AC is blowing cold air, but barely. It’s not enough to keep my apartment cool plus something (god knows what) is heating my apartment up. Landlord refused to do anything. What are my options?
It’s currently 91 degrees in here.
Comments
Wentz_It_Gonna_Be t1_j9s8rww wrote
Nothing to add except that sucks to hear. I lived there over 10 years ago when they were Beaufont Oaks, and they were awesome then. Maintenance was always on top of things (even coming out late Christmas Eve to address some flooding) so it sucks the management company now is ass
Quardener OP t1_j9t7doe wrote
It got bought out in late 21 and it’s sucked ever since. They fired Dale on the spot.
Niandraxlades t1_j9wdetk wrote
Pegasus bought my complex in January 2020 and ruined it too. Used to be nice and quiet. Now it's full of trash and the breezeway/patios havent been power washed nor have the dryer vents been cleaned since they took over. The grounds are always full of litter and they don't spray for pests anymore even though I pay for pest control. Commercial vehicles now just camp out in our parking lots too. Oh but they did build a huge gym next to the office that nobody uses 👍 Pegasus is the worst.
RulerOfTheRest t1_j9rqrgb wrote
Now, I don't know anything about the building you are in, but if its a larger one there is the possibility that your place is on hydronic heating and cooling (water based). If it is, in the cold months, the system will be hooked up to a boiler and can only provide heat. In the warmer months, it will be hooked up to a chiller and can only provide cool air. If it is that type of system, that "cold air" is really just the fan circulating air in the room. The problem is, you can't just simply switch these types of system from hot to cold in an instant, which is why they'll only do the change once a year. I've been in a bunch of places with these types of systems over the years, and while they are efficient, they suck when there's the unexpected hot days in winter, and really cold days at the end of the summer. I imagine there was some grumblings by the VCU students and staff today about this, since several of their buildings use this type of climate control.
If it is this type of system, your choice is to use a fan to blow the colder air in, or invest in a portable AC unit...
Quardener OP t1_j9rraj8 wrote
Appreciate your advice and knowledge. It is not that type of heating system.
RulerOfTheRest t1_j9rv0nm wrote
Word. I've run into a lot of people over the years that didn't realize this type of thing existed, and if they had something with a fan blowing air through ductwork it automatically meant they had a standard HVAC system.
The only things I can suggest you do is to make sure your air filter is good, and if you can look at the indoor coil of your AC system to make sure it isn't clogged with crap (it being an apartment, it wouldn't' surprise me if it was) as well as the coils on the outdoor unit. If the filter is replaced regularly, the indoor coil should be fine, but if it isn't, pictures of the dirty coil will give maintenance an idea of what they need to do, and give you more evidence that something needs to be done. One thing I have noticed is the coils on the condenser unit outside tends to be neglected by everyone, from homeowners to businessowners, but they should be cleaned periodically (once a year) as pollen, dust, tree and other plant debris, etc. can coat and clog up the fins, making the units rather inefficient. I hit mine up every year after the tree pollen is done with simple green, let it soak for 15 minutes, and then hit it with a hose from the inside out, but if you have access to the outdoor unit and "accidently" spray it with simple green and let the rain wash it off, it might help some if it's really dirty. Just don't tell maintenance that you've done anything like that as they'll blame you for something, since management companies just seem to be like that...
I wish you luck in this fight for proper climate control...
Quardener OP t1_j9rzpmt wrote
Where would I find the indoor coil? Unfortunately I don’t have access to the outdoor unit.
RulerOfTheRest t1_j9s4ojp wrote
Since you put the name of the place in another post, I was able to look up the plans and photos of the layouts, and it would be in the HVAC closet, the problem is based on what I'm seeing, you probably won't be able to get a view of it since it's inside of the unit without removing a bunch of screws. When you open the HVAC closet (or look at the unit if it's in the shared space of your washer and dryer) there would be a PVC pipe that comes out of the unit that is routed toward a drain. That pipe is for condensation created by the AC coil, and underneath that metal is where you would see the coil. The pictures online don't show the units. The filter will be either at the main return vent in the apartment if it has one, or in the HVAC closet, you may have to turn the two latches at the bottom where the blower motor is to access it.
