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dictabird · Jun 27, 2008, 09:14 PM

I live in Florida in a 4 bed 3 1/2 bath house and have been without air conditioning or a working stove for 1 full month and my land lady is taking her time fixing them. I and my three room mates have already told her about these problems weeks ago. At first she sent a friend of hers out to fix the ac, and all he did was take the condenser apart and leave the parts strewn all over the lawn making impossible for any other ac company to diagnose the problem. And no one has been out to look at the stove. Do I have the right to with hold rent until these problems are resolved? And if not do I have the right to call a professional to come and fix these things and then take the cost of the bill off my rent?

charlotte234s · Jun 27, 2008, 11:00 PM

FIRST Tell her that you will be having them repaired yourself because the timely manner she is doing it in is unacceptable and it needs to be done ASAP, and that you will deduct the costs from the rent, yes, and that is legal, at least in my state, and it may just get her butt moving, or you'll just pay and have it done and take it off the rent.

excon · Jun 28, 2008, 07:05 AM

Hello d:

There is an universally accepted "warrantee of habitability" that your landlord gave you. It means that your house will be habitable. Seems to me, that in Florida, in June, a house WITHOUT AC is NOT habitable.

The stove issue doesn't make the house unlivable.

I don't know if you can withhold rent. In my state if you did that, EVEN if the landlord is WAYYYYYYY wrong, you'll be evicted for not paying... I didn't look, but Florida is NOT tenant friendly. I doubt very seriously whether Florida law allows you withhold rent...

However, YOU can read the law for yourself. We have a copy right here at the top of the real estate page...

I would take a different approach, however. I'd write here a certified letter. In it, mention the warrantee of habitability. Tell her that she must repair the AC within the next 36 hours or you and your roommates will move to an airconditioned hotel, and if the landlord doesn't pay the hotel bill, you will sue.

excon