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View Full Version : Can I break a lease if they won't fix my A.C in July?


felicia2ds
Jul 28, 2008, 05:38 PM
Hello
I live in Wilmington NC, and just started to lease an apartment the end of May this year for one year... I have made several complaints about the A.C. not working properly but they brush me off, now it has fully stopped and it is so hot outside and hotter inside. I cannot cook here cause it is unbearable. It is 90 degrees in this apartment and they won't fix it, they say they can't get a part, its been a week. One closet was full of water because of the faulty A.C. unit... I have been reasonable up until now it is inhumainly hot in here and I am afraid we will get sick.
I can't open my windows because I have no screens and they know this and it wouldn't be safe to open them.
Help do I have grounds to term my lease without problems... what do I do, I need fast help

rockinmommy
Jul 28, 2008, 07:20 PM
Well, first you must consult your lease and your state's landlord/tenant laws. (There's a "sticky" at the top of this forum with a link for each state.)

Typically, you'd need to request the repair in writing and have proof that you did so. Multiple times usually. You can refer in your written request to the previous verbal requests you've made, but for the requests to officially be requests they need to be in writing. (Even if they've taken your verbal requests and not requested written.)

Normally you can eventually get out of your lease for major repairs that aren't done in a "reasonable" (lots of room for interpretation there - ultimately a judge gets to define it) time. But if you move and break the lease too soon then you typically lose all standing you'd have had if you followed the proper procedure.

Let us know what your lease says.