Part of our commitment to putting
Southeast Texas first means
getting answers to your legal
questions on Wednesday afternoons,
we get to ask the judge it's
one of our favorite segments.
We are joined this afternoon by Judge Randy
Shelton from the 279th District Court.
Hi Judge, good to see you.
Hi hi Jordan. Hi mom,
I hope Mom is watching question number one
involves people frustrated with the heat.
This person said my apartment complex has
struggled with repairing my AC in Texas.
Is air conditioning considered
a luxury or a necessity?
And what are my options if my landlord
or manager doesn't get it fixed?
Well, air conditioning in Southeast
Texas is not a luxury, it's a necessity
amongst a sarati is a luxury.
First of all, check your lease and see
what the lease says about the repairs.
Another option would be if you
give 30 days written notice,
you can actually cancel the
lease and get your deposit back.
The third option is if you
you can give 30 days notice,
repair the air conditioning and deduct
it the cost of that from your rent.
Another option.
This is that you can Texas you can.
You can drive your Maserati to the
justice of the Peace Corps and Sue
there to have the repairs made.
You can check the Consumer Protection
page on the Texas Attorney general's
offices website for more specific
information about all this.
So again, just to recap,
it should be provided working
AC wherever you're renting.
OK question. #2.
Do power companies have a right to
change their rates without notice?
I feel like I'm paying a
lot higher rate this summer.
I know it's been hotter than normal,
but still, is there something I could
sign into to even lock in a rate?
Apps, there's two answers to that.
First of all, if you're in the
regulated part of the state, the Public
Utility Commission controls the rate,
and that's after generally public hearings.
If you're in the unregulated area
of the state, the electric providers
they set the fees, and so you can,
so you can negotiate your own terms,
but you would need to look at
your contract if you're in one
of those unregulated areas to see
exactly what the terms are for.
The rate increases. Hmm,
OK, let's roll on one other question,
maybe two we might be able to get
to this one says someone is using my
name and pretending to be me while
racking up obscene healthcare bills.
Assuming they just have my name
and Social Security number,
what's the best way for me to resolve this?
First thing I would notify the
police and make a police report.
Next I would contact the Fraud
Department of the Creditor or the
hospital who's sending you the bills
and discuss it with them and show
them that you've made a police report.
You can also, if it's showing
up on your credit report,
you can contact credit reporting agencies
and put a Florida fraud alert in place.
Also, Texas law allows you to
sue a creditor and get an order
that shows that you are a victim
of a tenant identity theft.
Also, the Texas Attorney General
website has a pre has a real good
a lot of good information on
what to do about identity fraud.
OK, I think we have time for a final
one this person wrote in saying
is it legal to ask for your race
when applying for jobs or housing?
Jobs, it's it's not illegal to ask,
but it's certainly a bad practice.
Those questions always created a
suspicion of of of discrimination,
especially on employment.
Title seven of the of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 protects persons
from employment discrimination
on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, or religion.
So bad practice,
bad practice.
We're going to have to leave it there.
Not illegal, but bad practice.
If you've got questions for the judge,
that's the website to go to
12news.now.com/ask the judge and
there's a form to fill out right there.