JAMAICA PLAIN, Mass. — During the coldest months of the year, electric bills tend to spike with the increased usage of heat. However, for one Jamaica Plain resident, his electric bill is going up due to heat, but for a different reason.
Eli moved into his apartment on Seaverns Avenue in Jamaica Plain back in October. However, before even a month could go by, Eli said his heat pump unit stopped working.
He explained he called maintenance, and after a few days they came by, and heat restored but only briefly. That was the beginning of a cycle Eli has been in for months. He said the longest period of time that he’s had consistent heat was seven days.
Eli bought two space heaters to keep warm, but after racking up hundreds of dollars in his electric bill, he now only uses them at night and stays bundled up.
“It’s not pleasant,” Eli said. “I’m wearing flannel lined pants, a thermal undershirt, and then a flannel right now.”
After months of no permanent solution through the building’s owner, Hajjar Management Company, Eli said he called Boston’s inspection services. He said the inspector collected a temperature reading of 58 degrees, which is 10 degrees below the legal requirement for heating in a home during the day.
“She did tell me on the phone that the landlord has now been cited,” Eli said.
A week after that inspection visit, Eli is still left with a blinking error light on the heating unit, and a nearly $2,600 rent payment.
“If it’s 2-days on, and then 4, 5, 7 days off consistently, again and again and again, or a week on and 2 and a half or three weeks off, I don’t think that meets the standard,” Eli said.
In a statement from COO of Hajjar Management Company, Paul Mahoney wrote, “We understand that it can be frustrating and uncomfortable when the heat is inconsistent. Electric heat pumps can be complicated and not as straight forward as old-fashioned boilers are. We have been there multiple times with two different heating contractors to make sure that we are giving this the attention that our tenant deserves and provided temporary heat. We will resolve it one way or another, even if it means removing the entire system and replacing it.”
For other Boston residents who find themselves in similar situations, they can report violations to their landlords in writing. If issues still prevail, tenants can contact inspection services to request a home visit.
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