[dranudin]

There is, unfortunately. You cannot install AC, with an outside unit, without approval of your landlord. Lots of people are renting, e.g in Germany. Of course, one can get an indoor unit an seal the window. But it is heavy and takes up a lot of space in a small urban rental..

[vanviegen]

Are renters in the US specifically permitted by law to install airco units that require permanent modification to the property? Or are landlords mandated to install airco units on a renters request? Or..?

[ssl-3]

The US is a big place, and states are free to set their own rules, and those rules do vary.

I live in Ohio (USA), where a landlord isn't required to provide air conditioning. Some other parts of the US do require it. It's hard to pin down most things in the US using just one generalized statement.

Most of the rentals I've had did provide aircon, in some form, anyway.

For those that did not provide AC, I've just used window air conditioners. They're very annoying, but they work and they aren't usually absurdly expensive. Nobody ever said a word about me using them, nor any the screw holes that I may have left behind by mounting them securely.

I've lived in places that were operated by smaller landlords who I'm quite certain would have been tickled pink to have properly-installed permanent aircon installed -- as long as I asked first and they approved of my plan. But the expectation would have been that it would remain with the rental after I moved out and I'm not necessarily OK with spending that kind of money on a place that I don't intend to occupy for more than a year or three.

[vanviegen]

Right. So regulation isn't actually all that different than it is in Europe, except that some especially hot parts of the US mandate airco for rental housing, which is something I don't think is being done in Europe yet.

[rwmj]

Changing the goalposts. We've gone from saying that Europe has (never defined) laws that prevent anyone from installing AC, to saying that tenants cannot make major changes to their properties. Landlords can install AC fine. Home owners can install AC. There are no laws that prevent installation of AC in Europe.

[dranudin]

I don't think it is changing the goalpost. The law prevents more than half of Germany's inhabitants from installing ACs, because they are renters. Also landlords cannot just install AC just fine. If you just own an appartement, you need the consenst of all other owners in the building. This is also a law. Therefore, practically no landlord will agree to the request to install outside AC, unfortunately.

[rwmj]

It sounds like a case for having more laws / regulation. Rental properties should have a maximum temperature, else they're not liveable (same as if they were damp or infested).

[radishingr]

Sounds like a quick legal solution: heat and cooling are now the landlords problem. Sort of like the kitchen.

[SyrupThinker]

Oops, in Germany the kitchen is usually the tenants responsibility. Does that mean we should lose our heating privileges instead? (I'm sure some landlords would love that)

[rwmj]

You know how laws are made? There's this big building where rational people discuss the options. If they don't get it right, the people can vote them out. Of course stupid laws are occasionally passed, but also it's possible (easy, in fact) to write a reasonable law to say you cannot rent property that is either too hot or too cold.

[SyrupThinker]

You realize this was intended as a joke, because a base assumption in that comment was, in a very specific and not that relevant way, incorrect, right? The "oops" and the parenthetical was intended to give it away.