A renter says their bedroom reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit at 2 a.m. after a live-in landlord quietly turned the thermostat back up.
The post struck a nerve with commenters, who called the situation unbearable and shared ideas for what a tenant can do when someone else controls the temperature.
Here's what to know
According to the Reddit post, the person was renting a room in their landlord's house. They said the landlord controlled the temperature and had briefly agreed to a 1-2 degree Fahrenheit reduction before reversing that change.
The original poster described the setup, writing, "Sadly, I am renting a room with a live-in landlord, and she is a cheapskate, she controls the temp via the thermostat, which I don't have access to."
The problem returned after the landlord "quietly raised it back up after a day," the renter said. With "no ceiling fan," they wrote that a Dyson fan was the main thing helping and they "have been blasting it."
Legal concerns surfaced quickly in the replies. One commenter asked: "That landlord of yours, do you have a lease? She may be violating some state laws in regards to living conditions. Look into it."
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A few people also said the rules may vary depending on location. As one commenter wrote, "I could be wrong, but when I rented, they only had to provide adequate heat."
What can be done?
That led several commenters to recommend checking both the lease and local housing regulations to find out whether any cooling requirements apply where the renter lives.
The thread also raised ideas for handling the heat. One commenter asked, "Can you get a portable AC unit?" Another suggested coping by spending time somewhere air-conditioned, putting cool fabric around the neck or shoulders, and drinking cold beverages.
For renters trying to work with landlords or community rules to make changes, check out resources on how to change bylaws. Disputes over home rules can go beyond thermostat settings to restrictions on gardening, drying laundry outdoors, and other cost-saving habits.
Luckily for the original poster, it doesn't appear to be a permanent situation. "Hopefully weather is going to get cold soon. I am only gonna be here for 5 months," they wrote.
Where can I learn more?
Other renters have faced similar fights over indoor heat and landlord-controlled cooling. They include tenants dealing with soaring temperatures, denied AC access, and housing rules that often lag behind dangerous conditions.
• An overseas tenant sought advice after a landlord refused to fix the air conditioning in 90-degree heat.
• In Texas, a tenant was denied a simple air conditioning request despite punishing heat.
• Across the U.S., renters endure heatwaves where cooling is not incorporated into many habitability standards.
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