Tenant says the AC is not working: a first-hour checklist for small landlords

Start the clock, then slow the conversation down

The tenant message usually arrives with heat in it:

"The AC is broken. It is 84 inside. What are you going to do?"

Do not answer from your own panic. Answer like a dispatcher. Your job in the first hour is to figure out whether this is a true no-cooling event, a simple reset problem, a tenant-use issue, or an emergency that needs temporary accommodations and a fast contractor.

That does not mean you wait around. In hot weather, air conditioning can become a habitability issue, especially for elderly tenants, children, medical conditions, or local heat advisories. State and city rules vary, and some places treat cooling differently from heat. But "I need to understand what is happening so I can send the right help" is not delay. It is how you avoid sending an HVAC tech to flip a breaker while the tenant waits another day for the real problem.

Use this as the first-hour script.

Minute 0 to 5: acknowledge and ask for facts

Reply quickly, even if the fix will take longer.

Try:

"I am sorry the AC is not cooling. I am going to troubleshoot the basics now and contact HVAC if needed. Please send me the current indoor temperature, the thermostat setting, and a photo of the thermostat screen."

Then ask:

• Is any air blowing from the vents?
• Is the air warm, room temperature, or slightly cool?
• Is the outside condenser fan running?
• Did the system stop suddenly, or has it been getting worse?
• Did power go out recently?
• Are any breakers tripped?
• Is there water leaking around the indoor unit?
• When was the filter last changed?
• Is anyone in the home medically vulnerable to heat?

This is not cross-examination. It is triage. A condenser that will not start, an indoor blower that runs with warm air, and water backing up from a clogged condensate line all point to different next steps.

Minute 5 to 15: rule out the simple, safe fixes

Give the tenant only safe checks. Do not ask them to open electrical panels beyond looking for a tripped breaker. Do not ask them to remove equipment covers, touch wiring, climb into an attic, or handle refrigerant lines.

Reasonable tenant checks:

• Confirm the thermostat is set to "cool," not "heat" or "off"
• Set the target temperature at least 3 to 5 degrees below the current room temperature
• Replace dead thermostat batteries if the screen is blank
• Check whether the furnace or air-handler switch was turned off
• Look for a tripped breaker labeled AC, condenser, furnace, or air handler
• Make sure supply vents are open and not blocked by furniture
• Replace a badly clogged filter if filters are tenant-responsibility under the lease
• Check whether the outside condenser is blocked by weeds, leaves, cardboard, or stored items

For breakers, be specific: one reset attempt only. If it trips again, stop. A breaker that trips repeatedly is not a tenant troubleshooting task; it is a repair call.

If the thermostat is blank and batteries fix it, still write down what happened. If a clogged filter froze the coil, the system may need to stay off for several hours before it cools again. If the tenant has not changed filters in a year and your lease makes that their job, you can address cost responsibility later. First get the unit safe and cooling.

Minute 15 to 25: decide how urgent this really is

Urgency depends on more than "AC not perfect."

Treat it as high priority when:

• Indoor temperature is already above 80 to 85 degrees and rising
• Outdoor temperatures are extreme or a heat advisory is active
• The tenant reports a medical condition, elderly occupant, infant, or other heat sensitivity
• The unit has no safe ventilation or windows that can reasonably be opened
• The AC is part of a promised amenity in the lease or required by local code
• There is water leakage, electrical smell, burning smell, or repeated breaker trips
• The system serves multiple units

Treat it as normal maintenance when:

• The AC is cooling but not reaching an aggressive setting during a heat wave
• The tenant set the thermostat unusually low and the system is running continuously
• The indoor temperature is mildly elevated and stable
• A non-urgent part is needed and safe temporary cooling is available

That distinction matters because "emergency" pricing can be brutal. A same-night callout may be the right decision at 89 degrees inside with a baby in the unit. It may not be the right decision because the tenant wants 68 degrees during a 101-degree afternoon and the home is holding at 75.

Minute 25 to 40: call HVAC with useful information

When you call the contractor, do not say only "AC broken." Give them a dispatch note:

• Property address and unit
• System type if you know it: central AC, heat pump, mini-split, window unit
• Indoor temperature and thermostat setting
• Whether indoor blower runs
• Whether outdoor condenser runs
• Whether breaker is tripping
• Whether there is water leakage
• Filter condition
• Tenant availability and access instructions
• Any medical or habitability urgency

Good information helps the contractor send the right tech, schedule priority correctly, and bring likely parts. It also makes you sound like an owner who will approve work promptly instead of turning the visit into a scavenger hunt.

