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Old 04-13-2008, 11:12 AM
 
Location: FL
1,942 posts, read 8,471,368 times
Reputation: 2326

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I live in FL, and in the statues I see about heat in winter...but nothing about AC.

Our AC has not worked since late FRI night (didn't call-it was very late). I had an appointment early Sat morning so I called and spoke to landlord at 1:37PM.

Supposodly, one of the landlords will be over today, which is good.

Just curious, because I can't find it, when do they have to come over (if they HAVE to)?

I do have two children, and my house is and has been in the 80's degree range (alternating between 81-85) since Friday.

Thanks so much!
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Old 04-13-2008, 11:56 AM
 
Location: Gary, WV & Springfield, ME
5,826 posts, read 9,576,514 times
Reputation: 17323
Much depends on the wording of the rental agreement. The first 20 years that I lived in FL (up to 1996), I had no air conditioning in my rented house. My landlord said I was welcome to buy my own window unit if I so chose, but he was not required to provide air conditioning. Most landlords are required to provide heat, but air conditioning is often considered a luxury rather than a requirement. Be ready for it. That's especially true if you are renting a house.
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Old 04-13-2008, 01:03 PM
 
28,107 posts, read 63,391,831 times
Reputation: 23222
Adequate Heat is required by code under Habitability... People can Freeze to Death

I am not aware of any code requirements for A/C that apply to typical residential rentals.

However, if you rented the Home with A/C then you have every right to expect it to work properly...

A 7 day time frame for repair is considered reasonable in my part of the country... that would be 7 days from the time you notified the owner.

If the owner fails to make the repair in a reasonable amount of time... I believe you would have cause for a rent reduction based on reduced service or grounds to break the lease for breach of contract.
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Old 04-13-2008, 05:15 PM
 
Location: Way up high
22,181 posts, read 29,152,023 times
Reputation: 31224
7 days from written notice to landlord. If nothing is done within that time frame, you can reduce rent or terminate lease.
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Old 04-13-2008, 09:09 PM
 
Location: Meeami
534 posts, read 2,399,975 times
Reputation: 280
I simply cant imagine living in FLA with no ac. Mine was broken a day and my house got up to 95 degrees. I literally was camping in my back yard, even pondering sleeping out there but ended up crashing at someone elses house. Ive had a few hurricane induced no ac nights but we got lucky and they were duing a cool front.
I have no clue what a landlords obligation is. 7 days is very reasonable. Id think it should be fixed as soon as possible, just like theyd fix their own houses ac. If they havent fixed it in 7 days, or come up with a really good reason (+ timeframe for delivery of new unit at that point), id work out a reduced rent or plan to move.
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Old 04-13-2008, 09:18 PM
 
Location: Rural Central Texas
3,672 posts, read 10,566,374 times
Reputation: 5577
I had a similar situation a few years ago. In my case a pressure switch went out on the compressor and coolant quit flowing. It also happened on a weekend and did not get fixed until midweek. Repairman could not show up until late Monday and parts did not arrive until Wedneday morning. I live in Texas and this was high summer, so our indoor temps were well over 95 degrees. We just stayed at the mall most of the day and used fans at night. It was miserable.

I was advised by the repairman that in my case (specific to my problem, MAYBE applicable to you if you have the SAME problem) I could put a water sprinkler in the compressor cage to keep the compressor cool enough to operate without burning up. That would provide some level of cooling until it could be fixed properly. (wish he had told me this Saturday instead of Monday night.)

Not a long term fix by any means, and very water intensive, but good for an emergency patch if it is only a coolant issue and the compressor pump is operable.
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Old 04-13-2008, 09:34 PM
 
28,107 posts, read 63,391,831 times
Reputation: 23222
Running a water mister can make a huge difference in operating efficiency... I have a roof top mister system at the Hospital for the Operating Room A/C system...

It is only for emergency use or when the outdoor temp is above 90 which doesn't happen often in San Francisco...

The downside is the continued use will often shorten the condenser coil lifespan by accelerating corrosion on the aluminum condenser fins.
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Old 04-13-2008, 09:37 PM
 
28,107 posts, read 63,391,831 times
Reputation: 23222
Default Just a thought...

I keep several extra portable heaters just in case one of my furnaces should breakdown.

I imagine that if I had rental property in Florida that I would stock a couple of inexpensive window units to provide some relief for my residents in the event of A/C failure.
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Old 04-15-2008, 01:54 AM
 
Location: Toronto
215 posts, read 1,658,008 times
Reputation: 142
I dont know the law, but I dont see why it would be covered. Summers in Toronto might not be killer, but we have heat waves. I dont have AC or windows that open, and it's been above 80F in my room for days on end.
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Old 04-18-2008, 09:48 PM
 
Location: Omaha, NE (the O-N-E)
226 posts, read 1,005,083 times
Reputation: 80
When I lived in Omaha, NE my A/C went out in August. It was like 105 with heat index and like 95% humidity. I couldn't even lay on my bed butt naked without sweating the sheets out. We ended up staying with my mother in law until it was fixed... I think like 2 -3 days.
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