Everyone knows your landlord has to fix the basic stuff in your apartment like the heat, plumbing and pest infestations. But what about the invisible gas that may be killing you? While NYC has required its landlords to provide carbon monoxide detectors to all tenants since 2004, recent changes to the law make it clear that they are responsible for replacing old detectors as well. Because carbon monoxide detectors do not work indefinitely, they need to be changed at the end of their “useful life” which is usually about seven years.
This is a real problem to watch out for: More than 20,000 Americans go to the emergency room every year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning and more than 400 of them die, so check the date on your detectors and have your landlord replace ones past their date. But be ready, the law also allows the landlord to charge you $25 to put the new one in.