PM-me-ur-kittenz t1_j9u5zgz wrote
> I was able to look up the plans and photos of the layouts
Amazing. This is what I come here for!
raindeerpie t1_j9s0fj1 wrote
haha. reminds me of my college dorm room. spring and fall were battles to figure out the right combo of fan power and window open position
choicebutts t1_j9rqfuw wrote
You may not be able to compel your landlord to do anything quickly and the weather may turn before he does anything, anyway, so in the meantime:
Close your blinds (and curtains if you have them) if you're not home during the day so the place won't be hot when you get home. Keep the blinds closed on any sun-facing window if you're home, and open the shadiest window for some breeze.
If you have big enough windows for a box fan, get two and put one blowing outward in a sunny window, and another blowing inward from a shady window, preferably in another room. Reverse the fan direction when the sun shifts. You always want the intake from the shady side, and the output on the sunny side.
It really does help. I lived without a/c for years.
MadameKravitz t1_j9rnuk5 wrote
Fan in the window, blowing inwards.
skeevy-stevie t1_j9roloi wrote
And one out another, get some circulation.
YourRoaring20s t1_j9vdwg5 wrote
Open the windows?
John316bro t1_j9w5lrx wrote
Over 90 degrees is a health hazard. Call the city code department and report this.
ThatThar t1_j9whnjy wrote
AC is not legally required in Virginia, so it's going to come down to what your lease says. If your lease mentions that air conditioning will be provided, they have to provide it and are in violation of the lease by refusing to fix it. In that case, you can send your landlord a letter via certified mail that if the air conditioning is not fixed within a reasonable time period, you will file a Tenant's Rights and Assertions form with the court and have rent held in escrow.
If your lease doesn't mention AC, you're out of luck.
Source: had to deal with this when Dodson turned off my AC for 4 weeks in the middle of the summer by unhooking it from the breaker.
[deleted] t1_j9rnrfn wrote
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ZephyrInfernum t1_j9rom0o wrote
That law you linked is for licensed assisted living facilities, not rentals.
whowasonCRACK2 t1_j9roydi wrote
Oof thanks
dreww4546 t1_j9roi41 wrote
Iandlords are petty and hold grudges. If you plan on renewing your lease and staying there, wait it out. But if you plan on moving, point out the law and understand they will most likely be slow to respond to maintenance requests until the lease runs out and then will jack up the rent.
definitleynotmikey t1_j9rsit7 wrote
Could get a window unit from Walmart then return it once he fixes the AC
carbonlandrover t1_j9t1mjd wrote
Virginia maintenance code. Call codes and compliance, and talk to an inspector.
ArcadianBlueRogue t1_j9sncrv wrote
Like, about the landlord or some tips for cooling your apartment?
I can't begin to know the former, but I saw somewhere a physics teacher talking about how to cool a room without relying on AC when it's not super hot out like now.
Open the windows and point a fan towards the outside, but back a bit from the window itself. Creates some kind of tunnel effect I don't remember the name of. Helps cool things down a good bit and it seems to work for me.
Dankeddies t1_j9tfa2v wrote
Portable AC
[deleted] t1_j9tfk4e wrote
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SlowInvestor t1_j9u8xez wrote
Have you told them you will Google smear them yet? Bad reviews on Google/Google Maps and other rental sites can have a big impact on their bottom line.
Before that, I’d ask for details on the HVAC system and get to the why. Seems like waiting until it gets hot will also result in slower service as the HVAC techs will be busy as soon as the temps change.
Quardener OP t1_j9ua2z2 wrote
I left a bad review yeah. Plenty of other people recently complaining about the same thing. They responded asking me to email them, I did, no response.
