Question about demanding refunds on rent...

Say you live high-up in a high rise 16 story apartment building in the middle of a modern city.  It has emergency stairwells, but relies on a double elevator central transport for majority of "traffic"  

It's been out at least 1 hour during peak "traffic" 5 of the last 30 days.  (between 5pm and 11pm on workdays)

How much of your rent would you demand refunded?  10% ?  5 days?    what?

What if I were in a wheelchair (many residents here are....)  and needed to get to my 16th floor apt?
am I supposed to sleep in my chair in the lobby ?

LOL, no such similar option here.  I wouldnt complain for a refund if there were.  Obviously I'm a reasonably fit 30 year old (sigh*) and can get up to my 9th floor residence.  Nonethless, it's an inconvenience (what if i went on a major grocery run and came home to it?)  and there are many handicpped residents here.  We pay a premium to live here, and certainly part of the rent is the expectation of elevator service.
It's not currently being (consistently) delivered.
   No idea what is a fair requestable amount. 

First question would be has it been reported?  To whom and in what manner?  You may have some recourse to a resolution with the city gubmint.  Safety/health issues and *feces*.

Assuming it's been reported to management, there should be a firm timeline to repair.  If not, I'm pretty sure you can hold your rent in an escrow account until it is fixed.

I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, but I think that's legit as long as you notify the owner of your intent.

'Zackly. Plus Eleventy Billion!

Speaking as a practicing slumlord, if you can keep a secret just between the two of us, it is within your rights to cancel your lease prematurely if the landlord is not keeping the property up to reasonable expectations.  Notify said and move out.  Certified mail, triple copies, etc and so forth. The landlord will not credit you for unused rent or credit you for his underperformance....unless his operation is such that his image is important to him, in which case he'll be drummed out promptly from the Slumlord Brotherhood, because guys like that make the rest of us look really bad.  He is also unlikely to spend any money trying to shake you down for canceling the lease. 

Kiss your deposit goodbye, too. LOL!!!!

But at least you'll be out of the (his) slum

ps, tenant = FAIL

Funny you should bring this up.  I had a (50+ yo) tenant call me the other night complaining about how, now that he has a *goshdarn* real job for the first time in his life, it is disrupting his sleep patterns, which is worsened by the furnace kicking on in the middle of the night.   He asked if I would insulate the property.

I told him it was insulated.  He persisted.  I told him no amount of insulation would  stop the furnace from kicking in at night.  He persisted. I told him I had no interest at this time in spending any money insulating the property further.  He presisted.  I reminded him I didn't throw him out on the street when he fell two months behind in his rent, not too long ago, before getting this new job that is now ruining his once comfortable life.

He STFU. 

In this business, it is all about finding that trigger that gets these people to STFU.