Unit on rental property has gone out

[sheenaspelman]

Hello,

My husband and I own an out of state rental where the A/C has gone out multiple times over the past two years. The unit is almost 4 years old. The brand is a Conrad which I've been told is not the greatest brand. I admit we paid $$$$$ for the unit and the install and I thought that was a bit low but didn't ask any questions.

Now as I said the unit has continuously gone out and it's gone out twice this month, each time we paid about $$$$ to repair something. We have paid to the get the evaporator coil and the fan replaced a year ago. The last person who repaired it said the contactor went bad and the the condenser is going bad. We paid for him to replace the contactor. We inquired about our warranty for the condenser and the repair person said even with the warranty it would cost $$$$ for the all the parts and labor that go into the process. We have been told by multiple repair persons that the person who originally installed the unit did it incorrectly and that they doubt the unit was new based on what they are seeing.

My question is do we have a possible case to sue the original person who installed it, even though it's almost 4 years later? Is it normal for a unit to go out after this amount of time. Would we be better off just purchasing a new unit since this one has been having multiple issues, plus now the condensor needs replacing? My husband and I just aren't sure if we should shell out the $$$$ for the condesor repair or if we should get a new one.

[jpsmith1cm]

sheenaspelman

Pricing isn't permitted here. I edited it out of your post.

[OldSchoolMech]

Purchase a New one from a GOOD Company that stands behind thier work and has a GOOD warranty and be done with it.

You can always try to sue the installer ( The american way) waste your time $ and effort. I would go with the first option

[hvacvegas]

My question is do we have a possible case to sue the original person who installed it, even though it's almost 4 years later? Is it normal for a unit to go out after this amount of time.

We can't give legal advice here either. sorry.

Without looking at it, and watching/listening to it run, it would be hard to tell you either way on replace or keep.
4 years old is pretty young for a unit though.

[sheenaspelman]

I agree, I didn't expect to be putting a new unit in after 4 years. I really feel like we got scammed. I just feel upset that this person may get away with it.

[martyinlincoln]

Maybe you didn't get scammed. Compressors will fail if renters don't change the furnace filters for years. Fan motors and capcaictors fail(which leads to contactor failure) a lot sooner when the outside coils are not kept clean. Could it be a simple lack of maintenace?

[bmathews]

This is the problem with long distance landlording. Rental properties are usually high maintenance on air conditioners and everything else for that matter. Especially when the owner can't do periodic inspections of the property. The tenant and repair people know this. I've never even heard of the brand they installed. Evaporator coils are very prone to failure in any brand as of the last 5 years. Fan motors fail if they get dirty from lack of filter changing. Contactors go out quite frequently as well as capacitors. From this list of repairs, it's probably not that far out of line as to normal rental property repairs and as to what can be expected in the future quite honestly. I do lots of work for property managment companies. Try to find somebody in the area that you trust to look after things or sell the place and buy something closer to you.

[alex_in_fl]

1. If you have rental house you need the HVAC to work (or you have unhappy and former renters). So CALL the manufacturer and discuss with them to see if they will help. If they will good. If not then I think you need another unit I (get quotes from licensed dealers - check Angie's list and the BBB).
2. If you feel you may have gotten scammed then file a complaint with the BBB.
3. If you really feel put out/scammed, go on line and read up on small claim lawsuits in the local area and then decide how to proceed.

High price does not always equal high quailty. Low price does not always mean low quality. But becareful of the absolute bottom price unless its a reputable dealer (they may have cashflow problems, no work at the time or similar and offer a one time good deal - but don't count on this).

Best of luck to you.

Alex