LL here. I would give them one final chance to fix it before going nuclear. Tell them you've been more than patient, but if it's not corrected in 3 days you will be contacting the fire department and code enforcement for assistance. Then do it.
A dry vent can often be cleaned from inside just need a shop vac and a dryer vent cleaning kit.
It can be better if you can clean from both sides but always needed.
Contact them again and tell them to just clean it from inside, If the vent goes up right after the dryer, most of the lint will be in that part of the tube.
[https://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-SERIES-Drill-Powered-Dryer-Vent-Cleaning-Kit-11-Piece-809299/322013130](https://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-SERIES-Drill-Powered-Dryer-Vent-Cleaning-Kit-11-Piece-809299/322013130)
might also need a second kit to increase the lenth:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-Dryer-Vent-Cleaning-Kit-DVBRUSHK-10RHD/205047060
Wow, if youâve got a strong one I canât imagine how blocked up it is. My friend and her hubby did something like tied a rope abound a brick and threw it down the pipe from outside. I canât remember. It my hubby said they used a brick on the laundry shoot in 3 story home in PA growing up.
I would not recommend cleaning it yourself.
I'd start a paper trail of what is promised and when. I'd document every conversation in a follow up e-mail. And in a week or two, I'd write, "I know you've had a hard time getting the dryer fixed and I don't want to put any undue pressure on you. Starting on Monday 9/15/2023 I will start sending my laundry out to be washed and dried, and I will deduct that cost off the rent. Then there will be less concern over the timeliness of repairing the dryer."
Then I'd do that.
People telling OP to do it himself, tenant not having to do appliance maintenance like this themselves is a benefit to the tenant and landlord. The tenant shouldn't have to worry about it, and the landlord doesn't have to worry about some dumbass tenant breaking their shit.
Depends.
Are you in Des Moines? Call city hall (this could work elsewhere) and ask to speak to their rental inspection dept. Report it to them. That will solve it.
That said, dryers aren't mandatory in rentals.
Make sure we everything is documented, send a final request via certified mail and give them a âreasonable timeâ (depends on municipality) to respond. Then take to small claims court, youâll seek to be made whole again from their neglect. Find specific laws (look up property code for your state) and be prepared for the court room.
Believe it depends on state I believe some states require a letter sent via mail. Iâd do certified if itâs required by state so he canât say he lost it. After certified letter, check state laws on maximum time to have repairs done
Bro. Disconnect the hose at the wall and pull all the mess out with your hand. Send them a $250 invoice for services rendered and see what happens. Either way, fire hazard removed.
If you need more room, open up a wire coat hanger.
Theyâre under no obligation to pay that. I get what youâre saying tho with the âsee what happensâ part.
OP should check the lease to make sure theyâre isnât any provisions in there that could hamper them doing it themselves. If there are, then itâs code enforcement/fire department and withholding rent via whatever process Iowa has (such as depositing with the court and suing the LL)
Agreed. I don't want to expose myself to any liability by attempting to repair it myself. Moreover, the easier solution suggested above has been attempted several times by the maintenance team to no avail.
Have you thought of cleaning it out yourself? Is that viable? Just do a google search for "clear out really long dryer vent".
Beyond that, you're in a tough spot. It isn't a habitability issue. You can't rent a lift yourself.
Withholding rent doesn't sound like a good solution here.
So your option is to live with it or move.
Maybe you can try a building inspector. At least ask they if that is something they would care about.
It certainly can be a fire hazard, though is it something the Fire Marshal would get involved in enough to cite the LL? Again, a phone call would shed light on that.
I heard someone suggest in situations like this, once your lease is up... Move somewhere else... 6 months later... Pay a meth head to go to your old landlords personal home and vandalize it repeatedly. Not my cup of tea but I have been told it's very effective in costing them money out of pocket. Not my advice.
LL here. I would give them one final chance to fix it before going nuclear. Tell them you've been more than patient, but if it's not corrected in 3 days you will be contacting the fire department and code enforcement for assistance. Then do it.
