If my landlord won’t turn on the A/C and my apartment has been 100+ degrees for a week now, can I make them turn it on?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If my landlord won’t turn on the A/C and my apartment has been 100+ degrees for a week now, can I make them turn it on?
My landlord says it’s a city regulation that they can’t turn the A/C on until the 15th of June; I can’t find any such regulation. It has been over 100 degrees in the apartment with windows open for a week; they refuse to turn the AC on because they control the use of the AC and heater for the whole building. What can I do?
Asked on April 17, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Massachusetts
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
How horrible. Is there a local number for you to cal about the issue? You need to check and see if in fact this falls under the warranty of habitability (and I would think that it does). Your State Sanitary Code protects the health, safety and well-being of tenants and the general public (105 CMR 410). The local Boards of Health enforce the Code. (Note: In Boston, it is the Housing Inspection Department). Get their number and complain. Also, in Massachusetts it is my nderstanding that the law allows you to withhold rent when there is a breach (unlike other states). I would double check with a tenant's rights group. Good luck.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.