excessive heat in new apartment building-no A/C (August: lease, hotel)

[deenee]

I have recently moved into a 1 BR apartment, which is HOT, and extremely HOT, especially in the bedroom. The unit is on the west of the building, and it is in the direct sun. The maintenance people, and the manager have been in the apartmen, and all agree the apartment is unbearably hot. I have sent a letter to the management company(a nice Letter)at the beginning of July, and have received no response, or acknowledgement. Today, I mailed another letter. Rent for August is due by the 5th of the month. What is my recourse? I had open heart valve surgery last August, and this extreme heat is not good for my or anyone's health. The temp in my apartment reaches 90 degree +.

[UseJeff]

The user DontH8ME posted this link: California Tenant Law - Free legal advice for California renters in this thread: //www.city-data.com/forum/los-a...sit-place.html

It's stated for CA that a landlord guarantees that health and safety codes are being met. However, I don't know if AC not working would be considered that. Although, excessive heat could be deemed a health hazard, so it may fall into that.

I would check out the website the other user posted (and be sure and bump his rep if it's usefull).

You may want to consider getting your own AC if you can afford it. They sell window units, and AC units that can be placed in your home without the use of a window at Home Depot or Lowes. A less effective, but much cheaper solution would be a swamp cooler, which basically is just a fan evaporating water to cool the air.

Hopefully the landlord will fix the problem for you. A couple things you could try would be... if you have your own seperate AC unit, be sure and check the filter for the intake (it should be located in your ceiling). Another thing you can do would be to close off any vents in the bathroom or kitchen, this will force more air into your bedroom.

Sorry for your situation... I get cranky if my house gets over 80 degrees...I can't imagine how uncomforatble 90+ consistently would be.

(Oh, the very cheapest solution would be a fan and a water spray bottle. Just mist yourself, and the evaporation will cool you a lot. Granted it's tedious...but at least it's something)

[PureHapa]

Unfortunately the California Civil Code does not specify air conditioning as a habitability issue. Heat is, but not AC apparently.

You could get a note from your doctor in order to try to get out of your lease - then find a place with AC. If you are month to month, then by all means move.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Your best bet is a portable AC unit that stands on the floor and exhausts the hot air through a flexible tube held up to a partially open window.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by UseJeff

Another thing you can do would be to close off any vents in the bathroom or kitchen, this will force more air into your bedroom.

I don't think this person has A/C. But if he does, it is not a good idea to close off too many A/C supply vents as the coil can freeze.

[SandyCo]

I can relate to your situation. My apartment, which is on the top floor, only has one window unit. Even if I keep the door between the living room and the hall closed, temperatures still reach 90 degrees by the front door (across the room from the air conditioner). I have two fans that direct the a/c air across the dining area and living room to my bed (yes, I sleep in my living room). And I purposely chose my apartment because the windows face north and south - no direct sunlight, except for on the roof which is unavoidable.

Our building is older and has little to no insulation; the walls heat up on the inside from the merciless sunshine outside. I know this because a friend of mine in the same building does have an apartment that faces east/west, and his apartment probably gets the most sun. He finally bought a window air conditioner for his bedroom, and that helped a lot. Good luck!

[Sorcerer68]

Cheap window a/c can be had for under 100 bucks and are easy to install.

A/C for habitability is only in places like Vegas and Phoenix.

[JackSparrow]

Originally Posted by Sorcerer68

Cheap window a/c can be had for under 100 bucks and are easy to install.

A/C for habitability is only in places like Vegas and Phoenix.

+1


I doubt you're going to get any sort of relief from those channels. I'd bite the bullet and invest in some fans, or a mini-AC unit. FWIW, I only have one outside opening from my place. It's a sliding glass door. Being that my place is on the top floor, it gets baked in the sun all day. If I leave the sliding glass door open, it helps things some. BUT! If I leave my front door cracked, it creates a cross-breeze powerful enough to cool the whole place- no AC needed. I only run the AC when my GF complains, which is not very often. I run it a few times a year...

good luck!

[Ultrarunner]

As others have said, AC is NOT a habitability issue in California... only heat has a minimum standard.

If you rented the apartment with AC... then the owner MUST repair it. If you rented the apartment with no AC... then you are out of luck.

A note from your Doctor is nice... but doesn't have any bearing as I see it.

I would either buy one of those inexpensive units or tender my notice to move. Most places only have a few really hot weeks each year and I doubt AC was even available when the Habitability Standards were issued

Good Luck and don't sweat the small stuff

[Ksully63]

Hi,
My roomate and me live in a apt. and he forgot to pay the electic bill. Yesterday, the power went off and its going to take $300 .00 to turn it on. It reached 89 in the apt. We wont have power for a week. Our food will go bad. Can we charge the complex the hotel bill if se stayed at a motel?
Kevin