Need advice on our living situation -

[Amethyste]

Alright - get a cup of java - you''ll need it!:

My husband and I moved into this 3 bedroom duplex in december of 2009. I paid upfront $1000 for the 1st month, $1000 for the last month - then a $325 pet deposit + $1000 security deposit totaling $3,325. We signed a 6 month lease from December of 2009 to May of 2010.

My husband was supposed to get working when we moved in December and to this day, he is still waiting for a security clearance to come through, so we have been relying on 1 income to this day.

To my surprise, December''s oil heat bill was $305 and I just received my delivery yesterday for January''s use and it was $345!!! AND WE KEEP THE HEAT AT 60F IN THE DAY AND 56F WHEN WE SLEEP. My electric bill was $165 last month and God knows what it will be this month. I "can" afford all of this, and at the same time, I just can''t. We moved out of our other place cause I was pretty much into an extremely small 1 bedroom and when my husband moved to the USA from Germany, we just didn''t have any room at all there. The rental company we rented from just didn''t have anything we were looking for. They let us move out, cause they were nice and understood our situation.

I have given our notice to our current landlord that we are moving out in May and she was very surprised that we wanted to eventhough i explained to her that i cannot afford the heat + the rent and all of the expenses associated with this rental. She told me to apply for fuel assistance and all of these programs, but all of these programs have such a low threshold for income that I do not qualify or all of their funding have been exhausted already.

The windows are extremely drafty, the boiler is really not efficient, and i am pi$$ing away my hard earned money through this badly insulated home and i regret that we moved in there...

We found a 2br that is extremely efficient, triple pane windows - they pay for the hot water and is considerably smaller than our 3 br duplex but much larger than our last 1br. We rented from the same company before (the 1 br) and were so happy that we wanted to come back that they lowered the rent for us and eventhough the unit is vacant now, they allowed us to sign an april move-in AND they gave us April''s rent for free since they know we are still paying on the oter place. The nice thing is they keep track of all tenants and how much they paid in utilities to show numbers and comparables to prospect tenants so they know what to expect. From my 1br experience, what they showed me and what I paid was right on the money, with a $15-$20 difference more for my heat and usage. Granted that this new unit we want to rent is on electric heat, last year''s tenant electric bill was $140 for the coldest month ( february ) and was much less even in the summer with A/Cs running. Remember this is usage AND heat too.

Now, I would love to just move into our new unit and be done with this money pit that we are in... Is there a way I can break my lease with my current landlord cause of the exhorbitant amount of $$$ it costs to heat this place?! It''s sending me in the poorhouse!!!! I am so economical that paying this much to keep us THIS COLD is ridiculous and it just bothers me to no end!!!

Any thoughts, Suggestions?

 

[Smurfysmiles]

At our apartment place we have something in the lease saying we can break it whenever we want but we also have to pay 2000 to do so (to cover rent for 2 consecutive months while they rent it out to someone else) Maybe you should see if your lease has a clause like this...

 

[elrohwen]

I think there should be a clause in your lease about how to break it. Usually it involves paying a certain amount of money, but it''s possible.

 

[Amethyste]

the clause is i can break the lease, but i am responsible to pay the rent until the unit is rented and my feeling is, the unit will not be rented for a while. When we were moving in, in december, the next door neighbor told us "wow, its about time they found someone, the place has been vacant for 9 months."...

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 2/12/2010 1:39:05 PM
Author: Amethyste
the clause is i can break the lease, but i am responsible to pay the rent until the unit is rented and my feeling is, the unit will not be rented for a while. When we were moving in, in december, the next door neighbor told us ''wow, its about time they found someone, the place has been vacant for 9 months.''...

Eek! That''s tough. Hopefully someone else will chime in. At least the weather is warming up, so your heating bill should drop dramatically.

 

[crown1]

many long years ago we signed a lease and then found something we wanted to buy. i asked the owner of the leased place if i found a tenant that he agreed to if he would let us out of the lease. he was agreeable. i ran an ad and found someone who seemed good and arranged for the owner to meet them. the owner approved and we were released from the lease. it is worth a try.

 

[Amethyste]

Date: 2/12/2010 1:40:48 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 2/12/2010 1:39:05 PM
Author: Amethyste
the clause is i can break the lease, but i am responsible to pay the rent until the unit is rented and my feeling is, the unit will not be rented for a while. When we were moving in, in december, the next door neighbor told us ''wow, its about time they found someone, the place has been vacant for 9 months.''...

