paying for utilities that includes air conditioning, even though air has been out for 4 months?

Question

i have been paying an association fee for the condo i own that is suppose to include air conditioning, but since march, there has been no heat or air conditioning. the association required us to pay to get these new units they want to put in so it had to be shut off. some of the floors are rented out and some are owned. the renters were given free window air units and the owners were told we had to pay $130 to get the unit and to have it installed. is this right? not only am i still paying the full utilities, but they raised the fee $10. i don't think we should have to pay. the weather can get in the hundreds and they say we won't have anything until early september. can they do this?

a little more info to clarify...
because we have both rent and own in the building, we did not have a choice on getting the new units. the association hired the workers to come in and replace the old units (the building switched from central air to individual controlled air). everyone voted against it, but because the owner of the building has more renters that outnumber owners, the decision was up to the building owner. the reason the renters got them for free is because it is illegal here to rent without air conditioning. i think that at least the association fee should go down if it is supposed to include air and heat, not raised $10. so not only am i paying for air that i don't have, but they want us to pay them for a small window unit that is meant for sq ft half the size of our homes

Answer 1

They can if you let them.

If you don't want to let them do this, then tell them, tell the management or super... tell them, do it in writing. Say that the situation is unacceptable, and that you expect either a rebate on your fees for the services that were not provided, or else you expect them to provide the services. Tell them you want their response in writing.

Try that first and if nothing happens, then send them a second letter. Let them know that if you do not get one or the other (money or air), you're willing to sue.

Then sue them if they don't provide the money or the air conditioning.

Unfortunately, that's the only way to deal with it.

Answer 2

You should first check your association agreement, which should specify who is responsible for the replacement of the utilities. Ordinarily, it would be the owners who have the responsibility for putting in new items, which makes sense that the renters would not have to. The individual owners of the rented units would also be paying. You could maybe try buying and installing your own unit, but it seems like $130 is a pretty good deal; you may just want to have the association do it.

Answer 3

Why isn't there air conditioning? Did they remove the old units before the new ones arrived? Does anyone have air? If you are all without air I recommend getting a petition to force them to get the air running.