Extension, Renewal Owner has made changes to lease that concern me.

[Tenant64]

Jurisdiction

New Jersey

I must preface this by saying that I did sign off on some of these last year, but they do concern me and I wish to find out whether or not these are reasonable changes to the lease.

1. Landlord wants the right to use my physical image or voice in advertising or promotional campaigns. They also want the right to give my contact information to third party agents associated with them.

2. They state that in freezing temperatures, I cannot open my apartment windows, I must leave cabinet and closet doors open and I must leave water running.

3. Aside from 'acts of God' the landlord indicates that they are not to be help liable (aside from repairs) for any issues I encounter with regard to living here, whether it be problems associated with things like pipes and heat or issues with neighbors, even if their disturbance is associated with them violating rules of the lease.

I'd appreciate feedback on whether or not it's reasonable for a landlord to make these demands in order for me to live here. Thanks!

 

[Zigner]

#1 - They don't "want" the right...they have the right (you gave it to them).
#2 - I have never lived in freezing conditions, so someone else will need to comment.
#3 - "Pipes and heat" is extremely vague. It may, or may not be reasonable. Issues with neighbors are something you need to work out.

You are free to move.

 

[justblue]

#2: Leaving closets and cabinet doors open help prevent pipes from freezing.

Signed,

Someone who spent most of her life in places that had sub-zero winter temps.

 

[zddoodah]

I did sign off on some of these last year

Which ones?

I wish to find out whether or not these are reasonable changes to the lease.

Reasonableness isn't relevant here.

Landlord wants the right to use my physical image or voice in advertising or promotional campaigns. They also want the right to give my contact information to third party agents associated with them.

The landlord WANTING to do these things is meaningless. These are things that can't be added unilaterally. You'd have to agree.

They state that in freezing temperatures, I cannot open my apartment windows, I must leave cabinet and closet doors open and I must leave water running.

Why would you want to open your windows if it's <32 outside? What does having your cabinet and closet doors open have to do with the weather (unless there's a pipe in the cabinet or closet)? And are you saying that your landlord wants every water source in the leased premises to be running 24/7?

Aside from 'acts of God' the landlord indicates that they are not to be help liable (aside from repairs) for any issues I encounter with regard to living here, whether it be problems associated with things like pipes and heat or issues with neighbors, even if their disturbance is associated with them violating rules of the lease.

What sort of premises is this? Apartment? SFR? Something else?

I'd appreciate feedback on whether or not it's reasonable for a landlord to make these demands in order for me to live here.

Are these changes to a proposed lease? If so, all that matters is whether you're agreeable. If not, say no. If the landlord says these thing are non-negotiable, then you get to decide to agree or move.

 

[cbg]

#2 represents well known and commonly used methods to prevent pipes from freezing. I have lived for over 50 years in Massachusetts; my husband got his undergrad degree from Syracuse and his grad degree from Minnesota, all area where pipes routinely freeze if you do not take precautions. We do both as a matter of course; it's just automatic to leave water lightly running and your cabinets open in freezing weather. What's the big deal?

 

[welkin]

What's the big deal?

No big deal if the landlord is paying for the water. If the tenant is paying, that could be a big deal depending on utility rates.

The USGS has a drip calculator online.
Three faucets (kitchen, bath sink, and shower) dripping one drop per second, will use 17 gallons per day. Will one drop per second be enough to keep the pipes from freezing? I guess that depends on the how far below freezing the temperature is and for how long.

In the northern part of NJ where I live, you can easily have 60-90 days below freezing. So, I would be using 1020-1530 gallons to keep the pipes from freezing.

 

[cbg]

You'll probably pay a whole lot more if the pipes burst. Not to mention not having water for a while.

Last year, despite our best efforts, our kitchen pipes froze. Thankfully they didn't burst. But we had no water in the kitchen for 24 hours until they thawed.

Generally, running it just lightly enough so that it's steady and not a drip is sufficient.

 

[Tenant64]

Thanks for your help. I put my concerns in writing to the rep. for the landlord and they will be making some revisions regarding my concerns!

 

[Zigner]

Out of the entire list, I wonder why

Thanks for your help. I put my concerns in writing to the rep. for the landlord and they will be making some revisions regarding my concerns!

Awesome. We all sometimes forget that communication is key in most situations.