Eek! That''s tough. Hopefully someone else will chime in. At least the weather is warming up, so your heating bill should drop dramatically.

It''s not warming fast enough in NH!!!

 

[kama_s]

I don't have much to add besides what's been mentioned already, but WOW, is your rent ever cheap for a 3 bedroom apartment! You'd be hard-pressed to find a decent bachelor apartment for that much over here!

ETA: I think it would also be cheaper for you to pay the extra 150-200$/month for the next 3 months than break your lease and pay the fine.

 

[waterlilly]

So sorry - I don''t have lease advice. But have you tried the plastic window kits to stop the drafts? They really do work, I used them for a sliding door and windows in an old apartment and use them now in our home one some old windows.

They cost ~$20 and are very easy to install.

 

[monarch64]

It''s a 6 month lease. By April you''ll be using less heat. Stay there, pay the bills, and consider it a lesson learned. It''s not worth it for you at this point to break the lease and continue paying the rent plus rent on another apartment.

 

[Shoopy]

If you cannot pay for two apartments (and I wouldn''t) there are things you can do to better insulate the home during the winter. You can go to Home Depot or Lowes (or whatever other home improvement store there is around you) and ask them to show you ways.

We live in FL so we don''t have issues with heat but our condo was really poorly insulated and our electricity bill was through the roof at one point because it took so much to cool the place. We had the electric company do an assessment for us and tell us areas we needed to fix. It''s been much better. There were days when the AC would be on for hours and we only have 900sqft.

 

[swingirl]

I don''t mean to be offensive but you paying $1000 for a 3 bedroom apartment, have a 5 ct yellow pear and you want to break your lease because you can''t afford the heating bill?

 

[monarch64]

Date: 2/12/2010 2:17:29 PM
Author: swingirl
I don''t mean to be offensive but you paying $1000 for a 3 bedroom apartment, have a 5 ct yellow pear and you want to break your lease because you can''t afford the heating bill?

I make per year the cost of that ring. My heating bills are over $200, yet I haven''t applied for fuel assistance programs and I''m getting by. I don''t mean to be offensive either, but I have to admit it burns me a bit inside to see someone complaining about heating costs when there are people who are actually struggling to put food on the table, gas in the car to get to work, etc.

 

[y2kitty]

No, I get exactly where she is coming from. She rents a $1000 apartment, has a 5 carat yellow pear but doesn't appreciate paying a ridiculous heating bill because the place is poorly insulated. It is literally throwing money away. I have money to do and buy things with but not to throw away on air!

Amethyste, I don't know what to tell you. I would start demanding the landlord make improvements in the place and she balks ask her to break your lease.

 

[panda08]

I second Crown1''s suggestion to talk to the landlord about finding someone else, if you can. Don''t do a sublet because you''ll be on the hook for the rent if the subletter doesn''t pay. Otherwise, stick it out or pay the damages for breaking the lease early.

 

[purrfectpear]

Don''t be ridiculous. Of course you can''t just "break your lease". The landlord hasn''t done anything wrong. You can ask for an early out, or for weather stripping, but by no means is the landlord required to do what you want.

 

[alli_esq]

Date: 2/12/2010 1:39:05 PM
Author: Amethyste
the clause is i can break the lease, but i am responsible to pay the rent until the unit is rented and my feeling is, the unit will not be rented for a while. When we were moving in, in december, the next door neighbor told us ''wow, its about time they found someone, the place has been vacant for 9 months.''...

FYI--I don''t know the law in NH, but generally the law is that the landlord has to be reasonable about the amount of time they let the premises go without renters; they cannot price the space out of what is appropriate given the location, premises, etc., and they cannot intentionally NOT rent it out. If that helps any at all...

Being someone who has major issues with her rental apartment, I really do feel for you. Let us know how it turns out!

P.S. I don''t think it is very polite to tell anyone else how to spend his or her own money. Amethyste asked for advice on how to deal with a situation. I do not think it is our place to tell her how her money should be budgeted.

 

[Octavia]

Have you tried the shrink-wrap stuff for windows? It''s pretty cheap and it''s amazing how much it helps. One of my old apartments was in a poorly insulated brownstone with old windows, and I shrink-wrapped the two windows in my room, but not in my roommate''s room or the common areas. It cut the drafts so well that my room was easily 15-20 degrees warmer than the rest of the apartment (we didn''t control our own heat or I''d have turned it down).

