peppermintpatty
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1345
Posts: 4,209 
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Post by peppermintpatty on Jul 18, 2019 14:12:26 GMT
I pay for an apartment for my dd at college. The rental agreement is for a year round lease that renews in August of each year. Normally, my dd has come home for the summer and the unit just sits empty. This summer, my dd got a paid internship through the school so naturally, she has stayed there all summer. She is done next Friday and will come home for a couple weeks until her senior year starts up again.
In April, they were notified that the A/C unit died, or more specifically, the compressor died. The units are all created for each building they cool so they are all custom. They gave all the residents who would be staying portable units that stand in the apartments and are attached to the windows to blow out the hot air. They have done a decent job until a few weeks ago. My DD cannot get the unit to cool below 80 and she talked to the rental office, this is an "everyone" problem. It's just too hot outside.
I got on the management companies ass about the fact that the system breaks in the summer and they didn't seem to be doing much to fix it since most of the tenants are students and go home for the summer. They assured me that it is costing them about $26,000/month to rent the portable units (this is an 8 story building) so it is in their best interest to get the a/c fixed. They said it is a custom build...whatever and said that it should be done by the end of June.
Well, it was installed around that time, guess what? The whole unit is trashed so they have to get another unit. They have assured the tenants it will be in by August 13 which just so happens to be the day before the move in date for new tenants. This sounds a bit fishy to me to be honest and my dd is upset because it will be over 100 this weekend! I told her I would pay for her to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights but she is going to see if there is a friend she can stay with. She could come home but we are driving out there next Friday to help her clean her old room and move her stuff into the new room (same apartment). It's a 3 hour drive (she has a car).
I know the answer is probably "no" but shouldn't a tenant have some sort of recourse if something like this keeps getting dragged out and I am spending money to have my dd stay somewhere else because they can't get their shit together and fix this?
A big part of my gripe is when they first installed a unit, it dumped water all over my dd's stuff that was on the floor, including her rug. It was a defective unit. We had to call them back to replace the unit and then again to inform them that they needed to clean everything up and we made an issue about the fact that area rug was soaked (that I bought). They tried to dry it and we are keeping an eye on it for mold. They said they would replace it if necessary.
The other issue is the part attached to the window isn't attached very well. There is a gap to the outside so hot air is coming into the apartment. She has called and bitched about this and they keep coming back but never really fix the issue.
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Jul 18, 2019 14:16:45 GMT
Here if a landlord can’t/won’t/delays/refuses to make necessary repairs, we can go to court and the rent money is held in an escrow account until the repairs are properly made.
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freebird
Drama Llama
'cause I'm free as a bird now
Posts: 6,927
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Post by freebird on Jul 18, 2019 14:54:09 GMT
Actually, there probably is recourse for you. If it's a college town, they probably have a landlord board, rental laws they must abide by. If she can't live in her apartment she's paying for, then she can get some of her $$ back on rent. Or, she fixes it herself and then deducts it from the rent.
Any chance she can put in a cheap window unit? 8-13 is a long way off.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jul 18, 2019 15:26:49 GMT
You need to look at the specific habitability laws in the state and county the apartment is in - they will vary DRAMATICALLY between jurisdictions regarding what is covered and what the remedy is. Make sure you know EXACTLY what the laws are in your case - in some states you can withhold rent money, in others that will result in your daughter being EVICTED. Take everyone's comment with a giant grain of salt as the laws vary so much between different states and even WITHIN the same states if county or city laws supersede state laws. She will need to document that her apartment is uninhabitable - which I'll be honest in many, many areas of the country a/c would NOT qualify - it's seen as an amenity not a necessity.
I'm sorry you guys have been dealing with this. I will say we waited MONTHS for our a/c units last year - I have no clue what the heck the problem was with the manufacturer, but it was a giant pita.Hopefully she gets relief soon!
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 18, 2019 15:30:13 GMT
Check the laws, but I don't think ac is covered here under things a building must have working in order to withhold rent.
She can tape some cardboard over the gap in the window to keep the hot air out.
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Post by Lexica on Jul 18, 2019 15:41:01 GMT
I would have her put some aluminum foil over a piece of cardboard cut to the size and shape of the hole where the hot air is getting in. Have her use some of that removable painter’s tape to hold it in place in the window so that she isn’t creating a sticky mess as would happen with other types of tape. (Ask me how I know that). If the foil covered cardboard isn’t adequate enough, try padding it with some styrofoam cut to shape before putting the foil on it.
I hope you are successful in getting some of the rent money returned to you.
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CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
Posts: 4,063
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Post by CeeScraps on Jul 18, 2019 17:12:46 GMT
This made no sense to me and my dd had a different issue. I called the city that she was in. I asked if they could give me some type of recommendation to fix the problem. They sent me to the building/fire inspector.
I was like, ok....I’ll talk to him.
I explained everything. The landlord was against their code. The landlord received a phone call, and a certified letter, which I got a copy of. I was floored. I didn’t mean to cause an issue. I just needed a handyman.
Anyhow, the problem was resolved. Because of the heat call the city. See what they say. It can’t hurt.
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Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
Posts: 4,950
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Post by Rhondito on Jul 18, 2019 17:33:10 GMT
I'm confused - is it one air handler for the entire building or individual units that are being replaced for each apartment?
ETA - It sounds like it's a custom air handler for the entire building and if so, the lead times on those can be outrageous at times. As in 12-16 or more weeks. If they had one arrive onsite that wasn't working and had to get a replacement it's going to take time to get it there. The mgt office telling you it's supposed to be there/fixed the day before students are scheduled to return doesn't sound off - they're probably working with the contractor and supplier to try to get the unit as quickly as they can and have told them this date is the absolute latest for it to be installed and working.
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 18, 2019 21:25:34 GMT
She should ask for a reduction in her rent until the problem is fixed.
I would also file a complaint with the city housing agency.
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,493
Location: Colorado
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Post by snyder on Jul 18, 2019 21:34:18 GMT
I think the decent thing to do would be the rental/management company reimburse something for the days the A/C was not adequate, but they are making an effort by providing a window unit, which can't quite keep up with the cooling due to the heat. I would look at the lease and see if it states whether they will or are required to furnish adequate A/C. As others have stated, I do not believe it is a law requirement.
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