Korean Job Discussion Forums

[proudman]

So I recently moved into a little one room on the border of Sinsa dong and Jamwon dong. It's a nice, clean place. However I have an issue that the landlord is either unable or unwilling to take care of. Long story short, the hot water in my shower will not stay hot or warm for an extended period of time. I basically have two options: scalding HOT or ice COLD. There is no happy medium in this shower. I must put the water on hot, move the knob to the middle, wait for about 30 seconds for the water to cool to a tolerable temperature. At this point, I have about 30-45 seconds of warm water. After those 30-45 seconds are up, the water turns ice cold. I must repeat this process until I finish cleaning my body. The owner tried to tell me that there is no problem, and that the other three units on my floor experience the same phenomenon. He knocked on the door of one of the other units to try to confirm this. Little did he know that the guy who answered spoke English pretty well. The neighbor then proceeded to tell me that the guy is "bullshitting me". My neighbor confirmed with me that he has no problems with his shower/boiler changing temperature on him. I had him explain this to the owner at least three different times. The owner tried to give other b.s. excuses as to why it is normal, and tried to say that my neighbor's shower does in fact change temperature too. We came back to my place, and he could sense my frustration. To back pedal a bit, the unit that we went into(neighbor's unit)should very well be my home. One week before signing the lease to my one room, I came out to look at my neighbor's unit. The building owner's wife had the key but didn't have the numeric code to open the deadbolt. She told me that it is bigger, has better lighting, and is only 30,000 won more per month. I set up an appointment to come back four or five days later. 30 minutes before I arrived, two guys saw the unit and ended up signing a lease. I was and still am extremely pissed about that because I lost out on a much better unit due to my owner's stupidity. So adding the frustration of finally seeing the unit that should rightfully have beein mine on top of my hot water issue, the owner could sense my anger and frustration level escalating. I think he started to get a little scared and nervous, and said that "maybe" he would have A/S come out to take a look at it. Well, A/S came out yesterday, and just as I had suspected would happen, they said that there is no problem. The owner does speak a little bit of English, so one of my coworkers has been communicating with him for me. I told me coworker this morning that if he cannot guarantee me that I can move into room 403(has the same layout as the one I missed out on)when the current tenant might or might not possibly move in September, or rectify my hot water issues immediately, then I want my deposit money back and will go find housing elsewhere.

What are my legal rights as a tenant here in Korea? What I am asking for shouldn't even be an issue. If this guy was and is able to have people accept subpar conditions, then more power to him. But this shit won't fly with me! I'm wondering if any of you have been in a similar situation with a landlord. The guy has been very reasonable up until this point. I'm sure it boils down to the fact that he does not want to replace the boiler because he's a cheap SOB, and would rather spend that money on the monthly vacations he and his wife take out of the country.

Please offer up suggestions before there's one more dead Ajoshi in Korea! Thank you!

[Ramen]

too late. you signed the lease and stuck with it.

sorry.

[eamo]

I suspect you have no legal rights. If you signed for the apt then it's taken that you have accepted the apt as it is.......including dodgy shower.

BTW, plumbing is pretty low standard in Korea in general.......the Koreans involved might actually think nothing is really wrong here.

Best bet is to negotiate a 50/50 deal for fixing/replacing the boiler.

[Weigookin74]

You pretty much have no legal rights except to move when your lease is up. Still you can be an insuffereable pain in the @#$. I'd call him daily, then twice daily, then three times, etc. If he doesn't answer, call from other phones, pay phone, teacher's phone, your phone at 3 am? If you speak English to him, he'll still know it's you. To shut you up, he might finally fix it or let you out of your contract. Guess that's what I'd do. But maybe I just have an aversion to BS.

[Captain Corea]

Proudman, how much money did ya put down?

Do you pay monthly? Can ya walk away from it?

[Died By Bear]

[ontheway]

You might need a new boiler. It also could be that you have flow restriction valves on the water line(s) into or out of your boiler - no way to know without looking. If you do, you could find a plumber to remove them for you. Sometimes these have been put in as energy saving devices and you don't need a new boiler, just get the stupid things removed.

[proudman]

Captain, I put down 5 million as a deposit. Apparently the *beep* is willing to give it back if I pay a real estate fee for him to put it back on the market. Apparently the boiler is somewhere between 11-12 years old. This is more than likely the reason for my problems, but the cheap bastard is unwilling to do his part.

I've had two different coworkers talk either directly with the tight wad or the real estate person. But it appears that the SOB is holding strong with his stance.

I'm really at a loss for what I can or should do. I don't want to pay this *beep*'s real estate fee. I didn't realize I had this issue before ordering furniture. Now I will definitley have to hire movers and potentially pay two real estate fees(one for leaving and one for a new place).

Please give me your thoughts!!!

On a side note, any idea what the least expensive or lower end movers would charge to move a queen size bed, sofa, closet/cabinet, clothes and other miscellany from Sinsa to Itaewon? Just trying to get a ball park to prepare myself for the ensuing damage that is certain to come.

THANK YOU!!!

[Died By Bear]

How much is the real estate fee? Is it worth hot showers in the morning? Wait till it gets nasty cold and you're freezing, it'll damn sure be worth it then!


Sometimes it's best to cut our losses and get on with our lives. (And our showers) ha

[akcrono]

Korean law must be drastically different from laws in the west. You would have serious legal footing to force your landlord to get that replaced, as hot water is a basic utility. I'll try to remember to ask my girlfriend about this.

Don't let up. Talk to more people; see if you can find someone who knows who you need to talk to. I really can't imagine you being the responsible party here (unless the apartment was advertised as having inadequate hot water).

Please don't let this guy beat you and take your money. Stand up for yourself.

[proudman]

yea, i'm well aware of what my rights would be back home. i was in the real estate business for seven years before the market took a major hit. unfortunately the answer i am getting from a lot coworkers is that the mindset and attitude is different from us westerners and koreans. they say that they are willing or at least more likely to be willing to accept subpar conditions. i think i'm gonna keep at it for a few more days, but will more than likely have to cut my losses with this d-bag!

[Captain Corea]