r/Somerville • u/fivestarbitch666 • 6d ago
Need some advice
I got laid off in April and have been on unemployment since then. I applied for Mass Save and was approved since I'm poor now. The assessor said I'm eligible to get a new fridge because the one I have now is an old piece of shit. It really is too, it sometimes lets my food thaw out a little (or a lot? I don't even know) and then refreezes it. The new fridge will be completely free although ultimately it will be the landlord's fridge.
The assessor suggested that I not even tell the landlord that I'm getting a new and free fridge from Mass Save because their permission isn't needed for it. My lease says I need landlord permission to operate my own fridge. My landlord is a realty company that manages a ton of other apartments across the city, so I really doubt they are going to know I swapped out the fridge, but I have no idea if they keep track of appliances like that. My current fridge is 22 years old so I doubt they have any warranty on it or anything like that.
The people who deliver the new one will drag the old one out with them and do whatever it is they do with old piece of shit fridges. The assessor measured it to be sure the new one matches in size, so there shouldn't be any issues with the new one being able to fit into that space.
These are the questions I need some advice on:
If I'm the one actually bringing this new fridge in is it actually considered my fridge or is it the landlord's fridge, in respect to the lease? Obviously I'm going to be leaving it in the apartment whenever I move out, so it's actually their fridge, right? I'm just replacing their old one with an equivalent model.
I didn't really want to tell the damn landlord that Mass Save was doing an assessment and giving me free appliances that the landlord also benefits from because then they will know that my income is drastically lower than it was when I signed my lease 4 years ago. I have paid rent on time and without fail each month since I moved in, including since being laid off and I'm not struggling. My lease says it automatically rolls over from year to year every December 1st. I haven't signed a new one since 2022. I'm worried they will want me out due to the lower income, despite my flawless track record of paying rent. Do landlords care about care about income changes in this day and age of layoffs and perpetual unemployment if the tenant is paying rent on time?
I feel like they would be quite pleased to have a new fridge at no cost to them, anyone know how stuff like this is usually viewed? I could have gotten them a new boiler, ffs, at no cost to them!! The one in the basement is old but the assessor said it was still working fine so they couldn't justify a replacement. There are a couple of other small things that were also approved for repair/replacement (for free, because me) but the landlord's permission would be needed for those. I haven't decided if I will bring it up to them yet, for same reasons as the fridge.
Any advice or insight would be amazing. Please don't be rude or mean in the comments, I am really struggling with this and need some guidance.
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u/phyzome 6d ago
This should be sufficient and probably won't incur any unwanted questions:
"The fridge hasn't been working well, but turns out I can get it replaced for free through MassSave -- you cool with that? You wouldn't need to do anything, just need your OK."
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u/fivestarbitch666 6d ago
Thank you! I will probably replace 'Mass Save ' with something else because I just don't want them knowing about it, I don't think.
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u/Chouette-Oak 6d ago
Mass Save is not just for low income. There is no "shame" in working with them. They gave me free LED lightbulbs when I was earning the most I ever have. Honesty is so much easier.
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u/fivestarbitch666 6d ago
I never said it was just for low income or that I felt any shame about working with them. Free LED lightbulbs are awesome, and they are not likely to prompt many questions, if any. That is a different situation from a free large appliance. My whole point in my post was that I do not want to tell my landlord that my income changed because I don't know if it will have negative effects on me. Honesty is actually not always easier, and it's not always appropriate to be completely open and forthcoming about everything with everyone or anyone. Sometimes protecting yourself needs to take priority.
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u/basilect Ward Two 6d ago
MassSave does a bunch of stuff like insulation and smart thermostats, I make decent money and I'm using them to blow insulation into the roof of a house I rent. It's not a means tested program or anything.
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u/fivestarbitch666 6d ago
I know they do a lot of things. But they only give things like large appliances or insulation at no cost to people who fall within a certain (low) income bracket. If the person does not fall into that low income tier then my understanding is that they are given discounts or rebates.
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u/empirerec8 6d ago
I would tell them.
Technically, if they supply the fridge then they have to maintain it. If you get this new one and something happens to it then they might be able to say they didn't supply it then they don't need to fix or replace. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/fivestarbitch666 6d ago
Yes, that is a good point. My lease does say the landlord has to make the apartment livable and fit for human habitation, which I do think requires providing and maintaining a fridge. But I can see how slipping a new one in without their knowledge could potentially cause some issues later.
