Best Of

Let me just give my two cents. You should not need to live under such conditions. Doesn't matter if you are paying a million a month or ten dollars a month. Or anything in between. The landlords who are subjecting you to inhumane living conditions, to save a few bucks, have a special place in "not paradise" (see site rules).

That said, you need to be realistic. There is no way to get the underlying problem fixed, if the landlord is not on board. That is the unfortunate reality.

You can try to take the legal route, to force the landlord's hand. That can be long and aggravating and might not work.

You can try the heavy blanket route and see if that helps.

Maybe one screen, combined with occasionally leaving the front door open, to encourage air movement. Maybe leaving a few windows open a crack. Maybe fill the tub and a few buckets with cold water. Will absorb some of the heat.

Just to reiterate, you should not need to do these things. But the reality is what it is. I wish that there was more that I could do to help.

Maybe see if you can skip the radiator bleeding this season.

There a lot of potential fixes or helps for you to try. I would ask the other tenants if they are experiencing the same problem of overheating. If they are, you could talk to the building owners or the people in charge of the building and tell them that fixing the problem would potentially save them a lot of money in operating costs as well as improving the buildings reputation for future tenants. Post a few pictures of the whole radiator so we can see what system you have. Follow the other guys recommendations such as covering the rads with towels or something to reduce the heat output. Maybe you could convince the owners to call one of the guys that live on this site. Many of them have years of experience with steam and hot water systems.

Your building management needs to address this. If they fail to address it, get a Dr's Note that addresses your health concern about Hypothermia (excessive heat). That will put them in a corner. Mad Dog

I don't think that the section 8 reference was meant to be demeaning. There is certain leverage that you have, when the government is involved (I think).

If the valves don't close and the landlord isn't cooperative, you must take matters into your own hands:

Adjustable inside screens are $11 - $15 each. I give them to my tenants. If you can't afford that, nail $5 worth of chicken wire on the window casing.

Just throw blankets over the radiators, invest $30 in screens and stop complaining. Be thankful it's not 40-degrees in the place.

The money you save from the landlord not raising your rent due to complaining will pay for the chicken wire tenfold.

From a technical point of view, the landlord should properly balance the system, which would require him to maintain his stuff; something he doesn't care to do apparently. The hot water rises to the top of the building and without proper balancing often overheats the top units.

The heavy blanket will fix the overheating. Perhaps discreetly contacting an attorney can solve the bullying.