Tenants taking advantage, they want to live for free, for bad heating system, help

[algreat]

Hello:

I own a quatraplex in the down town area in the ottawa region. the quatraplex has 4 units.
the boiler system system is located in the basement. and obviously it's an old system. the water pressure goes to the first two floors but it doesn't send any water to the upstairs apartments. they're always freezing. I think it's a water pressure problem. I have contacted many companies to look at it, and some tell me is I have to change the pipes, or some say it can't be fixed. COME ON CHANGE THE PIPES IN AN OLD BUILDING.

is there a way i can fix this. If i change the pipes in the building, that means i have to break the walls and celiling and a lot of things.

i'm pretty sure you can give me some suggestions.

can i provide them with electrical heaters but they will be very very costy.

the upstairs apartments are very small. i was thinking of giving them oil based heaters.

the tenant is tell me thy will take off half the rent for the winter, because it's going to cost them a lot of electricity.


please give me some suggestions, on this maybe you can tell me to give them some type of heating system


thanks.

[Don_P]

Please don't multiple post, most of us read all the new posts.

Not providing some means of keeping warm sounds to me like someone is taking advantage of someone. If an apartment is unheatable it is uninhabitable.

The easiest solution that I see is to install baseboard electric or investigate some new form of individual apartment heat. Allow them to pay for their heat. You may consider modifying rent or changing tenants.

[algreat]

sorry about the about he mulitiple posts.

i'm charging them rent 700, if i install electrical baeboard heaters. how much should I reduce the rent.

i'm open for all idea.

thanks again

[tooltroll]

Baseboard heaters? You're willing to knock a bunch of holes to run new wiring, but not to fix the pipes?
The ugly truth: Old building = old pipes, probably iron, and probably rusted shut. Pipes do not last forever, especially when they're old, iron and rusty. Sooner or later (probably sooner) they will burst, flood the building and make it entirely uninhabitable.
Then you'll have to replace them and rip out all the mouldy plaster/drywall, framing, etc., etc., (which means gutting most of the building) with no rental income until it's all fixed.
So suck it up and change the pipes before you end up paying for a complete gut-job. It happens all the time in older buildings; yes, its a pain in the ass, and yes, it'll cost more than buying some cheapo heaters for your tenants (which ain't so cheap when you factor in the power they'd suck and/or the reduced rent if the tenants pay for the power) but you'll pay ten times as much in the long run if you try and slumlord your way out of it.

[concretemasonry]

Algreat -

Would you live in the units you rent?

[RonaldKlondike]

I agree with tooltroll. You are going to have to address the bigger issue at some point, may as well do it now. Especially with rental props, you have to look at the long term.