GREENSBORO, N.C. — “I called the maintenance people several times. I didn't cuss, I was nice but nobody is taking me serious. It's too hot, just trying to do the best I can.”
Fans offer little comfort when there's no A/C. Vivian is one of many people who've called us about their A/C not working. The end game of course is getting the landlord to fix it.
With it being so hot, you might think lack of a working A/C unit is considered an emergency that needs to be fixed immediately. But it’s not. Lack of water or electricity or a pest infestation is an emergency.
But that doesn't mean your landlord is off the hook. 2WTK talked to Alan Hunt with the City of Greensboro about this very same issue a few summers ago. We checked with him again to make sure nothing had changed. “The law doesn't require dwellings to be air-conditioned but if it's included, then there's a responsibility on the landlord to maintain the equipment.”
The good news here is your landlord has to maintain anything that comes with the house: from the A/C to the fridge. You can demand they fix it.
The bad news is they have a reasonable time. And that is not clearly defined by the law. A reasonable time can be affected by ---
complexity of repair
availability of parts or workman
So, you could be looking at a week or more. This is key: how did you tell your landlord it needs to be fixed? The law expects communication to be written. Texts, emails, and the gold standard, a mailed letter.
A call isn't good enough, you must put it in writing.
Don’t Miss This: You CAN’T withhold your rent until the item is fixed. When you don't pay rent, you are in breach of contract and the law sides with the landlord.