Anyway, back to your apartment. I assume you agreed when you rented the apartment that you''d be responsible for your own utilities. Did you ever ask how much the utilities averaged? If she told you something very different than the actual cost and there''s no good explanation for the difference, that''s one thing. But if you didn''t ask, or didn''t do the math on what the totals would be, it''s not her fault. Either way, you have three more months to deal with it...not sure it would be worth the hassle of trying to break the lease. It seems to me like a case of "buyer (or renter) beware." I''m glad you did your homework on the true cost of the new unit, though.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

The other thing you could do is talk to the gas company about getting onto a budget plan. This will at least ensure that you're paying the same amount every month. Then once or twice a year they reconcile the account and you pay or receive a refund for the difference. It's a life saver for us because like NH, the temps in MA can range from negatives to the 50s in the winter so one month our bill can be $50 and another $250.

 

[rhbgirl24]

I WISH I had a $1000/month rent for 3 bedrooms. Our is over that and its a TINY one bedroom apartment, hence the house hunting.....

With that being said I understand you dont want to just throw money away. But what I would do is try to insulate better for the next few months (April isn''t that far away!!) and then don''t resign your lease. Move into a better, more energy efficient apartment and be done with it.

Good luck!!

 

[tlh]

ditto PP and Alli_esq...

I don''t think there is any clause about poor insulation, you rent the place as is. Now I would see if you could do some process improvements on the place and deduct it from rent...Some landlords will allow that, and they can usually get a tax deduction if it makes it "greener" - so worth asking.

Otherwise I''d try the shrink wrap technique and see if that works... but I don''t think it is very likely that you''ll be able to get out of your lease, if they don''t have a tenant ready and willing to pay at least what you are. read your lease carefully, see if there are any loopholes, if there aren''t - or you want to ammend the terms of the lease - see if you can get your landlord to do so.. but be sure it is in writing... of the same format the original lease is in.

I completely understand your frustration!

 

[elle_chris]

Everything''s been said so I won''t repeat it.

One thing regarding the electric heat- there is NO way the tenant was only paying $140 for the coldest month unless he spent most of his time elsewhere. I have a 1 bedroom with electric heat- we both work and our cheapest bill during the winter is about 300. It goes up if I happen to work from home a particular month. Up all the way to 440. Granted, I''m in NYC but there can''t be that large of a difference.

 

[Amethyste]

Date: 2/12/2010 2:17:29 PM
Author: swingirl
I don''t mean to be offensive but you paying $1000 for a 3 bedroom apartment, have a 5 ct yellow pear and you want to break your lease because you can''t afford the heating bill?

oh how I KNEW someone would mention that...

And you know what? when I bought my pear a year ago, i was in a different situation than what I am in now. My husband is still not working - I am supporting 2 people and this winter is very cold - i have health bills to consider too which i did NOT mention in this post. Many variables that i am dealing with myself.

i did say I CAN afford it, but I don''t want to throw away my hard earned money through a badly insulated place because that is what it is.

I think it is unjustified to "categorize" me as a frivolous person that has her priorities in the worng place. you don''t know me and my situation and appreciate you keep these snooty remarks to yourself.

 

[Amethyste]

Date: 2/12/2010 2:23:02 PM
Author: y2kitty
No, I get exactly where she is coming from. She rents a $1000 apartment, has a 5 carat yellow pear but doesn''t appreciate paying a ridiculous heating bill because the place is poorly insulated. It is literally throwing money away. I have money to do and buy things with but not to throw away on air!

Amethyste, I don''t know what to tell you. I would start demanding the landlord make improvements in the place and she balks ask her to break your lease.

Thank you, Someone that gets my "drift". i can afford my place, but I don''t want to afford throwing away $300+ a month in heating costs through a baldy insulated place.

NH is cold - and its expensive to heat a home here - and i cannot lock into a a certain price for my oil cause it''s pass the time to do that. also, all of the companies I have called here do not accept monthly payments from their customers before being with them for a year. It''s common practice in the area where I live.

Thank you all for your suggestions, most likely, I''ll stay here until April, then move out.

 

[Amethyste]

Date: 2/12/2010 3:09:59 PM
Author: elle_chris
Everything''s been said so I won''t repeat it.

