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AC Needs Repair - Landlord Forum thread 332692

AC Needs Repair by Peter Taylor (California) on March 26, 2015 @21:11

                              
Hello for 13 months I am renting my house in the LA area to a young couple. I received a phone call from the husband around 7pm yesterday saying that the AC is blowing warm air and that his wife is expecting their first child. This morning I called my insurance company and in less than 2 hour they told me that they are setting up an claim to send someone to the house. They told me that usually takes 2 days for to be process unless is an emergency and the temperature reaches 90˚ then I mentioned that the wife in the house was bedridden and expecting her first child. Then I was told that they will work fast on that. I mentioned all of this to the husband. Then around 5;30pm the wife calls me screaming and saying that if they dont have someone by tomorrow morning they will call their own person and take the bill off the monthly rent. I am a bit irritated by her since I am doing all I can to please them and take care of this issue. Any good advices? PeterJ
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Re: AC Needs Repair by Bill on March 26, 2015 @21:24 [ Reply ]
That's the problem with "insurance company" which is presumed to be a warranty repair company. They are not set up to respond or react in a quick way. You would be better off if you had call an Air Condition Company, they would have been there the same day or the next. So now you have a situation where the AC may not be fix due to parts and your "insurance company" will take even longer to get them and respond. Mean while your tenants are going to complain to everyone because you failed to repair the AC. Home Warranty Services will get a landlord into more hot water than they are worth!
Re: AC Needs Repair by Lighthope on March 26, 2015 @23:08 [ Reply ]
The situation is not an emergency. Unless the weather is above a certain temperature (check your State law), this is not a habitability issue.

If you do as you said you were going to and contact your own repair person and send the warranty company a bill, you may be on the hook for the bill. Check your warranty to be sure you can do that otherwise you may void the claim.

You took the report from the tenants, and you will have a service man out there as soon as you can. You've done your duty. If they are impatient, that is their problem.

You had better let the tenants know they can not call their own repair person and then deduct it from the rent.

Don't lose control of this situation.

Lighthope

Pearls of Wisdom - If you don't go into the kitchen, you won't get burned, but you will go hungry.
Re: AC Needs Repair by Anonymous (CA) on March 27, 2015 @00:13 [ Reply ]
With all due respect, what the heck is wrong with you? You just call an air conditioning company to fix it.
Air conditioning is not required in CA by CCRider (CA) on March 27, 2015 @00:41 [ Reply ]
The habitability laws in CA do not include air conditioning. if A/C was part of your agreement, all you have to do is make a reasonable effort to get it fixed, which you did.

They are not allowed under CA law to repair and deduct in this case.

So, I'd tell them the above, and if they can't wait to go buy their own A/C unit, but if they deduct the cost from the rent, you can evict them for nonpayment of rent.

But in a nice way :-)

You could also print this out and give it to them:

http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/legal_guides/lt-8.shtml

http://dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/repairs.shtml

In LA it doesn't get that hot. by Anonymous on March 27, 2015 @10:05 [ Reply ]
It is only March...and it cools down at nighttime.

Not an emergency.
Re: AC Needs Repair by Peter Taylor (California) on March 27, 2015 @12:24 [ Reply ]
To all those who offered wise and not so wise advices:) thank you very much. An hour ago I spoke with my home insurance co and they said that yesterday they called several companies but that they were busy. And if in 2 hours I don't hear from them to go ahead and call any local company so they can fix the problem and to make sure that I save the bill and send it to my home insurance Co for reimbursement. I wish all a great day! Peter

Re: AC Needs Repair by CA/OR on March 27, 2015 @20:36 [ Reply ]
I'm coming in at the tail end of the issue but would like to echo some of the statements made in the thread.

Hot in CA at this time of the year? Yes. But is a 2-3 break in A/C service constitute an emergency? No. As others mentioned, it's inconvenient, you were responsive in trying to remedy the problem immediately, and that remedy will take a few days. They need to know you care & are on it, but now they need to wait it out. In the mean time, I'd offer to buy them a few fans (fans that your warranty company may reimburse or partially cover).

I believe someone who purchases a home warranty insurance is NOT trying to take the cheap way out. Sometimes it's a good economic option in an older house with older appliances...parts/material and labor for HVAC is expensive, water heaters are expensive, etc. Like any insurance, sometimes you pay your $450-$600 and never have a need for it during the year - other times, it pays triple in savings. The hard part is finding a good company. A company will work hard to get your issue taken care of as soon as possible or will allow for work arounds and then reimburse. And even with a good insurance company, sometimes living in a large metro area makes it difficult for immediate service by a vendor. For example, one non-emergency issue in the LA area house may take two days for a vendor to address, while the same issue in central Oregon would have a vendor to the house same day as the call. I would provide the name of company I use but don't want to go against any protocols. I've saved a lot in the last 9 months with HVAC issues, new fridge, and general plumbing.

And the purpose of the insurance is not just cost savings,
it's also a ready source for maintenance issues (as in what vendor to call). I have a steady, trusted handyman, but if maintenace issues fall within warranty, my tenant can call the company on thier own and work it from there, but we've agreed that in immergent matters (immergent that the warranty company can not address fast enough) then we will seek the fastest qualified vendor on our own (and in two cases, the insurance company reimbursed fully).

Last point/recommendation - do not let the tenant dictate to you how maintenance will be addressed or paid (i.e. they will have maintenance done & then deduct from rent). If you're good with that arrangement (& I hope it's in your lease), fine -- but don't let them rail-road you.

Apologies for the ramble

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