No electricity in my new apartment. (Chicago, IL) legaladvice

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Summary: I moved into a new apartment on July 1. Upon moving in, I found that the electricity wasn't working. I confirmed with the power company that the electricity is turned on. Working with the building engineer, I discovered that there is a problem with the electrical wiring. The soonest an electrician can come out is July 5. At minimum, I will be without power in my apartment for about 5 days.

Legal questions:

• Did the property management company ("the company"), with whom I signed my lease, violate any law or ordinance by failing to provide working electrical wiring in my apartment?

• Did the company violate any law or ordinance by failing to notify me of the electrical issue before taking possession?

• Did the company violate any other relevant law or ordinance?

• I would like a partial refund on my first month's rent payment. If the electrical issue cannot be fixed by July 5, I would also like compensation to get a hotel until the issues are resolved. Is it reasonable for me to request these from the company?

• Do I need a lawyer to get these requests? Or is there a better way of solving this?

Full story: I am a recent college graduate who moved to a new city to take a job. I leased my new apartment on or about June 1. When signing the lease, I understood that the apartment was currently undergoing a renovation. I was assured by the realtor that the renovation would be completed in time for move-in on July 1.

I moved in on July 1. I immediately noticed that the power was not working. I called my power company who informed me that the power was in the process of being turned on, and that I would certainly have electricity by the end of business. I did not have power by end of business.

I contacted the building engineer for help. Over the phone, he instructed me to lock my apartment, go downstairs into the basement, pass through some areas under-construction, go into an under-construction garden apartment with power, and sleep down there for the night. At least there was electricity down there so I could charge my phone and laptop overnight. I don't really know anyone in the city, and I needed power to keep communicating with the company, the building engineer, the power company, etc.

During the early morning of July 2, I am able to contact the power company for an update. Their representative informed me that the power was indeed turned on.

I communicated this information to the building engineer. He comes over in the afternoon with the plumber with some electrical experience. While I am in the apartment, they go into the basement and find the circuit breaker. Over the phone, they told me that they were pushing a circuit in and the circuit kept popping back out. Whenever they did this, I saw my lights flash on and turn back off. According to them, there is an electrical short somewhere in the system. They had me unplug my refrigerator and they tried again to no avail.

Later that evening, the building engineer and I jury rig an extension cord from the bottom of the apartment complex, up the side of the building, and into my top-floor apartment through my bedroom window. He connected this to another power cord so that I could charge multiple devices simultaneously. He also brought over a lamp to use. I stayed in my apartment that night.

According to the building engineer, the soonest an electrician can come out is July 5. Until the problem is solved, I am without power (other than through this jury-rigged extension cord), refrigeration for perishable food, or reliable internet. In order to meet with the electrician on July 5, I may also have to push back my first day of work.

I read through the lease before signing and again this morning. To my understanding, they don't make any guarantees about access to utilities like water or electric. My hope is that such a guarantee is instead provided for by some law or ordinance.

Thank you for your assistance.

Submitted July 03, 2016 at 09:56PM by h42e-3R_ http://ift.tt/29fQwhj legaladvice