Wall AC Unit Replacements

[Kelly McIntyre]

Hi all, I’m looking for some advice on how to replace a wall ac unit in my rental. Specifically in Raleigh NC. 

The condo is on the second floor of a building and has an extremely old wall unit. So old in fact they no longer make the unit. A few years ago I had a repair man come out when it was making horrible noises. The motor was off balance and the fan blade inside it was cracked. I replaced the blade and haven’t thought much of it since but the problem has snuck up again so it’s time to replace it. 

The problem is the width of the unit is ~42 inches wide. They just don’t make units that long anymore. So I’m having a hard time finding a replacement to just slide into the existing hole. 

What would you do? Hire a contractor to make the hole smaller? Are they able to if the exterior of the condo complex is brick? Then do I need a different person to help me install the new unit? 

Any information you can help me with would be so appreciated. I’ve called multiple HVAC places and keep getting the response “we don’t work with wall units.” I’m not sure where to go next.