Renting rather than buying can be a practical decision. When you rent, you have the flexibility to move if your career demands a relocation. You don’t lock yourself into one space indefinitely but can move on to a different space at the end of your lease.
For many people, it is the maintenance aspect of homeownership that makes them want to be permanent apartment dwellers. You won’t have to worry about shoveling the sidewalk or the furnace dying in February as a tenant. When those things happen, you simply have to notify your landlord.
The property owner or manager will be the one that has to make and pay for repairs while also maintaining the facility. The sad truth is that many landlords will try to invest the least amount possible in the maintenance and upkeep of their rental units, even while charging premium rates to their tenants. If your landlord is not proactive about maintenance, you could end up exposed to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
Many different home systems contribute to carbon monoxide in the house
Everything from your furnace and hot water heater to the clothes dryer in your pantry can contribute to how much carbon monoxide is in your home. Proper venting and good maintenance of appliances reduce the likelihood of carbon monoxide accumulating at dangerous levels inside a residential space.
Unlike other dangerous substances, carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless. The only way to tell it has started building up in your home is to have carbon monoxide detectors functioning around the space. Landlords in Connecticut have an obligation to maintain their units and to install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to protect their tenants.
What can carbon monoxide poisoning do?
If there isn’t a carbon monoxide detector working in your unit, you or other members of your family could inhale unsafe amounts of this gas. Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause headaches, dizziness, weakness, vomiting and confusion. People sometimes mistake the early signs of carbon monoxide poisoning for the flu. In extreme cases, it can prove fatal.
Knowing your landlord’s obligations can help you take action when their negligence contributes to your carbon monoxide poisoning.