Anne Arundel County, MD. In-wall AC unit repair dispute. legaladvice

I've been renting from the same landlord at the same place for about a year and a half now in a 3 story townhome. The master bedroom has an in-wall AC unit (not a window unit). Last fall the unit stopped functioning and I notified the landlord. He bought a replacement unit, but suggested putting off the replacement until spring since we wouldn't use it during the winter. I agreed and the new replacement unit is in the garage.

I contacted the landlord this week and asked what his timeline for getting the unit installed was. He came back to me and asked if I agreed to a $1,500 quote to which I responded asking why I would agree to a quote since I only had a $50 dollar deductible for repairs. His response baffled me, he stated that the in-room AC was not covered under the lease and that if I wanted it replaced (the outside portion, the pipes connecting, and the room unit) I would be paying. He referenced the first page of the rental agreement:

6.FIXTURES AND APPLIANCES: CONDITION OF PREMISES: [See Section 23]

____Refrigerator, Dishwasher,microwave, rangehood, stove,washer, dryer

I was confused and pushed back saying that this made no sense and referenced the rest of the rental agreement:

1. ALTERATIONS AND REDECORATING: Tenant shall not remodel or make any structural changes, alterations or additions to the Premises,

remove or exchange appliances or equipment, such as, but not limited to air conditioning, h eating, refrigeration or cooking units.

and :

1. REPAIRS AND TENANT MAINTENANCE OF PREMISES: The Tenant shall keep the Premises in good order and condition and shall not

deliberately or negligently destroy, deface, damage, impair or remove any part of the Premises, nor permit any person to do so, and any repairs resulting

from such acts shall be paid for by the Tenant. (Tenant shall not order repairs on or about the Premises without prior approval of Landlord or Landlord’s

Agent.) Landlord shall be responsible for structural and major repairs to the Premises including the heating and air conditioning systems, roof, water heater,

electrical systems, and structural elements.

He is still refusing to install the unit after I showed him this, his response being:

The heating and air conditioning systems here include the heating system, not just air conditioning system. Plus it is general clause for responsibilities , it is not used to declare what is available for rent or what number. The available appliance are listed on the first page.

To list more examples , in my current house there are two AC systems, one for basement and main level , the other is for 2nd level (bedrooms). They are both "must" in a house since they were built with the house , including the pipe works. In such case, if I rent my current house to you, I am responsible for both AC systems. By default you rent pays for them and you deserve to ask them to be in working condition. No questions asked.

The Master bed room AC however, is an add on added by the owner for his own use, which was not built with the house. And I did not put it in the contract to attract customers. Your rent did not pay for it. That is the difference.

Is there anything I can do aside from refusing to pay and just buying something that I can take with me when my lease is up towards the end of this year?

Submitted March 15, 2016 at 02:41AM by skankinmonkey http://ift.tt/1U28eFV legaladvice