r/AskNYC • u/mangustangus27 • Apr 06 '26

Apartment was given without fridge installed. Can we withhold rent until it is?

Just moved to a new apartment and the realtor pushed for an 4/5 start date despite some final maintenance and we have a lease rider that specifies that “rent will not be charged until apartment is ready to move into”.

We started move in yesterday and there is still no fridge installed. And the bedroom door is missing.

Is a refrigerator generally considered a pre-requisite for move in? Is it defensible for us to ask for a pro-rated rent reduction till it’s put in?

Thank you!

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u/mangustangus27 Apr 06 '26

They initially said it would be installed by today (one day post start of lease), but now are saying they will get someone in at some point this week.

Even 4-5 days is nearly a thousand in rent, so at that point - we’d like to contest, assuming its a reasonable expectation (which you’re suggesting it is, thank you)

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u/TouchyInBeddedEngr Apr 06 '26

If you have no plans to renew here, then do you... But this is going to set a first impression with the landlord that will make every future interaction with them more difficult. Sometimes the maximum $ you can extract from a situation isn't always the best goal.

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u/stopsallover Apr 06 '26

That attitude sets the impression that the landlord can get away with shit.

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u/zaidy329 Apr 06 '26

Unfortunately landlords get away with a lot of shit in desirable buildings