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Your Rights Under the Landlord-Tenant Act

Tulsa - Between warmer temperatures and humid weather, some folks already have their air conditioners up and running for the first time this year. And, that's leading to some questions about renter's rights. 8 On Your Side's Mark Bradshaw has the answers.

A tenant in Sand Springs called 8 On Your Side Wednesday, saying his air conditioning was broken and his landlord is not fixing it. He wanted to know how to change that. The first step is to follow the rules set out in the Oklahoma Landlord-Tenant Act.

For repairs, give your landlord a written notice of the problem to trigger your legal rights. After that, the landlord has 14 days to fix the problem. But, they cannot be forced to make the repairs.

If nothing is done, you are given the option to move out 30 days after the notice is given, or to pay for the repairs yourself and deduct up to 100 dollars off your next month's rent.

Air conditioning is considered an essential service, so the rights listed here can change as temperatures go up.

"In the summertime, you have that right and you can also break the lease and move out immediately if it's just extremely hot," says Scott Hamilton with Legal Aid.

You can send your notice by certified mail to help verify that the landlord received your request.

For more information on your rights as a renter, click here.

Topics:
  • Housing Law