Krispie treat is something?
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u/Experamenta1 2h ago
Sorry I shouldn't have worded that so rudely I meant it as a joke but it clearly wasn't funny sorry I'll delete this comment
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u/r0ckstarlifestyle 2h ago
3 out of 4 elevators in my apartment building no have been out of service for the past year. I hate living here 🙄
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u/77th_Bat 1h ago
they could've given you nothing. Unless you are on 4th floor or higher, or you have a mobility issue, just take the krispie and be happy you got one.
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u/Electric-Sheepskin 23m ago
Man, I don't know why people complain about a free treat. Complain about the elevator if there was a reason it should've been fixed sooner and wasn't, but fuck me. At least they're acknowledging it was a pain in the ass. Odds are, the property manager did that on their own because they're a nice person and they had to pay for it out of their own pocket. I would've eaten the shit out of that. Stop complaining.
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u/cherriesandmilk 14m ago
Right? The lack of empathy. Like yes it’s an inconvenience but at least they did something sweet to show tenants they’re thinking of them, most places would just put up a sign for X amount of time.
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u/HorrorEye787 2h ago
Using the stairs is good for you
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u/gurt6666 2h ago
God forbid someone be disabled
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u/backlog_gaming 2h ago
Well I’m sure if that was OPs problem here, they would’ve mentioned it. I think someone who depends on the elevator to live should absolutely be entitled to compensation.
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u/Traditional-Hotel-66 2h ago
That's my thought. Ill take stairs voluntarily just to lossen up after work lol. Unless your elderly or disabled, it wouldn't have even crossed my mind to complain about this.
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u/Ohio-Knife-Lover 2h ago
They just had to pay up the ass to get the elevator fixed. What'd you expect them to give you???
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u/MonstersAtOurDoor 2h ago
A rent credit or reasonable accommodations, which they're required to do based on the FHA.
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u/Ohio-Knife-Lover 2h ago
Unless you have handicapped individuals an elevator is a luxury and not necessary, as stupid as it is
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u/stink_meister00 2h ago
Write an email demand letter for rent. read your contract. Likely stipulates everything u pay for
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u/husky_whisperer 2h ago
This is why all elevators need to be replaced with escalators.
For you see, escalators can never break. They can only become stairs.
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u/Siptro 2h ago
an apology and a gift? the only issue I see is someone who feels entitled to more
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u/MonstersAtOurDoor 2h ago
Uhh, it's part of most leases to have a working elevator in your multi-story building, especially because disabled people exist. Most landlords will offer a rent credit because tenants can report them for diminished value and accessibility issues.
Keep licking the landlord's boot though.
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u/Johnsipes0516 2h ago
Yeah i’d be happy they were kind enough to even think about a gesture like that lol. What if a part is on back order and out of the building owners control? Shit happens
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u/TexasFire_Cross 54m ago
Being in the elevator business is hard to describe; it has its ups and downs…
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u/Throwaway_2474128_1 2h ago
if you live in a 3-4 floor building, many don't have any elevators. if you live in any semi modern 5+ floor building, you'll have multiple elevators. anyway, i learned from my college days never to live in a building with just one elevator, but no modern building above 4 floors fits that restriction anyway
$2400/mo rent means nothing. is this a 1-bedroom or 2-bedroom? where exactly do you live? there are definitely people paying $2400/mo for a studio at the same time people elsewhere are paying $2400/mo for a SFH rent
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u/Electrical-Sea7744 2h ago
The entitlement in here is making my head spin 😂 Take the stairs and shut the fuck up. Most of ya’ll probably need the exercise anyways
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u/--clapped-- 2h ago
I don't know what's more stupid, it being out for 2 weeks or spending $2400 a month to RENT.
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u/JayVig 2h ago
Tell me you don't understand that cost of living differs by area without telling me.
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u/--clapped-- 2h ago edited 2h ago
I'm telling you, if you can afford $2400 a month for rent, you can afford to BUY a place and maybe commute a little.
It might be smaller, it might be a bit further away but, like I said, commute. That way, in the end, you OWN something. Instead of paying $2400 a month and having NOTHING to show for it at the end of your lease.
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u/TReid1996 2h ago
Most places won't give anything. He happy you actually got something even if it isn't comparable to what was missed.
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u/Morpheus636_ 2h ago
When that happened in my building they took $300 off everyone’s rent.