In the fall of 2024, the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) mailed letters to parents who once had an open dependecy and/or severance case.
Did you receive a letter? Visit the DCS letter page for more information.
Do I have the legal right to hire someone to fix the air conditioner after I provide the landlord a written notice and they fail to fix it within the proper timeframe? If not, what are my options?
According to Arizona law, the tenant may do one of the following:
- Purchase a reasonable amount of fans, window units, portable air conditioning units, etc. and deduct that amount from their rent.
- Deduct the diminished value of the premises.
- Find reasonable substitute housing and deduct the daily rent for the days the home is not habitable. If the cost of that housing is more than the daily rent, the tenant may also deduct an additional 25% of that daily rent from their rent after providing the landlord proof of payment for that housing.
- Terminate the lease and move without penalty.
EXAMPLE 1: A tenant may buy a portable air conditioning fixture for $300 and deduct that amount from their rent after providing a receipt to the landlord.
EXAMPLE 2: If the tenant chooses to stay at a hotel and their monthly rent is $1800, they can deduct up to $75 of the daily hotel bill (daily rent of $60 plus an additional $15, which is 25% of the daily rent) after providing the landlord with a copy of that bill. That might not be much to pay for a hotel, but the statute does not allow the tenant to take off the entire amount of the hotel bill unless the landlord’s failure to act is willful.
Resources
Air Conditioning Legal Info Sheet