Wow, crazy situation you have there. I can’t figure out why if the heat didn’t work because the radiatiors needed to be bled, they didn’t just bleed them? It takes about 30 seconds. Same for why the owner didn’t just go buy a radiator handle for like 3 bucks?
As to whether the situation is legal, most likely it is not, but it will depend on the laws in your state/locality. Even when you have a lease where you are specifically responsible for providing your own heat, the owner usually must provide the means for the heat, and you just have to pay the bills. Not providing usable heating generally falls under the category of “unlivable conditions”, which means, in most states, you do not have to pay rent until that situation is rectified by the owner.
I’d go see a lawyer that specializes in tenant law, because you can probably not only get the situation remedied, but you might have compensation coming your way, the way this sounds.
I will talk to a lawyer. I’m sick of dealing with this.
They did bleed the radiators after they realized that was keeping the new boiler from working, but the under-the-table guys were from three hours away. (You couldn’t make this stuff up.) And every time there was a tiny problem like bleeding a radiator, they’d have to drive three hours here and three hours back. So that caused a time delay in repairs, which caused the dumb girl downstairs to start complaining about it being too hot, which led to them shutting the whole thing off.
The owner himself didn’t go buy the radiator handle himself because he also lives several hours away. They have yet another person acting as the landlord. That person is a clueless drunk who drives around with full wine glasses in the cupholder. (Again, I couldn’t even make this stuff up.) I’m not sure, but I believe the owner inherited the property from his mother, who lived locally and cared about the actual building as well as the tenant. I believe the elderly owner died soon after the new boiler was installed.
It’s a mess.