Tenant seeks advice after landlord reacts negatively to gas leak call: 'You did the right thing'

Getting your landlord to make upgrades to your home can be difficult, but it should never be an issue to have problems fixed that are actual safety hazards.

One Redditor explained their plight involving their landlord in the r/Tenant subreddit. The poster asked for some advice after sharing that they had called the gas company to inspect a potential gas leak and then faced pushback from their landlord.

The OP shared their story, explaining that after noticing a strong gas smell in their home, they called the gas company, which then came out and turned off the gas. The landlord took over four hours to respond to the tenant's messages about the issue. 

Once the landlord did respond, it was with negativity about the resident's actions and also a complaint about the costs of fixing the issue. The OP expressed concerns over their landlord "dragging their feet and trying [to] pass [off] their responsibility in this matter." They continued with a request for advice from the community.

Commenters came through with a lot of feedback. 

One Redditor said, "You did the right thing. If the landlord is complaining about repair costs without even having it evaluated, then it is most likely a [known] issue they have been avoiding."

Gas leaks can be extremely dangerous and can result in fires and explosions. If you suspect a gas leak, it's time to call the professionals.

"Natural gas" is a form of dirty energy that releases harmful fumes into the air — just because it's called "natural" doesn't make it clean. 

Research has shown that methane gas poisoning (like the gas used in stoves) can cause a number of symptoms like increased heart rate, nausea, and vomiting. Methane gas is also damaging to the environment, with heat-trapping characteristics up to 80 times worse than carbon dioxide. 

Across the United States, tenants have been experiencing pushback from landlords over issues like this and others pertaining to safety and eco-friendly lifestyle changes. Even money-saving actions like vegetable gardening, hanging clotheslines, and using EV chargers have been prevented by landlords and HOAs. 

If you're having similar problems with your landlord or HOA and wish to make eco-friendly home changes, visit TCD's guide for help moving toward a solution. 

Other commenters on the Reddit post were angered by the landlord's words. One user suggested, "Keep the chain of communication in writing."

Another user agreed with the OP's actions and said, "Safety trumps everything, no matter what the [landlord] said."

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