Gas Dryer has been venting directly into the walls for at least 4+ years. (landlord is refusing to do anything saying its my responsibility)
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reddit.comPosted Aug 19, 2022, 7:14 PM UTC
7295
reddit.comJust smash a hole to the outside since the landlord don't give a f***.
53
This is the way. If it’s your problem you have to do such a bang up job it’s their problem.
13
Or just have it done and take it off the rent. Lease agreement doesn’t mention dryer vent maintenance does it?
5
You might be able to float something like this by the landlord and see if they will take charge of it (as they should be anyway), in fear of you making a mess of the job. Something like, "hey, since you won't fix the vent I'm going to try to fix it myself. Just wanted to let you know just in case, I'm off to buy a sawzall and sledge but I've never done anything like this before."
I think they would have a real hard time trying to justify why it is "your" responsibility but you can't do it yourself.
2
May run into issues where they say its your responsibility and that you should have hired a licensed insured contractor to do it. IANAL but it probably also depends on the contract, like ours part of the contract was having to have receipts for a professional cleaning company to clean all carpets and treat the entire house for flea & tick because we had permission to have a dog (even though the dog had its own meds and we never had any flea/tick issues). If we didn't do it right the contract we had said the landlord could have it done with our deposit money.
We also had something similar with they didn't like how well the gutters were cleaned and flowerbeds were raked which we were responsible for doing hiring a company that could do it correctly and safely.
1
Very true. I guess it could vary based on whether you owe the property or rent like in this case, and of course what the lease says. It could get pretty tricky if they won't take responsibility for repairs but demand OP gets the problem fixed professionally at their cost. And of course for liability reasons I would not actually recommend doing your own work on a multi tenant building.
IANAL either, but one explained to me that there are situations where you can't tell people too much because they start questioning things or pushing back. Sometimes you have to curate your responses and guide the person to a logical resolution. I have messed stuff up by trying to be too honest or explain too much, lol. But in OPs situation the owners seem to understand the condition of the unit is causing additional damage, is a safety/fire risk, and only going to keep getting worse with time, etc. and don't care. That sounds more like an attitude of a lazy maintenance guy or super, I'd ensure the owner of the building/property is aware of the situation (if that's not who they dealt with). In my experience, I can't imagine the owner of a property would want a tenant responsible for hiring a contractor to do work inside the walls/ceiling of a building they owned. They could do shoddy work, cause more damage, etc. And they can never fully rely on being able to recoup from a contractor or their tenant, they both can disappear without settling bills and it becomes a legal slog to get anywhere.
2
Definitely get a carbon monoxide detector if you don’t already have one
41
And if you don't, that may also be a violation on the landlord's part.
12
Gas appliances? Almost assuredly a violation.
2
Is it? I've never heard of that before...only that they have to provide smoke alarms. Never had anywhere I've lived provide a CO alarm, even when there was gas heat/cooking, I always had to bring my own if I wanted a CO alarm. Which I absolutely did.
1
In Tennessee this is part of the landlord law.
The landlord shall:
Comply with requirements of applicable building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety;
Although CO detectors aren't specifically mentioned, they do follow under "housing codes materially affecting health and safety."
I don't know about other states, but Tennessee usually isn't the most progressive consumer advocate...
1
I believe WA and OR require CO detectors for all homes being rented or sold. Not sure about other states.
1
Get a low level co detector, run the dryer and record the readings. Then get a lawyer.
2
the real stick-it-to-them way to handle it is "if it's my responsibility, I will hire someone to fix it and deduct the cost from rent. if you're confused about who should pay for repairs, perhaps we can talk to a lawyer".
22
Landlord will just bide their time until the contract is up, then jack up the rate and say "pay up, or leave."
I did this when my water heater went out. I got code enforcement out, who forced the LL to fix it. When it came time to renew, my rent doubled, which was completely unheard of. This was all pre-pandemic. Typically a renewal at the same place would result in $30-50/month. They wanted another $700/month. This was in Fort Worth back in 2017, when the average studio apartment in a shit hole location was $600/month. They literally wanted me to pay double the market rate, just because I forced them to do their job regarding a hot water heater.
14
The real big-brain play is to tell everyone who comes to look at the apartment why you're leaving.
10
Cooking oil down the drain. Milk chicken bomb in a vent. I’d probably go flush a bunch of ‘flushable’ wipes too
2†
Open a few cans of sardines and place them in the supply duct behind the grates.
2
I read someone put sardines inside curtain rods.
6
Concrete down the drain is the preferred option here in Texas.
2
Late stage capitalism is so disgusting.
1
Also ive been told that i should use a lint condenser kit instead of having them install a proper vent which is likely to give me carbonmonoxide poisioning since the dryer runs on gas.
16
Those can NOT be used with a gas dryer! If your dryer is gas it NEEDS to be vented outside!
42
Aaand the existing condition just became a huge safety issue.
9
If the tenant doesn't live long enough to take the landlord to court, not the landlord's problem!
/s
3
Um. I don't even know where to start here.
First, as you say, carbon monoxide can fucking kill you. It has to be vented safely.
Second, all that lint in the wall space is a serious fire hazard.
