Moved into new Apartment, AC hasn't worked for 5 days

[Mr_Geek]

I said it was relatively cheap to fill coolant because the last time I did it, it was around $100. To me this is a small price out of pocket to have AC. I'd gladly pay this to have AC today as opposed to in a few weeks.

[Ariadne22]

AZ MGr - I didn't know the cost of R22 had risen so much. Last time I had my old unit charged was in 2014, cost $150 for 2.5 lbs of R22. That unit finally died two weeks ago - multiple power surges during a storm fried the compressor. Fwiw, that old unit was a Mueller Climatrol which was in the house when I move here in 1976 - probably over 50 years old, at least. Cooled like a champ.

So, now I have a new Bryant which I expect won't last probably even 15 years. Uses less power, though, so I guess that's good.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by nafeasonto

.........windows they are rectangular and long with a unmovable screen. ........

You just got through telling us that the screens were all missing.

[chiluvr1228]

Originally Posted by Melodica

Your tenant rights will depend on the state in which you reside. All states have different rules, so you might provide your location to get more helpful responses. Also, bumping your thread is against the TOS, so you might avoid doing that again.

As it is, I don't know of any states where AC is an 'emergency' like heat, though if it's mentioned as being provided in the lease they have to fix it within a reasonable time period. About all you can do is to continue communicating with them.

Though it's an expense out of your pocket, you could buy a small window AC unit to help in the meantime. You can generally find one for less than $150.

I believe in places like Florida or Arizona not having a/c IS considered an emergency.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by chiluvr1228

I believe in places like Florida or Arizona not having a/c IS considered an emergency.

Even here, "emergency" is a relative term. A landlord still gets a week to fix the a/c after being notified in writing by the tenant that it's broken - during that week, the tenant isn't allowed to make repairs, move, or discount their rent. And if the interior temp is under 85, it's still "habitable", so no deduct & repair is allowed.

Just because it's the "law" doesn't mean the tenant really has any advantage or leverage.

Getting "emergency" repairs done when the temps exceed 100 often takes several days, cause the a/c guys are all working dawn-to-dusk & repair parts often go out of stock. Since we have a couple rentals, I ended up buying a portable a/c so at least I could offer that if/when the a/c units here die - even though the law really doesn't require it. Surprisingly, the equipment rental places here don't rent portable a/c's. The depot will rent you a swamp-cooler, but it's so big it probably wouldn't fit through a standard doorway.

[Ultrarunner]

Any updates?

A room size A/C is very inexpensive at places like Home Depot and Target... at least here.

Does sound like the unit still has punch list items to be addressed.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease... maybe the general or owner have been slow paying?

We took over a brand new building where the contractor and owner were locked into a bitter dispute... there were 14 package units and a large built up unit... some were not even wired.

I did hire a company to come in after sending a certified letter to all parties... cost about 5k to get everything up and running... took a year to get reimbursed but it was well worth not having to deal with upset staff and the public... excuses get old fast.

Anything you can do to expedite... camp out at the manager's office, contact the property owner direct... put up a sign saying A/C needs repair.

Did the unit ever work?

Sometimes it can be as simple as a fuse or resetting a breaker.