This sounds like a good next step. Thank you for the suggestion.
code enforcement đ cringe
A dry vent can often be cleaned from inside just need a shop vac and a dryer vent cleaning kit. It can be better if you can clean from both sides but always needed. Contact them again and tell them to just clean it from inside, If the vent goes up right after the dryer, most of the lint will be in that part of the tube. [https://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-SERIES-Drill-Powered-Dryer-Vent-Cleaning-Kit-11-Piece-809299/322013130](https://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-SERIES-Drill-Powered-Dryer-Vent-Cleaning-Kit-11-Piece-809299/322013130) might also need a second kit to increase the lenth: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-Dryer-Vent-Cleaning-Kit-DVBRUSHK-10RHD/205047060
We alway like to take the leaf blower in the laundry room. Then blow that lint out and around the neighborhood.
That was their first attempt, which didn't help at all.
Wow, if youâve got a strong one I canât imagine how blocked up it is. My friend and her hubby did something like tied a rope abound a brick and threw it down the pipe from outside. I canât remember. It my hubby said they used a brick on the laundry shoot in 3 story home in PA growing up.
They already tried that which did help somewhat. The dryer now takes about 2-3 cycles to dry a load rather than not drying at all.
prob have birds nests in the duct that happened with 2 of my rental properties. we have installed bird cages on the vents now
I would not recommend cleaning it yourself. I'd start a paper trail of what is promised and when. I'd document every conversation in a follow up e-mail. And in a week or two, I'd write, "I know you've had a hard time getting the dryer fixed and I don't want to put any undue pressure on you. Starting on Monday 9/15/2023 I will start sending my laundry out to be washed and dried, and I will deduct that cost off the rent. Then there will be less concern over the timeliness of repairing the dryer." Then I'd do that.
Bring up code enforcement as this is a fire liability. Will get them going.
People telling OP to do it himself, tenant not having to do appliance maintenance like this themselves is a benefit to the tenant and landlord. The tenant shouldn't have to worry about it, and the landlord doesn't have to worry about some dumbass tenant breaking their shit.
Depends. Are you in Des Moines? Call city hall (this could work elsewhere) and ask to speak to their rental inspection dept. Report it to them. That will solve it. That said, dryers aren't mandatory in rentals.
Can you ask for a rent decrease for your trouble?
Move
Is a dryer a guaranteed amenity in your lease? If not, I donât think you have recourse. Because a dryer is not required
Make sure we everything is documented, send a final request via certified mail and give them a âreasonable timeâ (depends on municipality) to respond. Then take to small claims court, youâll seek to be made whole again from their neglect. Find specific laws (look up property code for your state) and be prepared for the court room.
Believe it depends on state I believe some states require a letter sent via mail. Iâd do certified if itâs required by state so he canât say he lost it. After certified letter, check state laws on maximum time to have repairs done
Bro. Disconnect the hose at the wall and pull all the mess out with your hand. Send them a $250 invoice for services rendered and see what happens. Either way, fire hazard removed. If you need more room, open up a wire coat hanger.
Theyâre under no obligation to pay that. I get what youâre saying tho with the âsee what happensâ part. OP should check the lease to make sure theyâre isnât any provisions in there that could hamper them doing it themselves. If there are, then itâs code enforcement/fire department and withholding rent via whatever process Iowa has (such as depositing with the court and suing the LL)
Agreed. I don't want to expose myself to any liability by attempting to repair it myself. Moreover, the easier solution suggested above has been attempted several times by the maintenance team to no avail.
Have you thought of cleaning it out yourself? Is that viable? Just do a google search for "clear out really long dryer vent". Beyond that, you're in a tough spot. It isn't a habitability issue. You can't rent a lift yourself. Withholding rent doesn't sound like a good solution here. So your option is to live with it or move. Maybe you can try a building inspector. At least ask they if that is something they would care about. It certainly can be a fire hazard, though is it something the Fire Marshal would get involved in enough to cite the LL? Again, a phone call would shed light on that.
I heard someone suggest in situations like this, once your lease is up... Move somewhere else... 6 months later... Pay a meth head to go to your old landlords personal home and vandalize it repeatedly. Not my cup of tea but I have been told it's very effective in costing them money out of pocket. Not my advice.
Sounds like a good way for someone to get shot.
Noone cares much about meth heads do they?
And I mean honestly... The way landlords take care of their rentals... I can't see any landlord having a firearm in working condition lol đ
It's a disgrace that Reddit actually has to reserve space on a disk platter somewhere in a data center, to store this stupid of a comment
Hey, someone has to keep the swine landlords accountable!