Are Air Conditioners Required By Law In Rentals?

Are Air Conditioners Required By Law In Rentals?

Summer is here, and many of us have been dealing with the heat for almost a month now. For many, this kind of heat means hiding out indoors with the air conditioning running. However, for some people, this isn’t always an option. For instance, people living in rentals may not have access to an air conditioner.

Here in the state of California, landlords have to provide their tenants with a habitable living environment. This means that a landlord has to provide functioning electrical, plumbing, and gas systems, as well as heating. Unfortunately, this does not include providing any sort of air conditioning since the state views this as an amenity.

While it is not required by law for a landlord to provide an AC unit for a house, many will do so regardless in areas that deal with high heat. This is done because it makes the property more desirable. While the AC unit itself isn’t required by law, if it was provided and operable when the tenant moved in the landlord is responsible for keeping it running. However, this only rings true so long as the unit broke through no fault of the tenant. If the tenant broke it, then he or she has to pay for the repairs.

If your rental came with a functioning air conditioner that has stopped working, contact your landlord about getting it fixed. A simple phone call, followed by a written statement saying that the unit is broken an in need of repairs should be enough. After receiving both of these, the land lord has anywhere from two weeks to a month to fix the unit.

Dealing with the summer heat, especially at home, is not fun. If you can’t escape the heat at home, try going out. California has several options for keeping cool. You could go to a beach or water park. If neither of those are really your thing, you can go see a movie or go to the mall. Locations like that typically provide AC during the hottest of days.

 

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