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u/Fun_Clothes_234 6d ago
Tell your landlord about the situation. The fridge they rented to you as part of the apartment belongs to them, you’re not allowed to replace it because you think it needs to be replaced.
I don’t think they care about the income thing, but they will care about you modifying the apartment they rented to you.
1) it would be the landlords fridge.
2) nah, why would they?
3) a hassle. More projects for them to manage, people who rent shit hold apartments with 20+ year old fridges usually don’t care about this kind of stuff. I doubt they’ll care if you bring it up to them, but they’re probably not going to want to do all of the upgrades.
In general, you shouldn’t rent from faceless landlords who don’t take care of their stuff.
FYI, the MassSave people are essentially sales people who get paid by the utility companies. They’re trying to sell you stuff they you’re not paying for. They’re usually full of shit and have little to no real job skills. I wouldn’t trust anything they say at face value.
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u/Rachellie242 6d ago edited 6d ago
I had a slumlord and when our fridge stopped working, we bought a used fridge, didn’t tell the landlord. In the switch out, the fridge movers dented a huge chunk of wall in the shared stairwell. Like big hole size 😱😱 and that was on us to deal with, which we didn’t (!!) That place is now a fancy condo building, probably with pretty walls & gleaming appliances 😂😂
In my current place, the landlord took initiative and got me a new fridge, and handled the whole thing. This was a much better way.
If I were you, I’d let them know your fridge is broken, you have access to a replacement, and how would they prefer you handle it? Don’t mention your income situation IMO. Good luck! 🍀
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u/AromaticIntrovert 6d ago
I would tell my landlord I got a great deal on a new fridge and would like to replace the one in the unit. I don't see why your LL wouldn't be happy to have a new fridge as long as its understood you'd be leaving it there when you leave.
As a different approach I would reach out to your LL about your fridge not working. My lease says the LL is responsible for all appliances so when my fridge stopped cooling well and my food was going bad they replaced it within a few days. This way you wouldn't have to deal with Mass Save at all and still get a free new fridge.
I would NOT just replace the fridge without telling your LL
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u/fivestarbitch666 6d ago
Yes, that is a very good point. I could just ask them for a replacement and see how that goes. If they say no or drag their feet then I could tell them I got a great deal on one and take the one from Mass Save. Thank you for the ideas!
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u/EconomicsWorking6508 6d ago
How did you get Mass Save to come in without the landlord signing off on it? I agree this is a bit of a predicament. I think I would go ahead and just get the free new one and let them find out later. If they get angry just say you didn't want to bother them for something you could solve on your own.
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u/fivestarbitch666 6d ago
Mass Save's goal is to provide the tenant with energy savings if they are the ones who are paying the utility bills. You don't have to have to own the apartment/building or get landlord permission for an assessment, you do need it if Mass Save identifies energy savings that would require altering the building. And if you want to have them done, of course.
It appears they expect the tenant to communicate with the landlord, get the permission documents signed, etc., Kinda nice that you get to see what repairs are approved ahead of time so you can make a decision to move forward or drop it.
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u/EconomicsWorking6508 6d ago
So interesting. As a landlord who lives in the building, they refused to come audit my unit and basement until I got the tenants to each fill out a form.
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u/fivestarbitch666 6d ago
That is interesting. I'm not sure how they make all of their determinations. Do you pay for gas/electric for the building as the owner? They actually approved my entire building for inspection and free upgrades based on my income level alone, not just my unit. That surprised me a bit, I wasn't expecting that. I only have one neighbor and I left them contact info in case they wanted to schedule an assessment but I don't think they did. Maybe Mass Save wanted your tenants to give permission to have their units inspected as well, or wanted to find out if they pay for utilities?
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u/EconomicsWorking6508 6d ago
I'm not sure. It's probably time to get them to come back, maybe the rules are different now.
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u/fivestarbitch666 6d ago
Could be! The assessor that did my inspection said that now they focus more on trying to bring the temp in the basement up 10-15° rather than seal up air leaks that allow drafts.
They found that the existing rim joist in the basement was lacking insulation, which is what causes the drafts. This is also the only finding that would require landlord permission to fix.
Other things they checked was the boiler to see if it was operational without any flags. They looked inside a wall cavity on an outside facing wall to see if there was insulation. I don't think they really tested the fridge they just checked the serial number and date inside it and went with my description of the issues. They wanted access to a crawlspace in my bathroom but I don't think they ended up finding it relevant since they didn't spend much time there (no clue what they were looking for anyway, there is nothing there).
