Tenant's Rights for Month to Month Lease

[Daniel A. Abreu]

This situation has come to my attention from a friend who was asking what their rights are, and since I don't deal too much with rentals, I wasn't 100% sure how to answer, figured this was a good place to look for advice.

Tenant is currently renting on a month to month lease in St. Petersburg, Florida. The air conditioner has not worked in about 3-4 days. Tenant has called the property manager countless times and written emails regarding the air conditioner. All communications have been ignored. its been consistently in the 90's during the day. Tenant has called a/c repair companies to come out, but no one will without either the property manager or owner's permission (Owner on title is a Land Trust, so no way to find out the individual).

The living conditions are becoming uninhabitable.  What rights does the tenant have in this situation?  

[Greg H.]

@Daniel A. Abreu

Whoa!  You have received some bad advice here. You cannot just make a repair and deduct from the rent and/or find another place to live by breaking a lease. A quick search indicates that prior notice needs to be given in Florida and any other state that I know of, prior to making any repairs 

At a minimum I would read the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act and/or consult an attorney before moving forward