On Your Side: Protection In A Heatwave Nightmare

GREENVILLE, N.C. - There's not much we rely on more in this oppressive heat than air conditioning.

They've become vital to our lives, but they're not always reliable.

An air conditioner breakdown in these conditions is a nightmare come true for a lot of people.

Help doesn't always come as quickly as you'd like.

Especially for renters who rely on their landlords to make them comfortable again.

It can be a challenge to make sure landlords lives up to their end of the deal.

June Parker got a rude awakening Sunday morning.

"We had no air conditioning," said Greenville resident June Parker.

It was a miserable reality on one of the hottest days of the year.

"We didn't turn on anything that produced any heat: no TVs, no computers, no electronics, no anything.  So, it really was like living way back when," Parker said.

The repairman came out Sunday, but the machine needed a new motor that wouldn't be ready for another day.

All of this keeps guys like Conrad Williams busy responding to call after call all day long and into the night while feeling their pain and then some.

"Everywhere I go it's hot,” said air conditioner repairman Conrad Williams.  “And, when I get it cooling, I have to leave.  So, yes I identify with them."

A lot of people don't have the luxury of being a homeowner to call a repairman directly. 

They're at the mercy of their landlord.

Facebook fan Rhonda Brown told us it happened to her a couple of weeks ago and simply said, “I was miserable.”

Natasha Manka says it happened to her friend twice this summer with two children at home, “The landlord didn't come as quickly as he should have.  It was ridiculous and dangerous,” she wrote.

Tenants have rights in this situation.

North Carolina law states landlords who provide appliances must fix them if they break down.

And, a lot of them do.

Facebook fan Heather Hicks says she came back from vacation last Sunday to a 91-degree apartment.

Her landlord had it fixed by Monday night.

Melissa Roberts had hers taken care of by lunchtime the day after it broke.

Repairmen say a lot of these problems can be avoided by simply checking and cleaning the coils in spring.

For landlords, that's a business decision.

"Most landlords change the filters, but they don't do a spring checkout," Williams said.

Back at June Parker's house, It's finally the sound of success.

"Music to my ears," Parker said.

That sends Conrad Williams off to orchestrate more relief down the road.

It's a good idea to know your rights and responsibilities in the tenant - landlord relationship.

You can find those details and information about ways to handle landlord disputes at the links below the photo.