Tenant complaint - AC - proper response?

Question

Curious how you more experienced folks would handle this scenario:

Situation - two yr tenant, very (overly) communicative, bit of a worry wart but that's fine, better than the other way imo. Class A sfh rental. House is builder grade 2017 construction. 2 story. And I just got this text:

"*Hey xxxxxxx. I think there’s an issue with the A/C or maybe a blockage in the ducts because the a/c is running nonstop but won’t cool below 75 degrees (it’s set on 68 with the fan running). its been hard to regulate the temperature in the house for awhile but more intermittently. It’s running all day and you can barely feel air flow out of the vents on the first floor. This has been going on for a couple days. I’ve tried everything I know to do. Can we have an HVAC tech come out*?"

It's 85 and humid here outside. My ac hardly keeps up at my house some days and that's set at 74. But it's an old unit.

I asked her to change the filters and double check the thermostats (there's independent upstairs and downstairs controls) and get back to me if it's not better.

But how would you all proceed?? I'm hoping she stays a long time so I want to take care of her but at the same time I think it is what it is... Thoughts??

Bill B. · Answer

Sounds broken right? Send out the “ac guy”. He’s going to say here’s the problem, it’s this much to fix it. Or there will be a report saying air is blowing this many CFM which is acceptable and the temperature is this much cooler than room temperature, which is acceptable.

Best case it’s under warranty or the original 6 year old filters are still installed. In which case you look at the lease and see who’s job it was to replace them. Hopefully if you’re laying that in the tenant you have a little initial her box next to it that shows you told them. Just having it in yiru lease is worthless if it’s not pointed out.

Until an expert says it’s not broken you’re the jerk for not fixing it, hopefully the same day, certainly within 2 days.

Tim Miller · Answer

You already have the key phrase, they A/C been running nonstop for a few days. I would have replied back, thank you for letting me know and I'll let you know when I have an HVAC company coming out. As Trevor said, by not getting someone out there to look at the unit. It could cost you a lot more.

Remember this, 99% of the time tenants do not tell you the whole story. This A/C could have been having issues for a week or more. You just don't know. Good luck.

Pat L. · Answer

had a similar issue with a large Scottsdale AZ home built 1994. The upstairs would rarely go below 80. I found there was a deficiency in the return air system. Cut into the wall added a large return air vent & fixed it. That home had been occupied by several families over the years & they just suffered the poor a/c.

Patricia Steiner · Answer

That tenant has your back...go fix it.  And, thank her for letting you know.  If there's a tenant related issue discovered from the contractor visit, you can take it up with her afterwards.  The fastest way to ensure that a tenant never reports a problem and let's your cost / property go in the wrong direction is to not appreciate the reporting.

Your experience isn't her's ...call the AC contractor.

Andrew B. · Answer

If your ac cannot cool past 10 degrees it is not working properly. I would go visit the unit to perform the tasks that youre asking from her. Once I have confirmed everything I can check is working properly, I call a professional. If the next appointment is more than 1-2 days out, I would bring window ac units to help bridge the gap until the repairman comes.

I dont ask the tenant to check things because I assume they wont do them properly and i'll have to double check anyway. I bring ac units because I charge a lot of rent and my customers deserve top quality service. I keep an extra ac unit on hand for issues like this, but if i didn't i would consider buying from home depot and returning later.

Trevor Schmitt · Answer

Hi Adam, I would first thank her for reaching out and give her confidence that the problem will be taken care of.

Personally, I would not ask her to complete these tasks as it seems she has been dealing with the issue for awhile now, and I would like to know the task is completed correctly. My advice would be to get a professional to give you an estimate/quote on what the issue is. Humid and 85 should not prevent the a/c from working properly.

Aside from that, you could also offer to bring in a few fans for her to help get air moving through the unit.

Also, if the home was built in 2017 the a/c may still have some type of warrant that could be redeemed... if the unit is not that old, I am guessing that it will be a rather simple fix... furthermore, if it is not taken care of promptly, it could cause even worse problems and you may be forced to replace the unit completely... that would be a much greater expense obviously.

Colleen F. · Answer

Account Closed Call her back and say hey I re-read you email I'm gonna send the AC guy, to check it out. Or even change the filter yourself and call the AC guy.  Chances are if she has been there a while that it's more the fact that she is noticing a difference in performance than the actual temperature change.  That's also not a huge temperature difference.  If it was over 100 and she said it won't cool to 70 I would say it's her expectations. It such a big ticket item you are better safe than sorry.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

I think your response is pretty reasonable. Too many Tenants think A/C can lower the temperature to any level. There are limits.

I recommend you find an objective article (example: https://cielowigle.com/blog/ho...) to share with your Tenant to ensure they are operating it properly. I also recommend you keep an article or video on hand to help tenants troubleshoot problems. Example:

Tenant complaint - AC - proper response?

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