Can a landlord leave me without a stove for a day or so because my old one needs to be replaced?

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Can a landlord leave me without a stove for a day or so because my old one needs to be replaced?

I need to replace my stove, as one burner is not working and the stove is old. The landlord/owner said that the super will need to disconnect it and then the next day the new stove will be installed. It has already been ordered. However, I have seen that other tenants have it removed and replaced the same day. Can a landlord legally leave me 1 day or 2 without a stove? I dont get along with the super, so he may be doing this to be bothersome, as he’s done delay tactics before. He has likely convinced his boss of doing it in 2 days instead of 1. Is this legal?

Asked on February 15, 2017 under Real Estate Law, New Jersey

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 7 years ago | Contributor

Yes, it is legal. A landlord must make reasonable efforts to maintain the habitability of a rental unit, which includes fully working stoves, but they don't have to be perfect efforts or instantaneous ones: the law accepts that given work schedules, the time it takes to do work, having to get materials or appliances delivered, etc., tenants can be temporarily left without appliances (or heat or water, for that matter). I have been practicing landlord-tenant law in NJ for 7 years; in all that time, I have not run into a single judge who would consider it unreasonable to take 2 days to replace a stove, and therefore not judges who would hold the landlord liable for this.


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