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nattarbox t1_iqyc8sw wrote

>(A) The owner shall provide and maintain in good operating condition the facilities for heating every habitable room and every room containing a toilet, shower or bathtub to such temperature as required under 105 CMR 410.201.

Seems pretty cut and dried. You paying for the gas doesn't impact it, they need to have installed equipment to put heat in each room (ducts, individual heaters, radiators, whatever), including the bathroom.

Next question is do you want to give your landlord a really big problem over this and deal with what that might entail, or suck it up. If you have a good deal on the place and want to stay more than one year, and/or live in peace without an angry landlord, definitely something to consider.

Gonna be absolutely cold AF in your bedrooms this winter. I would probably start by talking to the landlord, and seeing if you can work it out with them. If not, calling the public health department should result in them lighting a fire for you. 🤭

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Pretty_Bed1983 t1_iqydjuv wrote

Yes, this is what I found also. But it is not clear at all... "...maintain in good working condition the facilities for heating every habitable room..."

This just means that the heating system/element/furnace, etc has to work to heat the unit... there is a lot of ambiguity. It could be read as this means that, yes, every room needs a source like vents, baseboards, a radiator.... OR.... it could be read as though they just need to maintain one system.

Tbh, I have never lived or known anyone who has lived with this type of setup. And I've lived Ina handful of places and been inside probably hundreds of apts in my life lol.

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Comfortable_Plant667 t1_iqym6p5 wrote

If you talk to your landlord, also call the board of health without telling your landlord you are doing so. I lived in a place like this. It's illegal for a landlord to rent a living space that relies on passive heat. Take steps now and your landlord may be held responsible for paying for your hotel accommodations.

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Pretty_Bed1983 t1_iqydto3 wrote

And, yeah, I most likely won't say anything for now bc I do have a good deal compared to how expensive the market is rn... But I was just wondering for other reasons that I won't go into if I would have a point if I ever "needed it". Like in my back pocket lol.

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nattarbox t1_iqyidof wrote

You gotta combine it with the other part about maintaining temps in each room, it's all part of the same law. If you have a blast furnace in the living room but your bedrooms are 50F because the doors are closed, they're in violation. The landlord needs to provide heating equipment that keeps every room within the stipulated range.

I think it'd be a pretty quick ruling from the health department if you wanted to go that route.

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wolf95oct0ber t1_ir01y1j wrote

Had this setup in our apartment. One furnace in center of apartment plus and old stove heater in the kitchen. At least it was gas and not oil. It had a small knob on it with numbers 1-5. Worked ok. Put our bedroom in the room closed to to the furnace and left the door open.

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