No Hot water in laundry room a violation of housing code?

[sefnfot]

What is the name of your state? CA
No Hot water in laundry room a violation of housing code?

I have a laundry room in a separate building, in a room attached to the garage. An 8 unit building in a rent control city, Santa Monica.

The boiler for the laundry room broke down. I have a 90 yr old lady tenant that complained to the city, it’s been around 1 week.

(The city inspector came while I was working inside one of the apartments. I clearly told him not to come in several times. He asked if I was the LL and I just answered that I am just doing maintenance. He came back with another one of the tenants who informed him that I was the LL. I told him repeatedly not to come into the apartment unit that I was working on, but he came in anyway to talk to me about the Laundry room.)

I informed the inspector that there is no obligation to provide a laundry room and as of this point the laundry room is closed and shut down.

I was issued a violation notice on the famous hot water law that LL must abide by. But I read the county statute and that ordinance is only for bathroom and kitchen habitability; and not for laundry.

So there’s two points
A. The inspector trespassed into the apartment unit that I was working on.
B. How to approach the county over stepping their boundaries in using the hot water rule on an area that it doesn’t have jurisdiction.

 

[sefnfot]

LA County code if interested.
Look at 11.20.190 and 11.20.260

http://ordlink.com/codes/lacounty/index.htm

 

[Cvillecpm]

You need to read the SANTA MONICA rent control regulations THEN get an attorney.

 

[FarmerJ]

Due to past experiance with housing inspectors who had nasty habit of attempting to push there way in I cannot understand why you did not get up and shut , secure , lock the door to the space you were working in. As far as your laundry equipment goes even if its coin operated It would fall under local law . SO maybe you need to look at commercial washers made by miele or Wascomat that has its own self contained water heating element, Euro styled washers that have that feature do not need a hot water heater to supply them since they make there own, this also results in a lower energy bill since no one is being forced to pay for heated water in advance of when its needed. BTW even if you argue about 11.20.190 one thing doesnt change , city ,county, state, the 3 can all differ BUT state law normally is what to go by unless a local ord is more restrictive or offers definition where state doesnt.