Who maintains the shared gravity well in a duplex?
I'm in unit B of a duplex and the gravity well in the shared wall has been fluctuating for about a month. Nothing dangerous, just... stuff near that wall weighs a little more than it should and then a little less. My coffee mug cracked from being heavy and then my cat floated about six inches off the floor last Thursday for maybe 20 seconds. Landlord says it's "ambient settling" and is normal for the age of the building. Is that real? Or is he just not wanting to pay for a calibration?
"Ambient settling" is a real thing in buildings built before 2018 when the codes changed, but what you're describing is past tolerance. A cat achieving lift is generally past tolerance. Your landlord is legally required to maintain shared gravitational infrastructure under the Residential Stability Act. Put it in writing (email, not text) and use the phrase "habitability concern." That tends to get a faster response.
Update: emailed the landlord with "habitability concern" in the subject line. He had someone out within 48 hours. Apparently the well was 15% out of calibration, which the technician described as "not great but I've seen worse" and then refused to elaborate on what worse looked like.
"Not great but I've seen worse" is actually a standardized assessment. It's on the technician's checklist. The categories are: "Within tolerance," "Not great but I've seen worse," "Concerning," and "Evacuate while I make a phone call." You got the second-best rating, which in gravity well maintenance is basically a passing grade. The fact that he didn't elaborate on worse means he's following protocol. They're instructed not to describe active gravitational failure scenarios to non-professionals. It causes panic. Understandably.
Everything seems stable now. Cat has not achieved lift since the recalibration. She does keep going back to the spot near the wall and sitting there expectantly, which suggests she either enjoyed the experience or is plotting. With cats it's hard to tell.