Window Repair?

[dylanesque29.livejournal.com]

October is here, and the temperature is starting to drop. Unfortunately, our gas bill charges will be the last things to drop thanks to our crappy, crappy windows. Does anybody know any handymen/companies that do windows that they could recomend so our absentee landlord doesn't have an excuse to get these repaired?

Comments

[ron_newman]

I tagged your post "home repair". Click on the tag and take a look through the previous posts, though I don't see much of anything related to windows. -- Your friendly moderator

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

We had our windows done a couple of years ago. The work was well done, though it wasn't cheap, and we've hired this contractor again for other work. I suspect that any competent contractor can do the work. Good luck convincing your landlord.

Wess Co.
Sal Latina
781 395-5531

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

You might be able to get the landlord to agree to let you have the windows fixed and then take the cost out of the rent... but maybe not.

[dylanesque29.livejournal.com]

Bad idea.......windows are crazy expensive, and would be much too cost prohibitive for us to pony up for and "charge" her for. We probably wouldn't pay her rent til March or so.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

Actually, the law allows tenants to "repair and deduct" without the landlord's consent...but I believe this only applies if a health inspector has inspected the apartment and deemed it uninhabitable, and then the landlord has failed to fix it within a certain period of time. A quick google on "massachusetts tenant rights" provides plenty of info on this.

[nomacmac.livejournal.com]

I know several people that have used this company http://www.windowrepair.com/ You might want to look into new storm windows instead/in addition to repairing the windows. We got new ones, and it made a tremendous difference.

Temporarily

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

Those kits that you can apply to the window interiors that are like a big piece of plastic and you snug it up with a blow-dryer work surprisingly well. A $10 trip to the Home Depot or Tags will make a BIG difference, trust me. I used to do it annually when I rented.

Re: Temporarily

[thedoubleduches.livejournal.com]

I second this! I used these last year and they made a huge difference. Might be a great option if your landlord is less than awesome and you don't want to invest in the place, which it sort of sounds like might be the case.

Re: Temporarily

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this is definitely the best option. Effective and cost effective.

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

ditto the various kinds of putty you can buy for the cracks- but the heat-shrink plastic is the best!

Define bad windows

[jokabri.livejournal.com]

You're not going to be able to do much and "back charge" the landlord unless the windows are a safety risk or almost completely gone. Drafty windows won't cut it. I would hit home depot and get the plastic insulation kit before getting a contractor and trying to get your landlord to reimburse.

Bad idea jeans....

[mem-winterhill.livejournal.com]

Does anyone remember that old SNL commercial? Where the guy is describing these really pricey home repairs he did, and then says: oh, no, we rent.

Bad idea jeans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Saturday_Night_Live_commercials

Bad Idea Jeans - a commercial featuring scenes of people discussing what can be considered "bad ideas" (for example, "Now that I have kids, I feel much better having a gun in the house"). After each scene, white text on a black background reads "BAD IDEA". Each scene also zoomed in on each person wearing said jeans (in a parody of then-current ads for Dockers pants).

Gosh, though, I wish you had been my tenant....