Daily fines of $2,500 - that's what Hunter Bloomington Properties in Bloomington, Indiana is facing. The reason: sewage backups, mold, and broken AC units - all safety issues.

Tenants in the more than 1,000 apartments Hunter Bloomington manages have complained of these safety issues. Residents allege the issues were left unaddressed for months.

One resident reported their AC stopped working, and it took three weeks for them to get a response. "It was getting so hot in our apartment, we had to move our cats out because they were overheating."

Joseph Brogan "Rule breakers face daily $2,500 fines for not following Mandatory 'A/C' rule" www.the-sun.com (Aug. 06, 2026).

Commentary

Whether a real estate landlord must provide air conditioning is a creature of state or local law and/or the lease.

Most leases contain a term requiring a landlord to protect a tenant from extreme temperatures - hot or cold - by maintaining the air conditioning or heating.

The lease may provide a time frame in which to address the issue; however, landlords must be as responsive as possible, especially when a vulnerable tenant is involved - someone elderly or with a disability. They can succumb to unsafe temperatures much more quickly than other tenants.

Some state's laws provide for a tenant to fix the issue themselves, after written notice and a period of time in which the landlord did not respond. The cost is then deducted from the next month's rent.

Some state laws indicate other tenant requirements for landlord repairs, such as being current on rent and that the failure of the air conditioning is not the fault of the tenant, the tenant's family, or guests.