A/C and habitability laws in Georgia

A/C and habitability laws in Georgia by Anonymous on July 17, 2012 @15:30

OK, we have a new one from our first (and maybe last)tenants.

We are in Georgia, where the temps have been in the 90-100 degree range for awhile. We rented them our 2 story house (3 including basement)

Tenant is complaining that the upstairs air conditioning isn't working well. They are leaving it off all day to save money letting the temp climb to 80-90 degrees indoors, coming home at 5, setting it at 65 and expecting it to miraculously cool off instantly.

We are spending $79 to send a tech out to check it since we are not physically over there, but I strongly suspect that the problem is not the unit but the tenant's expectations.

That was our personal home for 13 years. I always had to keep the air at a reasonable temp (mid-70's) throughout the day in order for it to be able to cool down at night. It can't be left a 90 degrees all day and expected to suddenly jump to 65 degrees in two hours.

Assuming the tech confirms my suspicions that the unit itself is fine, can I get in trouble for telling the tenants that they simply have to keep the air on all day if they want it to stay cool? Sorry they don't like it, but this has always been a fact of life since I've been living in Georgia. Georgia landlords please weigh in. Thank you,

Kim

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Re: A/C and habitability laws in Georgia by Jake on July 17, 2012 @16:07	[ Reply ]

You are on solid ground. You might even want to ask the AC tec guy to tell them the same.

Re: A/C and habitability laws in Georgia by MrDan (Georgia) on July 17, 2012 @16:28	[ Reply ]

You can have a programmable thermostat installed that allows the tenant to set the AC so it comes on several hours before they arrive home. An AC unit is not designed to provide instant cooling through out the space, but to maintain a constant temperture. If the AC is set high or off during the day, it will take hours to get to a comfortable temperture. Most will drop a conditioned space around 1 degree or more per hour in our Georgia humidity and high tempertures. A programmable thermostat is more energy efficent in operating the AC unit also. Your local Power Company has information on the proper temperture settings that you can give to the tenant.

Re: A/C and habitability laws in Georgia by OK-LL on July 17, 2012 @17:19	[ Reply ]

Here's an excerpt from an article (credit Columbus Dispatch and reprinted by AEP) which I sent around to my tenants and as a result, I've had fewer calls this year -- and we're consistently in the 100s right now. Go easy on your air conditioner Source: Columbus Dispatch - '20-degree rule' means you should keep your thermostat set on a number that is about 20 degrees less than the temperature outside. - Accumulated dust and pet hair in the filter can seriously reduce the unit’s efficiency. - Expert recommends closing the drapes or blinds on the sunny side of the house and turning off heat-producing lights. With the power back on for most people in central Ohio, a new concern has emerged: How do I keep the air conditioning working with back-to-back days of possible triple-digit temperatures on the way? Experts say there’s a simple rule for efficiently operating the air-conditioning system in your home during extremely hot weather, but you’ll need to sacrifice some comfort. It’s called the “20-degree rule,” which means you should keep your thermostat set on a number that is about 20 degrees less than the temperature outside. “When it’s 100 outside, your house is only going to get down to and stay at 80, maybe 78,” said Clint Schreck, general manager of Columbus/Worthington Air. Setting the thermostat at 72, or even 75, on 100-degree days, he said, will only add to your electric bill and the wear and tear on your air conditioner. As a result, cooling units are breaking down all over central Ohio, crews are working overtime and it’s taking longer than usual to get repairmen to homes. “Most of what we’re seeing is breakdowns from older units,” said Mark Swepston, owner of the company. “They haven’t shut off for almost a week straight, except for maybe a few hours, early in the morning, maybe at 3 a.m.” The widespread power outages after Friday’s storm added to the service backlog. “We had people on our schedule (for service) and then their electric went out,” Swepston said. “ They’re on our priority list and we’re getting to them as soon as their power goes back on.” Experts say there are several things homeowners can do to reduce the strain on their cooling units and help them operate more efficiently. No. 1: change the filter. “This is the biggest problem we see, by far,” Schreck said. All the accumulated dust and pet hair in the filter can seriously reduce the unit’s efficiency. No. 2: Cleaning the unit located outside the house is also something many homeowners neglect to do. “It’s as simple as hosing it off,” said Phil Favret of Favret Heating and Cooling. “The worst thing is all the milkweed and cottonwoods. They’ll stick to the outside and block the air flow." No. 3: He also recommends closing the drapes or blinds on the sunny side of the house and turning off heat-producing lights. “In a room with six or 10 old incandescent lights, that can really generate some heat,” Favret said. Programmable thermostats are usually an energy saver, but they’re not good when the temperature hits triple digits. These systems automatically increase the temperature setting four or five degrees during the day, when nobody is home. It then lowers the setting to the original, colder temperature an hour or so before residents arrive home from work. “The problem is, when it’s this hot out, it takes about an hour to drop the temperature one degree,” Schreck said. Instead, he said, turn off the programmable feature off and set the thermostat at a constant temperature a few degrees higher than the normal optimal setting.

Re: A/C and habitability laws in Georgia by Eloise on July 17, 2012 @19:49	[ Reply ]

Take also in consideration that leaving the AC at such high temps, can also cause other damages to your home, the temps need to be at a reasonable rate. Didn't you have a flood not too long ago? Think about moisture and mold. Not all tenants are like this, you just got a really bad set of first tenants, I had some pretty bad ones too, it gets better with screening better next time and using the lpa lease {the best thing I ever did}.

Re: A/C and habitability laws in Georgia

Re: A/C and habitability laws in Georgia by Anonymous on July 17, 2012 @22:22	[ Reply ]

Not a Georgia landlord but before I spend the money for the tech I would tell them to leave it on all day for one day and report on the results(that is if you can actually trust them to do this, and are on good terms. If it works tell them to buy a programmable thermostat so they can have the ac kick on 2 or 3 hours before they come home from work.