Took me 11 months to get my landlord to install a heat pump

I rent an old place in Columbus and the baseboard heaters are brutal on my electric bill. Last January I asked the landlord about a heat pump and he said it was too complicated. So I did all the legwork myself, got quotes from three HVAC companies, found one that does free installs through the city rebate program. I printed out the eligibility form and left it in his mailbox. He still ignored me for two months. Finally I got the city housing inspector involved and that pushed him into action. The unit went in last week and my first bill dropped by 62 dollars. Has anyone else had to fight their landlord just to get a basic climate upgrade? What worked for you to get them to move faster?

1 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

1 Comment

the_william2mo ago

and honestly I used to think landlords were just stuck in their ways but it's not always the case. I mean I've rented for years and always figured the whole "too complicated" thing was just code for "I don't want to spend money." But seeing you lay everything out for him with the rebates and the inspector push, that changed my mind about how much legwork actually matters. Like you basically had to do his job for him and it still took forever, which is wild to me. I bet if more people knew about the city programs and inspectors, they'd get way further than just complaining. Good on you for sticking with it though, 62 bucks a month is nothing to sneeze at.

4