Third- NONE of this is your responsibility to fix. I suggest call your local building department or fire marshal and 'inquire about a potentially unsafe rental situation'. They will be all over that and happy to have a very informative conversation with your landlord about whose responsibility it is to ensure that the clothes dryer doesn't kill the tenants.
15
Fourth - with the restricted air, it won't dry your clothes properly
Fifth - the mold probably growing in the warm, wet, lint-packed wall space
2
Yes good point. Breathing mold does wonderful things for the health :D
1
You should look into the effects of Chronic low level CO poisoning and see if you have any of those symptoms. The symptoms of exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide can be similar to those of food poisoning and flu.
5
Ha! Time for you to look up your local laws. You can probably just not pay your rent. Get it fixed and pay the rent minus what you paid to have this VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM fixed.
Tell the landlord about the headaches that you have been having and that you wonder if you have been permanent damaged.
12
Don't do this you will be evicted
5
No eviction court would side with the landlord in this instance. They contacted ll about the problem and ll said that’s a you problem, not a me problem. At that point tenancy law says you have the right to deduct the cost of repair from your rent payment. Furthermore, ll should be on the hook for safe room and board while mold remediation is undertaken.
0
It’s almost never ok to just not pay rent. You usually have to pay it to an escrow account, or just pay it to the court you take your case too. If you just stop paying anyone, you’re absolutely in violation of your lease and can be evicted.
7
It’s always okay to pay to fix your place to make it livable when you have black mold like this and deduct that amount from the rent. Outside of that, yes an escrow account. But the person I was responding to said it’s not okay to deduct repair work you pay for from your rent and that is not true.
1
Got a link to the tenancy law that says this?
3
Not legal advice buuuuut…..
1
Contract law is a separate part of law. The judge would almost certainly side with the landlord over this. Most states you cannot legally withold rent, and none of them without an official letter. You have to go through the right channels as defined by the law.
I've seen some good armchair lawyers on Reddit but you are not one of them.
1
You don't even know where OP lives. You have no idea what the law is in their area. Please do not attempt to give legal advice.
1
That sounds good and all until your in court and they don't care about your opinion.
0
Put your rent into an escrow account until he fixes it.
9
This is a big old batch of stupid and you know it. Landlord is being lazy. Put your rent in escrow until he fixes it. Nothing else will be effective and it’s obviously not your responsibility. My brother has done this a number of times and it was very effective.
1
yeah but if it is the renters dryer isnt it the renter fault?
-14
Renter had someone hook up the dryer, dryer was hooked up incorrectly because owner didn’t have the correct connections. Renter was under the impression everything was in order, till it wasn’t. Owner needs to make it right or give him the means to make it right
4
It’s usually not the renters dryer. I’ve never rented a house that didn’t already have a dryer. If I did rent a house without a dryer where I had to provide my own, I would expect the homeowner to have a workable dryer vent that could just be connected. There’s no way you’re responsible for running a vent as a renter.
1
Are they trying to ensure the house burns down? sorry OP I hope you have working smoke detectors and renters insurance.
5
CO detectors too...
1
Your lucky to have not died in a house fire.
5
Slumlord
4
Sometimes a lease excludes the maintenance of specific, non-legally required equipment.
If the dryer doesn’t work, or needs to be disconnected due to safety, you may simply lose access to it. Check your lease.
4
We had the same problem. Builder actually put tyvek right over the vent. It was like this for 2 years. In the winter it actually caused water leaks in the window below it.
The probably is likely far worse than what you can see.
3
Was the builder DRH?
1
Wow. Did the builder repair it since they f up?
1
Yes sir!
2
They end up costing themselves so much more…idiots.
1
But see, very few people actually try to stick it to the builder for doing shitty work. Builders around here put up houses with cardboard, it seems. So the builders make disgusting profits while the amount they have to pay out is small.
I refuse to buy a new house these days.
2
Agreed. Everyone I know with a new build even approaching 6-700k, which is a lot around me, is having all types of issues.
1
Could always call the fire Marshal too.
3
Or just move…
3
I lived in an apartment where the solution was to put a sock over the rear dryer vent. Totally legit!
2
Free insulation.
2
Black mold
2
You’re responsibility to gtfo while you’re still alive, my god.
2
Report him to the city/county
2
Whose dryer is it?
2
That’s what I’m wondering. If OP was responsible for hooking up their own dryer then I think it would be on OP. I’ve rented places where I had to hook up my own washer and dryer.
0
Even if it was their dryer, I’m pretty sure the landlord would be responsible for suitable hookups for the equipment. Hot and cold taps and a working drain for the washer, workable vent and a working, non leaks gas line for the dryer.
0
It could have had suitable hookups 4 years ago that op didn’t hookup correctly and that’s how it got destroyed. That’s why I was interested in who was actually responsible for the correct installation of the dryer.
1
Your local code enforcement officer would be happy to let your landlord know whose responsibility it is (hint, not you...).
Legally speaking and practically speaking, this is the best option. Most states prevent the landlord from retaliation. On the other hand, withholding rent or hiring someone to fix it and deducting it from rent are not allowed in many places, or involve extra actions to be taken.
Maybe cc: the local news in there cuz fuck em
Yes. Just do this and save yourself any more trouble. You’ll likely get more fixed in the process