Hi. I just moved into an apartment in Sunnyvale. I have a problem.
It seems like everytime the person downstairs cooks dinner or lunch or whatever, my living room fills up with the smell of the cooking, (usually a nasty mixture of onions and garlic and some other cr@p).
The problem is that it happens regardless of whether my windows are open or closed. It appears that the exhaust fan on their stove has a leaky pipe that leaks inside my kitchen wall and then seeps out through power outlets and various crevices.
I am going to talk to the landlord about this tomorrow, and he has been great in fixing other stuff promptly so far, but I am wondering what my rights are wrt to not being on receiving end of their kitchen exhaust?
Also, I am wondering if california building code requires that units in apartment buildings have their own airspace for public health reasons.
The reason I am asking is that repairs I asked to do so far have been very minor, like changing light switch. Sealing my apartment against the smell might be a major repair, and I want to know if the landlord is required to do it, and what my rights are if he drags it out.
Thanks.
PS. I read some websites, and basically it says the apartment must be inhabitable. I don't know if nasty smell is considered uninhabitable, and whether this problem is in violaiton of any building codes.
It seems like everytime the person downstairs cooks dinner or lunch or whatever, my living room fills up with the smell of the cooking, (usually a nasty mixture of onions and garlic and some other cr@p).
The problem is that it happens regardless of whether my windows are open or closed. It appears that the exhaust fan on their stove has a leaky pipe that leaks inside my kitchen wall and then seeps out through power outlets and various crevices.
I am going to talk to the landlord about this tomorrow, and he has been great in fixing other stuff promptly so far, but I am wondering what my rights are wrt to not being on receiving end of their kitchen exhaust?
Also, I am wondering if california building code requires that units in apartment buildings have their own airspace for public health reasons.
The reason I am asking is that repairs I asked to do so far have been very minor, like changing light switch. Sealing my apartment against the smell might be a major repair, and I want to know if the landlord is required to do it, and what my rights are if he drags it out.
Thanks.
PS. I read some websites, and basically it says the apartment must be inhabitable. I don't know if nasty smell is considered uninhabitable, and whether this problem is in violaiton of any building codes.
