GLENDALE, AZ — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is giving a Glendale apartment complex until 5 p.m. Friday, July 10, to fix the air conditioning in every unit or face legal consequences.
In a demand letter dated July 8, Mayes called Spectra West Apartments' failure to provide air conditioning "both unacceptable and unlawful." The complex could face civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation if it does not comply.
Resident Javier Montes said he chose to live at Spectra West because of its proximity to his job.
"The reason I decided to live here because my work is just down the street. So, it's just a five-minute walk for me, and so it's very convenient for me."
Montes said he has lived at the complex for about 4 months, but his entire building has been without air conditioning for the last week.
"We were just trying to bathe like five, six, eight times a day just to stay cool. We had a hard time sleeping here. It took them that long to get us that portable AC," Montes said.
When management eventually distributed portable units, Montes said not everyone received one.
"Not everybody, just a certain amount of people. They didn't have enough AC...portable AC units," Montes said.
Montes said residents brought their concerns to the front office, but nothing was done.
"Everybody gets frustrated about it, and then we, talked to the front office about it, and they say they'll get to it, but then they never do," Montes said.
He said he also spoke with neighbors who confirmed they had already complained about the issue.
"I did talk to my neighbors about it. They said they already complained about it," Montes said.
Under Arizona law, landlords must provide rental units with fully operating cooling systems to make them safe.
Asset Living, which owns Spectra West Apartments, did not respond to a request for comment.
However, on Friday, July 10, the Attorney General's Office provided this new statement:
Spectra, through their legal counsel, has responded to our cease and desist and are claiming all necessary repairs and changes are being made and that they are using temporary chillers to power the complex’s system. Investigators from our office will continue to visit the property to confirm that and we have demanded they provide us documentation to verity their claims. We will continue to monitor the situation and take action as necessary. We encourage any resident to file a complaint with our office if the situation is not resolved or if they again lose air conditioning service.
“Big thing over there you hear running, I think that's the AC for the whole place,” Robert Hall, a Spectra West resident, said. " I was grateful because it was AC.”
Hall says a temporary unit previously kept his apartment cool, something he depends on.
“I’m on oxygen 24/7,” he said. “The AC’s got to be on for me to be able to breathe.”
Other residents say they’re still waiting for a long-term solution.
"My kids should not living in these conditions at all,” resident Rebeca Reza said.
Reza says she’s doing everything she can to keep her three young kids cool.
"I'm like darkening the windows, I keep my entire house pretty dark.”
ABC15 brought a temperature gauge to Reza’s apartment Friday evening. When it measured just under 75 degrees, she said she is relieved that the state isn’t letting up.
"It's not just my kids here,” Reza said. " It's elderly people. It's all types of people disabled that are some people are homebound, some people are stay-at-home parents, and it's not there for them that they have to suffer."
What renters should know if their air conditioning is broken:
- Notify your landlord first. Start with a phone call, then follow up in writing, either hand-delivered or by certified mail.
- If you have a medical condition made worse by extreme heat, include that in your notification and request accommodations.
- Landlords must fix a broken air conditioner within 5 days or 10 days of written notice, depending on whether outside temperatures are above or below 100 degrees.
- A fix may include providing portable units to bring indoor temperatures to acceptable limits.
- Under some circumstances, renters may be able to fix the issue themselves and deduct the costs from rent.
- If the problem is not fixed, tenants may be allowed to end their lease or sue for damages.
To learn more about your tenant rights, click here.
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