wherein Liz declares war on her oven

[edenfalling]

I think it is time to contact Landlord Dude about my oven.

I have a gas oven-and-stove combo, but the thing is, neither appliance has pilot lights. Instead, they use an electric spark for ignition. And while the stove is mostly fine (barring the occasional temperamental burner, at which point I just switch to one of the others for whatever I'm boiling/steaming), the oven has been getting worse and worse about actually igniting.

This is not only inconvenient; it is an active hazard. Free-floating natural gas in a closed apartment is a BAD THING. It is also wasteful from a utility bill perspective, because I have to turn on the oven at least twice before it will catch, and even then it takes a lot longer to heat up than it should.

So yeah. I am going to call Landlord Dude tomorrow.

I have a foreboding feeling that his initial response will be something along the lines of, "But can't you light it manually? Like with a long stick?" (this based on the way the stove in the other downstairs apartment had similar ignition problems, and his response was to give the former tenants a grill lighter *headdesk*), but I will be firm and insist on either a refit or a replacement. Because as I said above, this is an active hazard, and it is starting to interfere with my quality of life.

Comments

[branchandroot]

Yeah, no, that's a code violation, he's legally obligated to fix it. *shakes head* Deadbeat landlords are just no fun.

[edenfalling]

Landlord Dude is... the thing is, he used to do all the maintenance on his various rental properties himself. Unfortunately he's been having serious back and shoulder problems for the past few years, which prevents him from fixing issues himself. This would not necessarily be a problem, except that being a handyman is a big part of his self-image and so he doesn't want to hire outside contractors to deal with things he would have handled personally when he was younger. *headdesk*

Downstairs Neighbor S has been after him for nearly two years to install an outside light over her back door, both so she can see the steps and where to insert her keys in the dark, and to provide minimal protection against thieves trying to get into the tiny no-door garage, and he hasn't done it. She's even been withholding a portion of each month's rent until such time as he hires somebody to fix the problem, and he still hasn't done anything. I think the next time I talk to her, I will suggest that she hire someone herself, pay the contractor out of her saved unsent rent, and send Landlord Dude a bill for the difference, because this is getting ridiculous and I'm tired of hearing her complain about it. There comes a point where insisting that he either do the work or hire the contractors because it's his moral responsibility becomes cutting off your own nose to spite your face, you know?

...Actually, if Landlord Dude won't fix my oven, I may just buy a new one, hire people to install it, and send the entire bill to him and Landlady. I'd warn him first, of course, but if he won't deal with the problem, I am not going to wait a freaking year and a half without a functional kitchen.

[branchandroot]

Oh man, worlds of argh. And, yeah, in that case as long as rental law is in your corner, I'd totally go for hiring the contractor (or buying the appliance) yourself. That kind of delay is just not acceptable, and if he won't do it you might as well.