No Air Conditioning at Home

Hi All,

I’m seeking advice. I’m a renter in FFX county and lost AC in my unit Sunday evening. I rent from a private landlord and have been cooperating with them to have it fixed.

A technician came out today to evaluate our unit and concluded a part needs replacing. They said they could order the part for urgent fulfillment and provide a portable unit in the meantime, but need my LL to authorize.

It appears my LL is shopping for quotes given the price and told me they’d call tomorrow with a timeline of when a portable unit will be provided. It’s going to be 97 tomorrow. I’ve been able to semi-tolerate the last 2 days, but 97 is very hot.

I feel this is an emergency that needs to be rectified immediately, but not seeing that urgency from my LL. What options do I have here? I can go to work where there is AC, but not at night. And my dog does not have that luxury nor am I comfortable leaving him at home in such heat.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

in novaby woodboxapril

80%

zyarva

Reston

Unfortunately all you have is rent refund on the days without AC.

A window AC costs $150 at home depot, https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-5-000-BTU-115V-Window-Air-Conditioner-Cools-150-Sq-Ft-in-White-AHTC05AA/315262616

If nothing is resolved, just go and grab one and tell your LL he's paying for it.

Professor_Nincompoop

Have you spoken with your landlord about this? There are a few companies in the area that rent portable units out. Maybe your landlord will agree to deduct the expenses from your rent.

woodboxapril

Yes, I’ve spoken with them. They say they’re working on it, but no timeline yet.

Professor_Nincompoop

I got one of these when my AC was out a couple weeks ago. It worked pretty well for the bedroom.

https://www.cloudofgoods.com/washington-dc/tools_&_equipment-rentals/portable-air-conditioner-411

Winter_Fall_7066

Can vouch for this. I don’t rent but my unit was struggling last year so I flipped it off and used one of these. Cooled about 700 sq foot pretty well (living room and kitchen only).

woodboxapril

Thanks. Looking into this.

novacheesemf

Do you have a kennel/dog daycare or a friend you trust where your dog can stay during the day until your unit arrives? It’s what I had to do this weekend when my ac cut out before I was able to get a hold of my old window unit I had lent out to someone else. It’s worth the money to know he’s safe (okay, and the place I go to has cameras in the daycare so I could obsessively check in during the day).

Wishing you and your pup the best of luck. Can only hope that it happening now is saving us from it cutting out during an even worse heatwave in the next few months.

woodboxapril

Never taken him to one, but good idea. Also seeing if some friends can take him during the day.

MFK-CoffeeSoccerWine

Affectionate Pet Care is a great place if you need a rec. we use them all the time

NewPresWhoDis

Just FYI, most daycares will want to do a half day behavior evaluation.

EmploymentDense3469

Renting a condo or house? If you have multiple floors, definitely sleep on the lowest floor. Can you buy a fan or 2 to hold you over? Had to do that last summer. That 1 or 2 nights without AC in 90+ weather is no joke. Good luck!

woodboxapril

Only one level unfortunately. I have fans which have helped a little, but they don’t change the temp.

EmploymentDense3469

Hotel for the night an option?

FeministInPink

Put a big bowl of ice (with a little bit of cold water) right in front of the fan. It will help to cool the air in the room.

If you don't mind your neighbors thinking you're a little crazy, you can cover your windows with foil (shiny side facing outside) to reflect the sunlight and keep it from warming up the house.

Ice packs for the back of your neck will help you cool your entire body. (Get some for your dog, too.)

PeanutterButter101

Problem with the bag of ice trick is you have to rotate bags of ice since it'll eventually melt, OP should just keep that in mind.

P0PSTART

Are you telling a grown adult to keep in mind that ice melts… thank you so much

PeanutterButter101

You'd be surprised

ghostella

I'm a landlord. If this happened to me I'd put my tenant up in a hotel or provide a portable AC.

Sifu-thai

Arlington

Yeah but they are lots of shitty landlords out there. Our furnace went out during the snow storm of 2010 and our LL was on vacation in Colorado, we could not plug small space heaters cause the entire power would go out every time we plugged it… We stayed 10 days like that and we had young kids back then, we were turning the gas stove, oven on and letting hot water run in bathroom to warm up the place.. SFH in Burke, it was FREEZING in there for 10 days cause my landlord didn’t send anyone until he came back from Colorado

rsvihla

Your LL really BLEEEEEEEEEEEW!!! Call him up and tell him I said that. We were in the middle of a transatlantic cruise when our tenant’s AC went out and I had an HVAC company over the next day to fix it.

Sifu-thai

Arlington

Yep end of lease we moved out

[deleted]

Though your story is interesting and I’m glad you had a chance to share it with us. This person is looking for a solution.

Sifu-thai

Arlington

Cool mate

RingWonderful8734

Thank you lord, for blessing us with good landlords 🙏

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_s

Well you’re nice. My landlord would tell me it’s my fault and I’m paying for the repairs

eldoooderi0no

-1

Bullllllllshit.

auntifahlala

You're absolutely right this is an emergency! The dog can't bear that. It happened to us at our rental and we just went and got a window unit because we have good rent and an elderly slightly confused landlord, it was worth it to us to make sure our dog was ok while we waited. Someone else's suggestion of renting one is much better idea of course.

kannball77

I would get a dog friendly hotel to at least deal with the next 2-3 days and take it from there

georgiaaapeaaach

Our AC was out Friday - Monday, LL couldn’t get anyone here. He did go out and purchase us a portable AC because we told him we could not stay here otherwise. I have a 2 year old golden retriever it was breaking my heart. So sorry!

