Re: Tenant asked for his inconvenience Cost without AC

Re: Tenant asked for his inconvenience Cost without AC by Andrea (GA) on July 7, 2015 @13:14

You asked for your obligations under the law and Mr. Dan has provided the answers you were seeking. However, you say you are a first-time LL, and I just can't help suggesting that sometimes common sense is a more helpful guide, particularly if you intend to continue being a LL well into the future.

Your post indicates that you are in Florida, so I will make the big leap that your rental is also there. This occurred in late June, when there were very high temps in the Southeast. You acknowledge that your AC unit is 15 years old, which means it is probably coming to the end of its useful life anyway (in other words, it's unlikely that the T "broke" it). You say that when you entered the unit at 9:30 PM, well after the heat of the day, it was still 85 degrees inside.

You may have no legal obligation to pay for his hotel (depending on habitability laws in your state), but what is the right thing to do as a LL? Unless you yourself would be willing to spend your time in a unit that may well over 95 degrees during the day (and I know very few people who would be willing to), then I think you should pay for the hotel, so long a he is presenting you with a legitimate receipt. If you had made these arrangements at the time with him, you would have retained some control over the situation.

IMO, there are several things you did poorly here. Why did you go to "fix" the unit at 9:30 PM, only to find that you couldn't? Find an HVAC professional you can trust, and send him when there is a call about the AC (this won't be the last). It is always better to meet him, but if you can't, you can't. At least you would have gotten the process rolling.

Your T should not have spoken to you the way he did, though I get his frustration. You say he calls for minor issues (in your opinion), so you may not want to renew him. But if you intend to continue being a LL, remember that the law provides only the barest minimum requirement. It does not tell you what common sense should. If you expect Ts to be uncomfortable in your unit, you won't have them very long (especially good ones).

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