TEMPE, Ariz. — It's that time of year when people living in the Valley rely on their air conditioning.
Bianca Holscher doesn't have that option.
For weeks, the air conditioning in her Tempe apartment has been malfunctioning, blowing hot air into the space.
“It’s just really frustrating you know, it’s definitely hard when you want to go home after work and relax and you can’t even enjoy being home,” she said,
She said she moved into the Thrive Tempe apartments a few months ago. At that time she said the air conditioning wasn't reliable until it ultimately stopped working for her and others living there.
“It’s been for like two weeks we didn't have air conditioning,” said Gloire Mougani another resident.
Trying to find a cool spot to sleep has been difficult. Mougani said he's actually slept in his car some nights just to get fresh air.
Both have gone to the leasing office to complain multiple times about the issue but Mougani said they told him he would have to wait for the problem to get fixed. Holscher said she hasn't received any updates from staff and no one has entered her apartment to check the situation.
“If I can’t even go inside for relief, where am I supposed to go?" Holscher said.
She and Mougani did claim the apartment complex did offer them a $200 discount on rent. Holscher was also given a portable A/C unit that sits in her living room.
“I have to sleep on the couch,” she said.
When asked just how hot the apartment was, Holscher couldn't say because there A/C control panel is just a dial with no temperature reader. However, 12News used a infrared thermometer that revealed her living room was sitting at 85 degrees.
“I mean I knew it cause I can feel it but it’s kind of crazy to look at," Holscher said while looking at the reading.
Other parts of her apartment were about the same except for her bedroom which read 88 degrees and right next to the portable A/C unit which read 81 degrees.
12News was invited to another apartment where the thermometer read the temperature at 91 degrees. Well above what the City of Tempe allows.
According to Tempe City Code, all rental housing needs to have cooling that the tenant can control. The code states the temperature cannot get above 82 degrees for units that use air conditioning and 88 degrees for evaporative cooling.
A reporter with 12News spoke with office staff at the Thrive Tempe leasing office about the air conditioning not working and was told he needed to contact the corporate office Chamberlin and Associates out of Phoenix.
Someone with the company did confirm there were issues with the A/C but it was getting repaired that day.
Workers were seen on property but what was used to temporarily fix the issue has Holscher and others worried.
On top of the main A/C unit for the building were three orange industrial fans piled on top. With two larger fans next to it. Electrical cords dangled off the roof and into the room below.
“It looks like something I would have thought of if I was trying to fix something really quick," Holscher said. "Honestly it’s just kind of scary.”
Even after the workers appeared to leave for the day, the A/C unit was still not working. Creating even more frustration for tenants.
“Just fix the issue overall and if it can’t be fixed let us know so we can find somewhere else affordable to live,” Holscher said.
For Mougani, he decided to leave all together.
"We just gave them the notice that we are leaving,” he said.
A spokesperson for Tempe said Code Enforcement is aware of the situation and looking into the matter. For tenants experiencing this problem at Thrive Tempe or other rental properties, they encourage tenants to call 480-350-4311 to report it.
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