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Upscale apartment leaves tenant without AC for several days

Your rights when a landlord does not make repairs
Posted at 6:53 PM, Jul 11, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-11 18:53:56-04

A South Tampa woman made a call for action after workers removed the AC unit in her apartment.

Renter Ana Ventura sent us a picture of the closet where the air handler used to be.

Ventura says the unit had not worked regularly for a week and the maintenance crew told her they would return Saturday.

For $2,200 a month this tenant says she expects more from the maintenance and management at the Vintage Loft at West End in South Tampa.

We started with the property manager's office still no one seemed in a hurry to fix Ventura’s AC. Then we called their corporate headquarters.

The temp hovered around 80 degrees inside the couple's apartment for four days then Ana came home to cold air blowing out of her vents. And we were happy to help. 

Landlords are not bound by law to fix a broke air conditioner only the heating system. Renters can download a copy of the landlord tenant law handbook at www.800helpfla.com.

 It's a guide to options when dealing with a property owner who drags their heels fixing serious issues that might not be covered by code enforcement.