One thing regarding the electric heat- there is NO way the tenant was only paying $140 for the coldest month unless he spent most of his time elsewhere. I have a 1 bedroom with electric heat- we both work and our cheapest bill during the winter is about 300. It goes up if I happen to work from home a particular month. Up all the way to 440. Granted, I''m in NYC but there can''t be that large of a difference.

I donno, maybe your rates are different than ours in NH. My 1 br appartment ( 750 F.T ) was electric heat. Last year in the coldest winter month, I paid $120, that included my heat and my monthly usage...

 

[jewelz617]

How you spend your money is no one''s business, really.

I am in Massachusetts and living in a very poorly insulated house. The heat and electric bills are staggering. We''re getting out of here pronto, but not breaking our lease. Honestly, it would be so much money to spend moving, putting a deposit down on a new place... not worth it.

It''s a total bummer but you''re better off sticking it out and then when you''re searching for your next place make checking how well the insulation is a priority.

 

[Amethyste]

Date: 2/12/2010 2:51:34 PM
Author: Octavia
Have you tried the shrink-wrap stuff for windows? It''s pretty cheap and it''s amazing how much it helps. One of my old apartments was in a poorly insulated brownstone with old windows, and I shrink-wrapped the two windows in my room, but not in my roommate''s room or the common areas. It cut the drafts so well that my room was easily 15-20 degrees warmer than the rest of the apartment (we didn''t control our own heat or I''d have turned it down).

Anyway, back to your apartment. I assume you agreed when you rented the apartment that you''d be responsible for your own utilities. Did you ever ask how much the utilities averaged? If she told you something very different than the actual cost and there''s no good explanation for the difference, that''s one thing. But if you didn''t ask, or didn''t do the math on what the totals would be, it''s not her fault. Either way, you have three more months to deal with it...not sure it would be worth the hassle of trying to break the lease. It seems to me like a case of ''buyer (or renter) beware.'' I''m glad you did your homework on the true cost of the new unit, though.

I did ask, she said she "recently" acquired this unit and we were the first tenant to move in since the foreclosure, so she didn''t know ...

BUT - it was my responsability to inquire for myself. Lesson learned. All of the places I rented were really small and either the heat was covered in the rent ( all included deal ) or my last place, it was very affordable. Never had a place where I had to pay for oil, that was new to me.

 

[lucyandroger]

I think you''ll have made it through the worst months since you''re still in the apartment for February, so you should just stick it out and leave in April.

ETA - I think what people are taking issue with is that you were trying to get fuel assistance, which is for people who really can''t afford heat, not people who just don''t want to have to pay for it.

 

[Amethyste]

Date: 2/12/2010 3:37:39 PM
Author: lucyandroger
I think you''ll have made it through the worst months since you''re still in the apartment for February, so you should just stick it out and leave in April.

ETA - I think what people are taking issue with is that you were trying to get fuel assistance, which is for people who really can''t afford heat, not people who just don''t want to have to pay for it.

Well, i went with the suggestion of my landlord. I had no idea what "fuel assistance" was and what it entitled. I certainly know how many people are out there needed help because they are on a fixed income, or ridded with helath problem and cannot work etc... I didn''t know if it gives you a "deal" with which you pay less per gallon of fuel for a month or 2 - to take off the edge of the colder months etc... But I am NOT on fuel assistance and neither will I be. as I said, this is all new to me, and i certainly didn''t expect $345 a month for heating my place AND TO FREEZE at 60F for this amonut of money. That''s what I am mostly ticked off at.

 

[jewelz617]

I just thought of this...

About 6 years ago, I lived in a duplex during the winter with roommates. We literally NEVER used the heat, because they told me they couldn''t afford it. One night I turned on the heat and they all yelled at me. A week later we got A $500 HEAT BILL.

I said "This is ridiculous, if that''s how much it''s going to be to live here, I''m moving out."

So I called the heating company, told them the situation and they sent someone to the house to inspect the basement unit and make sure it wasn''t broken.

Well lo and behold, when the guy gets there he says to me "Um, this unit heats the entire house, both floors. What you''re looking at is a bill for the entire house, not just your unit." Needless to say, I was livid. I had to go upstairs with the guy who explained that for the past 2 years they had been living there, they had been paying for the landlord''s heat. One call from my father''s lawyer took care of that mess and I moved out the next week.

I''m not saying this is what''s happening to you, but just be careful!