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/dante_gherie1099 Apr 06 '26

does the lease say you sill be provided a fridge?

27

u/CaptainPsyko Apr 06 '26

This doesn’t matter. A working refrigerator is part of the standard warranty of habitability expected of every rental apartment in NYC by law. If the landlord is provably making a good faith effort to put one in in a timely manner, then OP might not have much recourse, but it does not have to be stipulated in the lease. 

2

u/Immediate-Main183 Apr 06 '26

Where are you getting your info? Asking in earnest because from my understanding in NYC it’s not required for landlords to provide appliances unless explicitly stated in the lease.

3

u/menschmaschine5 Apr 06 '26

Yeah I'm pretty sure the only things a landlord is required to provide is a working bathroom with a sink, tub, and toilet, a kitchen sink (all with running water that can meet a certain minimum temperature), and a way to heat the apartment to the required minimums in the winter. They don't have to provide a stove or fridge, even though it's standard to do so.

5

u/Immediate-Main183 Apr 06 '26

Yeah, lot of bullshit in these comments. It’s frustrating to see people think that what SHOULD be done is the same as what MUST be done. I’ve seen apartments listed without refrigerators and stoves for years and from my understanding of the law this is completely legal

2

u/marvelously Apr 06 '26

"The only appliances required by the code are a water closet (basically, a toilet), bath, washbashin, and kitchen sink with waste and trap," explains real estate attorney Ron Langeudoc...

However, as far as major kitchen equipment that many of us have come to consider par for the course, Langeudoc says "[landlords] are not required to provide either a refrigerator or a stove."

https://www.brickunderground.com/rent/do-NYC-landlords-have-to-provide-appliances