live tenant reaction 
The leech says it is too much for the electricial system to handle but I know its really because he doesn’t want to pay for the electricity upkeep.
anyway how do I fight this social parasite? there’s no law about maximum heat or mandatory ACs where I live since it isn’t “supposed” to be this hot here, so I don’t have a law to say he’s breaking. There’s nothing in the lease about AC though, just that the landleech is responsible for electricity and heat. He provides no AC and we can’t install stuff on the side so everyone bought portables.
Do I write to the mayor and beg for help? Write to the local press? Get a doctors note somehow saying a have a disability and need it? Try to organize the whole building (I’m sure you all will recommend this but what should I actually ask of people)?
I’d rather not have to fucking move again because of shitty landlords. There has been weeks straight of extreme heat warnings in this place (USA) and it is a legitimate health and safety risk imo, also fucking annoying.
There’s nothing in the lease about AC though, just that the landleech is responsible for electricity and heat.
Then tell him to fuck right off. Unless there’s some clause buried in the lease that gives him this authority, you’re solidly in the “make me” territory. He can cry about his electric bill all he wants. He can offer an edited lease next year.
This is also an excellent opportunity to talk to your neighbors and prepare for anything illegal the landlord might try. Ask them to double check the lease. Everyone’s already hot and bothered.
Everyone’s already hot and bothered.
I’m very serious about this approach, fwiw. Do nothing. Don’t respond. Leave the AC on. Tell your neighbors to do the same.
This is currently my plan, though I think there is a legitimate serious problem with the electricity here he’s blaming on our luxurious ACs because most of my neighbors weren’t even home today and the power keeps going out
That sounds like a him problem. Like one of the few times a landlord has a job to do and he can’t be bothered to do it.
The leech says it is too much for the electricial system to handle
You get that in a text or email by chance? If an extra 12 amp draw from each tenant is too much for the electrical system then theres definitely some electrical code violation going on and its a potential fire hazard.
While the AC itself may not be a specifically protected right for tenants, working electrical very much is. Even if its just bullshit, him saying that is potentially enough to warrant an inspection on the electrical, which could lead him down some very costly “bringing up to code” expenses.
I did and the electrical has been going out multiple times a day and one of us plebs has to go and reset it ourselves. The building is old af, I would not be surprised if there is an electrical problem. I just emailed the local fire inspector.
I just emailed the local fire inspector.
put the popcorn away, they said it is a private matter and there is nothing they can do
Horrible awful news. Good luck with this I believe in you
Make sure everyone on the building is on the same page of not giving ground to this shitty excuse for a landlord.
See if you can get the request for no AC in writing. It is common for requests that landlords make of their tenants to be in paper format; in my experience it’s just been smoke complaints, noise complaints, and renovation notices.
If you have a lease he probably cannot evict you just for having an AC (unless the lease says something about that). It’s possible he could just not renew your lease though. Doing anything else is going to depend heavily on your local/state laws. Most places don’t have robust tenant rights laws but some do and some also have anti-retaliation laws that are pretty broad.
Organizing the building would be cool and it might actually be your only way to fight back but it also might be really hard and might not work. Regardless you should get a thorough understanding of your rights as a renter based on your local/state laws. Look for local tenants organizations or law firms that help tenants for resources.
The lease does not say anything about AC and he also made me resign like 6 months in advance so it runs until next July lmao. So I guess I can make him regret that by just ignoring him the rest of this summer. People say that the eviction courts around here are biased towards tenants but idk how much of that is just landlord whining. I found a local tenant org to reach out to though so I’ll start with that.
“Make me”molon labe but it’s air conditioning
If you pay rent properly, and dont otherwise violate any terms of your lease, the guy cant evict you. If the lease says nothing about A/C then he has no basis to do anything about it. The lease doesnt have to explicitly mention having an A/C for you to have A/C. Only in a hypothetical world where the lease explicitly says you cannot have A/C would he be able to tell you not to have one or go after you
Form a tenant union.
Depending on the state, maybe not legal
there’s no law specifically for AC here, there are last century laws about mandatory heating but global warming and neoliberalism did it’s number on the local climate and polticial system and as a consequence my landlord now has the Freedom™ to try to kill me and my pet (also banned) from heat exhaustion.
There’s laws everywhere about maintaining habitable conditions, the same laws requiring them to provide heat in the winter should provide the same protections for AC, at least to the degree that they cannot force you to remove AC if it’s acively hot enough to be considered uninhabitable. I don’t think any such law sets a specific temperature threshold.
Don’t landlords have to give written notice of a visit/inspection where you live? run your AC till they inspect then take it down and hide a few hours before(the time required depends on what type of AC unit you have obviously) they come is the expedient option
Unless you can dope him with LSD and make sure he has a epiphany where he decides to gift you the building
But that seems hard
Offer him a meal with a one way trip to forever-snorkmimimi land?
I know several poisons with the rich meaty taste that landlords love!
Go to the landleech’s home and smash up their AC, see how they feel about it
That seems wild to me that anyone would agree to a blanket “I’ll pay for electricity” clause. I suppose they’re probably gouging the fuck out of rent in exchange but recent years’ increases in electricity price is now fucking them. That was a very stupid decision on their part. Most landlords correctly make that “your problem.”
If they weren’t wise enough to put in a maximum per month or per years amount that they’ll pay for electricity then it becomes the tenants’ problem… I don’t see a way out for them. Not any legal ones. They may try to just do something anyway because, you know, not “good” people and all that.
I guess the options are pretty much get everyone else with your similar situation under them to say “fuck off.” See how far the landlord is willing to push it. If you’re in a mood for compromising (just throwing it out there) or negotiating maybe they’ll agree to amending the lease so that they pay for electricity up to X amount then you pay the amount over. They could provide the bill as proof next month and ask for that amount more. They should have come to the tenants with this proposal to begin with… perhaps with hat in hand and a “Hey, I fucked up with the lease situation. I didn’t add a cap to what I’d pay… can you guys please not fuck my dumb ass?” But of course it’s very landlord mindset to immediately jump to “Welp, you’re all gonna have to die! Sorry!”
Landlord too lazy to install separate meters?
Where I’m at in rural chudland Canada, the energy mix is almost entirely hydro and wind and there’s a single natural gas plant that runs at less than 10% of capacity and is mostly a “just-in-case” thing.
Buildings built before about 2005 are wired, heated, and/or plumbed in a way that’s impossible to separate by apartment so landlords either just divide it up evenly between apartments or just cover the cost. Mine has boiler radiant heating and water costs built into rent, but I pay about $50 for power in the summer to run A/C and we have an electric car and e-bike. It’s like maybe $20 in the winter.
It may be the case that OP’s building is similar and they can’t actually discern who’s using what amount of power.
I think because this building is old as hell they can’t meter everyone individually or don’t want to. Both the water and the electric have had some degree of malfuncting most of my time living here
Probably OP is the only tenant not running a bitcoin miner.
“my pet termites get antsy in the heat”
I hope you guys kill them. It’s not even murder because murder is only for people
Just leave it on. Expect rent increases, electricity bill split evenly between all units, or clauses prohibiting AC in the next renewal. It’s going to be a “pay more or move” situation and now you know it and can prepare accordingly.
I know, it sucks. But thats the hand we’re dealt.
