1. Check if your landlord can stop you from having an air conditioner
Question & Answer
What are the rules about air conditioners?Check if your lease or tenancy agreement says anything about air conditioners. If not, then your landlord can’t prevent you from installing one or force you to remove one you already have, as long as it’s safe and isn’t causing damage. You should also make sure that the noise from running it doesn’t bother other people in the building.
If your says you need your landlord’s permission to install an air conditioner, ask them for permission. If they say you have to pay extra money to use an air conditioner, read the following steps to learn more about whether they can do this.
If your landlord won’t let you
Your landlord might say that you can’t install or have a window air conditioner at all. This might be because units that aren’t installed properly can cause damage or may even fall out, which could seriously hurt or kill someone.
In this case, you could suggest ways to assure your landlord that it is installed safely. For example, you could hire a professional contractor to install it or allow the landlord to inspect it to make sure the job is done properly.
You could also get a portable air conditioner. These are units that sit on the floor inside your apartment. But they are more expensive, noisier, and less effective than window air conditioners, so this might not be the best solution.
If you need to use an air conditioner because of a health condition or a , make sure to tell your landlord.
If your landlord still refuses to let you have an air conditioner, try to get legal advice. The law says your landlord must make sure your place is “fit for habitation”. It also says your landlord can’t interfere with your “reasonable enjoyment” of your home. So if your place isn’t livable in hot weather, your landlord could be responsible for solving the problem, or at least not stopping you from solving it.
If you install or keep an air conditioner against your landlord’s wishes, your landlord might give you an eviction notice. If your air conditioner is safe and is not causing damage or disturbing anyone else in the building, the Landlord and Tenant Board should not allow them to you. But the law is not clear about this.
If your landlord tries to remove an air conditioner you already have
Your landlord might threaten to come in and take away an air conditioner that you already have in your unit. If the air conditioner belongs to you, your landlord has no right to take it. It’s illegal for them to come into your home for that purpose, and taking the air conditioner would be theft, just like taking anything else that belongs to you.
If the air conditioner belongs to the landlord, then taking it away could be discontinuing a service that you are paying for in your rent. You can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board to try to prevent this or to get your rent reduced if this happens.