ChickenTreats

City of Fairfax

Home depot has a great return policy….

350$ can get you a window unit that will cool one room. I suggest one with a tube rather than one that sits in the window due to ease of install and removal.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Heating-Venting-Cooling-Air-Conditioners-Portable-Air-Conditioners/Medium/N-5yc1vZc4m4Z1z1v1vg

I’m not sure why anyone is mentioning renting one… kind of crazy to me. Very likely for the cost of a rental one can just be bought.

woodboxapril

Thanks. Checking into this.

ChickenTreats

City of Fairfax

They open til 10PM. Can get one today and be set for tomorrow

stiffneck84

This isn’t gonna be the answer you like, but your landlord is already meeting their requirements under the law. The VRLTA requires them to take action on the issue in a reasonable amount of time. Technically they’ve already done this.

pandgea

I've been renting the same place for 10 years from a private landlord. I really don't understand why you don't just go get a window unit so you're not miserable. Even if it's not covered by the landlord, 150-300$ to not be miserable in this heat seems worth it to me.

luckymom3

Not sure which county you are in, but in Fairfax county this is a code violation, and your landlord might not be aware of this.

Moderator removed comment

luckymom3

It is under property maintenance on Fairfaxcounty.gov from may 15-Oct 1, interior temperatures must be maintained no higher than 77degrees and cooling systems must be maintained in safe working condition

hjhof1

I mean yes but if something breaks they also have a reasonable amount of time to fix it….no one fixed an AC unit magically

captthulkman

My landlord put me in a hotel back in the day. If that’s not doable I have a rolling ac unit you can borrow. It’s not massive. It it’ll help with one room.

Dusty_Fartsack

Bunch of idiots here telling you to get a hotel or put ice infront of a fan.

The answer is to get a portable unit or a window unit and get your landlord to reimburse you for the expense. They are in stock at Lowe’s or Home Depot you can have this problem solved in an hour.

BSU2006

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/119/2017/05/LandlordTenant-1.pdf

optimiism

First paragraph outlines that OP is likely not covered under VRLTA as he’s renting from a private landlord, not a multi-family/corporate LL.

BSU2006

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cableconsumer/csd/tenant-resource-sheet

mrs_dalloway

OP my aircon went out and I am waiting for a part delivery for my HVAC. We are keeping cool while we wait with this window unit from Costco. The thing is amazing. It’s like a mini split in window unit form factor. (Costs less in the store, btw) Hope you get it straightened out soon!

minisplit window unit

lilBolivianPOTAT

Hey I just replaced a small window ac unit if you want I can DM you a pic and we can arrange a pick up. She’s not much but renting out here is a scam ans you shouldnt be draining out more money than you can

OnionTruck

Virginia

Get a used window unit off of FB Marketplace. I got 2 for $60 total.

Qlanger

Did they say what part?

Cap, some boards, etc... can be ordered next day and some places may stock.

Dachannien

Prince William County

Yep, the startup capacitor is like $20, fails pretty commonly, is easy to replace if you have a little bit of electrical experience, and is a huge cash cow for HVAC guys. Not everyone will be able to replace it as a DIY, but lots of people don't when they probably could.

redtert

Does it require soldering? Or do they just plug into a socket?

Dachannien

Prince William County

Usually has spade connectors? There are tabs on the bottom of the capacitor, and the connectors are at the ends of the wires connected to the board in the outdoor unit. They slip over the tabs.

woodboxapril

Condenser

Kattorean

For reference, the condenser is the big unit on the outside of the residence. Yes, it's expensive to replace. It CAN be done next- day. We had our entire HVAC system replaced the next day, in your situation. The entire system was crap-old.

I appreciate why your LL wants to shop around for the best pricing, but your LL also has a responsibility to you & your well being in this heat.

LL needs to accept that it can't go his way this time. He'll need to give up a little to fulfill his LL obligation.

Qlanger

They say how its bad?

But yea the LL can get a 2nd opinion pretty quick and still have it fixed in the next week worse case.
More than a week thats on them.

SkirtNo5748

Buy a window unit at Home Depot for your room and return it within the 30 days once your ac is fixed

yukibunny

-2

I'm going to tell you something right now an emergency on your part does not equal an emergency according to the county. In Fairfax there are only two things that are emergencies no water and no heat. Air conditioning doesn't follow this rule. Your landlord has between 1 and 10 days to address the issue. He did that he has every right to ask a second opinion.

ArmsReach

-2

Holy hell!! Do you think you'll survive?

iSnooze

If you have an active buy nothing group where you live, hop on and ask for a portable or window AC unit to borrow. We did that last time our AC died so we could keep our kitties cool until the HVAC guys could come out. Saved us from having to go out and buy a window unit.