Their claim is that working on the Ac system in cold weather will damage it so they have to wait for April. Cold weather. What a joke.
willusish t1_j9vg8h2 wrote
First, even if it was cold, that's not true. Second, assuming that you have a heat pump, as indicated by your other comments, the same unit controls both heating and cooling.
They just straight up don't want to fix it, especially since HVAC contractors are probably jumping for jobs given the unseasonably mild weather.
willusish t1_j9vhfa6 wrote
Also, I took a look at the satellite view of the buildings there and your exterior unit should be ground level around the side of the building. Possible that they would be labeled with the unit number, but you can have someone turn the unit on or off from inside to narrow it down. Any signs of ice or heavy dirt build up is a big no no.
RufusDelgado t1_j9upyh3 wrote
Window units.
barrylodge75 t1_ja09tqi wrote
Go to the courthouse and put your rent in escrow. Keep paying rent. If it was furnished when you moved in, they have to continue to furnish it.
RVAisMyHome t1_j9rtayd wrote
You could ask your landlord to end your lease early with no penalty provided you find a replacement tenant. You could explain you are not happy overall and would like to leave the situation on good terms and this solution would be fair to both of you.
At the end of the day the landlord really wants it rented and a new tenant would sign a longer lease than what you are currently signed up for.
ssred18 t1_j9teae1 wrote
The landlord is to maintain fit premises per the Virginia Residential and Landlord Tenant Act and property maintenance codes. If AC is provided, Landlord is to maintain it in good and safe working order.
If your building is in Richmond, call 646-6398 and file a complaint with the Property Maintenance/Code Enforcement Div.
WakeNikis t1_j9tmgdc wrote
Sometimes I wonder if there is such thing as a decent landlord
PerformanceObvious19 t1_j9ugi8m wrote
I'd like to think I'm a decent landlord. I have only raised my rent to one tenant in the past 13 years, and only because my mortgage became higher than what I was charging. I think my mortgage on that house is currently about $30 more than I'm charging that family.
I work with all of my tenants on timeliness of their payments. They are pretty regularly behind, but as long as they communicate with me, it's not a big deal. I've never charged a late payment fee. I've only had one tenant become so far behind in payment that I've asked him to leave. Even then, he was totally cool about it and there was no actual eviction, so it didn't count against him in any way credit-wise.
Most recently, one of my tenants lives in a house with oil heat. That family has hit a rough patch and had some health issues, so I have bought about 450 gallons of oil for the house in the past few months at no charge to them.
KDRadio1 t1_j9vb2gh wrote
And you got at least one down vote for being an amazing person. Got to love r/rva, the place where no one can win.
PerformanceObvious19 t1_j9vcoew wrote
Ha, yeah, it's been like this for a while around here. Someone really gets their jollies by downvoting everyone.
KDRadio1 t1_j9vjnc3 wrote
Just moved here from a different state, first thing I noticed was how spicy people can be around here. Lol.
KiloLee t1_j9rpwiz wrote
Start withholding rent.
I'm dealing with stupid shit through renter's warehouse and their contractors. I can't seem to get any repairs done within reasonable time. Had an HVAC guy appt for Monday, still haven't heard from RW or HVAC guy. Neither will respond to messages or answer phone.
buttered-noodles1 t1_j9rqmlz wrote
This is an option but do it correctly. You can pay the courts the rent so you won’t be at risk for eviction.
xRVAx t1_j9s2mms wrote
Keyword escrow.
TBH it's probably easier just to get a window unit. It will save you hours and hours of court time.
albertnormandy t1_j9t1z7x wrote
Can’t withhold rent because the apartment was hot on an abnormally hot day in winter.
John316bro t1_j9w5r4y wrote
You can if its a regular issue. Anything over 90 is considered a health hazard.
Quardener OP t1_j9rnu6w wrote
Naming and shaming cause they’ve been real dicks about it too: The Point at Beaufont, right near Chippenham hospital. Owned by Pegasus residential.