If you use a home warranty, call that in parallel only if it can actually respond fast enough. Warranty delays during a heat wave can be more expensive than the repair if they create tenant conflict, hotel costs, or code complaints.

Minute 40 to 50: tell the tenant the plan

Give the tenant a short status update with specifics:

"I checked the basic causes with you and this needs HVAC service. I have contacted ABC Heating and Cooling and requested the earliest available appointment. I gave them your access window and the indoor temperature. Please keep the thermostat set to cool at 74, leave the system off if the breaker trips again, and tell me immediately if water starts leaking or anyone's health is affected."

Notice what is in that message:

• You acknowledged the issue
• You explained that a contractor has been contacted
• You gave a temporary instruction
• You identified what would change the urgency

What is not in that message: arguments about who caused it, guesses about compressor failure, promises that the tech will fix it today, or legal conclusions about habitability. Keep the first-hour message operational.

Minute 50 to 60: document the file

Open the property record and save:

• Tenant's original message
• Photos of thermostat, filter, leak, or equipment if provided
• Indoor temperature and time reported
• Your troubleshooting questions and tenant responses
• Contractor contacted and time
• Appointment window
• Any temporary cooling offered
• Any instruction to shut off equipment

Documentation is not just for disputes. It helps you manage the next call. If the compressor is failing every July, the repair history should tell that story before you spend another $650 nursing it along.

What to offer while waiting

If the repair cannot happen quickly and the unit is genuinely hot, consider temporary measures:

• Portable AC unit delivered to the most-used room
• Window unit if the property can safely support one
• Fans, if they help and do not create a false sense of safety during extreme heat
• Hotel reimbursement or rent credit when required by local law, lease terms, or the severity of the situation
• Permission to stay elsewhere without treating it as abandonment

Do not improvise a rent-credit policy by text while everyone is upset. If local law requires a remedy, follow it. If the lease speaks to interruption of services, read it. If you are making a goodwill concession, label it clearly and keep it separate from admitting fault for anything you have not yet diagnosed.

Small landlords get in trouble by being either too rigid or too casual. "The lease says repairs take time, good luck" is not acceptable in a dangerous heat event. "Take $500 off rent and I will figure it out later" can also create a mess. Make the property safe, document the facts, then settle money questions with a clear written note.

When the repair is tenant-caused

Sometimes the tech finds a preventable problem:

• Filter so clogged the coil froze
• Condenser packed with debris because storage was piled around it
• Thermostat damaged or incorrectly rewired by the tenant
• Breaker repeatedly reset after tripping
• Window units installed in a way that damaged the property

If your lease makes the tenant responsible for filters or misuse, you may be able to bill them for some costs. Handle that after the repair report comes in. Ask the contractor for plain language and photos:

"Cause of no cooling: evaporator coil frozen due to severely clogged 16x20x1 filter. Filter appears heavily loaded. System thawed, filter replaced, refrigerant pressures normal after thaw."

That is much stronger than "tenant never changes filters" written by you in anger.

Build the system before the next heat wave

The best AC emergency is the one that turns into a boring maintenance ticket because you prepared.

Before summer:

• Record make, model, age, filter size, and equipment location for each property
• Change filters or remind tenants according to the lease
• Clear vegetation around condensers
• Test cooling before the first 95-degree week
• Keep two HVAC vendors in your contacts
• Decide your temporary cooling policy in advance
• Put thermostat, filter, and breaker instructions in the tenant welcome materials

For older systems, schedule a pre-season service visit. It will not prevent every failure, but it can catch weak capacitors, clogged drains, dirty coils, and airflow problems before every landlord in town is calling the same three HVAC companies.

Bottom line

When a tenant says the AC is not working, your first hour should produce four things: facts, safe troubleshooting, a clear urgency decision, and a documented contractor plan.

Move quickly, but do not just throw a work order into the void. Ask the right questions, avoid unsafe tenant repairs, communicate the next step, and keep the record. Cooling complaints are emotional because heat is uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous. A calm process is how you protect the tenant, the property, and your decision-making.

You might also like:

• Property manager repair approval: what small landlords should expect
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• Rental property cash reserves: how much should a small landlord keep?

ManorKeeper keeps maintenance calls tied to the lease and property

When tenant messages, repair notes, lease responsibilities, and contractor invoices live with the property record, the next maintenance decision starts from history instead of memory. See how ManorKeeper works.