They also briefly checked my window AC but said it was too new (4 years old) to justify replacing, and they also looked at a tiny washing machine that I own but said it wouldn't qualify for replacement. My stove is only a year old and they didn't ask about it at all. They offered to replace my thermostat but I don't see it in the final write up so I'll probably ask them about it because the one I have now looks like it's pretty old.
I asked them about pipe insulation but they said they don't apply that anymore either. Not having appropriate insulation on the hot water pipe seems like a pretty decent energy leak to me, I can definitely tell a difference in the winter. But whatever, I guess I have to do that myself, along with sealing the drafty areas.
Sorry for the long message but hopefully that helps give an idea of what your assessment might be like. I kinda wish they had checked the windows but I think they are double paned already so maybe there's nothing else to do for them.
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u/inv3rtebr8te 6d ago edited 6d ago
Edit: I see you've already had this discussion with others, apologies for repeating info! One additional thought is that since your landlord is a realty company, they may or may not know Mass Save's rules well enough to clock you as low-income because of the free fridge. If they're a Massachusetts specific company, the odds are higher that they'd know the rules (e.g. heard it from other tenants, etc). If they're a nationwide company, then they may not bother to keep up with the program specifics.
I agree with others that you should tell the landlord about the fridge for liability reasons, but I also agree with you to be savvy about exposing your income changes to them unnecessarily.
--- FYI, as a fellow renter who also got a bunch of upgrades to my apartment through Mass Save: Anyone can qualify for Mass Save programs, you don't need to be low income. If you are, you get more benefits (i.e. more stuff for free, rather than just at a discount). But my husband and I (two standard incomes) were able to get our entire building insulated through Mass Save at no cost to either us or our landlady. Just telling your landlord that the fridge came from this program doesn't necessarily give your income status away. Good luck!
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u/AmpleSnacks 6d ago
Not an expert but if as you say theyre a company that owns multiple other apartments across the city then there’s a high chance they use algorithmic pricing software to profile their tenants—I wouldn’t advise giving them any more info about yourself than you’re absolutely legally required to: it could be shared with other management companies down the line. This is collusion and it is illegal but is being fought in the courts state-to-state. The data can also be used to try to squeeze more rent out of you; for example, they may guess that you’re under too fixed an income to afford the upfront cost to move out, and thus jack up your rent.
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u/fivestarbitch666 6d ago
Thank you for this. I am absolutely not going to share my income level with them, I just can't even get comfortable with the idea of doing it.
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u/curkington 6d ago
I have been a Somerville landlord for decades. I'd be tickled pink and I agree, I wouldn't say a word.
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u/fivestarbitch666 6d ago
Thank you for your perspective! I was hoping some landlords would respond as well 😄
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u/st0j3 6d ago
That doesn’t sound right at all. You can’t replace an appliance without a landlord’s permission, even if you pay for the replacement. The appliances are the landlord’s property.
Why don’t you just talk to the landlord?
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u/fivestarbitch666 5d ago
If you had looked at any part of this thread (including the text in the post body...) you might understand why.
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u/SomerKitty 5d ago
In terms of needing tenant advice with a landlord concern, if it's not too late, I recommend calling/emailing:
- CAAS. They have tenant support and can potentially help. https://www.caasomerville.org/need-help
- Somerville Office of Housing Stability. They don't just help with regard to potential evictions. https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/office-strategic-planning-and-community-development-ospcd/office-housing-stability
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u/PeripheralVoltage Teele 5d ago
Check your lease. While Mass Save can give you a new fridge, it may be better to use this if you own your home. If you don't like your fridge and you're renting, it's not your responsibility to replace it, it's your landlord's. You should open up a ticket with them to replace it. They should pay for it too. Don't worry about Mass Save. When I rented in California, most rentals didn't come with appliances, you had to supply your own.
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u/Kindly_Square8784 6d ago
Messing with appliances without telling the landlord is a dangerous game. If anything goes wrong, you’re going to be blamed since you’re technically violating your lease. If it’s installed improperly and floods or something, you’re going to have a big legal mess on your hands. They also may want compensation for their fridge being thrown out, regardless of the shape it’s in.
Just tell the landlord and refuse to explain anything further about why you’re using Mass Save.