My tenant says the AC is not working. What should I ask before dispatching someone?

Ask about immediate safety and heat first. Then get the bedroom temperature from the City’s measurement location, a photo of the thermostat, whether air is moving and feels cool, when the problem began, whether the whole unit is affected, and who can grant access. The tenant should report what they can see from normal living space. Do not make them repair or diagnose the system.

The intake helps dispatch the right person with the right information. It is not a test the tenant must pass before the complaint receives a response.

Rule out a fire or medical emergency

Ask whether there is fire, smoke, sparking, a burning or acrid odor, severe buzzing, scorching, water near electrical parts, a repeated breaker trip, visible ice, or a ceiling leak. Tell the tenant to leave and call 911 for fire or an active electrical emergency.

Ask whether anyone has confusion, fainting, seizures, or loss of consciousness. Those are possible heat-stroke signs; call 911. The National Weather Service lists the emergency signs in its heat-illness guidance.

Do not request medical details. Ask only whether someone needs immediate cooling help or emergency care. Infants, older adults, and people with some medical conditions may need a faster cooling plan during extreme heat. Use NWS New Orleans heat-preparedness guidance and NOLA Ready for local planning, and check active National Weather Service alerts for current conditions.

A normal no-cool complaint is not automatically a fire or medical emergency. It can still require prompt dispatch and City compliance attention.

Get the City bedroom measurement

For an Orleans Parish rental, the current Healthy Homes minimum standard requires a working cooling system that keeps all bedrooms at no more than 80°F. The measurement is taken three feet above the floor and two feet from exterior walls. See the City’s Minimum Rental Standards.

Ask the tenant to put a household thermometer three feet above the floor and two feet from exterior walls, wait as its instructions direct, and send the temperature, time, room, and a photo when practical. Keep it out of direct sun and away from a supply register so the reading is useful.

The thermostat display is useful too, but it may be in a hall or another floor. Use the bedroom reading for the City standard. The 80°F figure is a legal ceiling for measured bedrooms. Comfort and equipment health require separate checks.

The City’s minimum standards and Healthy Homes FAQ set the cooling requirement and complaint path, but they do not give one repair deadline for every AC report. Avoid promising a universal deadline. Document the report, inspect or dispatch, provide status updates, and use legal advice for lease, entry, or compliance questions.

What to record

Request a photo of the thermostat showing the displayed room temperature, setpoint, mode, and fan setting. Ask whether the system is in COOL, whether air is moving from the registers, and whether that air feels cool, room temperature, or warm.

Then collect:

exact property and unit through the secure service channel;
reporter name and callback number;
time the problem began and last time cooling worked normally;
every room affected or a list of the problem rooms;
steady, intermittent, weak, or absent airflow;
visible water or ice and the exact location;
new odor or severe sound;
recent utility outage, storm, roof leak, plumbing work, thermostat change, or HVAC visit;
photos of the thermostat, room thermometer, visible water or ice, and exterior equipment.

Carrier’s no-cool guide supports thermostat, airflow, filter, ice, and outdoor-unit observations. A landlord intake should stop short of asking the tenant to change filters or operate electrical controls.

Do not ask the tenant to reset a breaker, remove a panel, clear a drain, chip ice, touch the outdoor unit, enter an attic or crawlspace, or handle refrigerant. ENERGY STAR puts internal coil, drain, charge, and measured airflow work in the contractor portion of its maintenance checklist.

Check outage status without closing the request

An area outage can explain why equipment stopped. Check Entergy’s live outage tools and ask whether lights and other major equipment in the unit have power.

Treat the outage map as area context. Confirm power and cooling at the unit before closing the request.

Do not tell a tenant to reset a tripped HVAC breaker. A repeated trip can indicate an electrical fault.

Build the dispatch packet

Give the technician the observations plus the equipment information already held in owner records: system type, indoor and outdoor locations, model numbers, age if documented, prior service, warranty, known access issues, and recent repair history.

Name the person who can authorize work and the approval limit. State who can grant lawful access, the available time window, pets, locked areas, and how the technician should contact the occupant. Send gate codes, full addresses, tenant records, and access details through a secure channel.

Do not frame the packet around tenant blame. “Thermostat was set wrong” is still a control finding to verify. “System is running” does not establish good working order.

The dispatch question should be clear: restore cooling, diagnose the cause, document measurements, and identify any work outside the HVAC scope. Roof, plumbing, electrical, building-moisture, or utility work may need another party.

Keep the owner responsibility visible

The current Healthy Homes FAQ says owners or property managers hold compliance responsibility and should conduct their own inspections or walk-throughs. Review the City’s Healthy Homes FAQ instead of treating tenant photos as the final inspection.

Tenants can use 311 and the City’s complaint process for potential violations. The current paths are listed in Healthy Homes renter resources. State the process neutrally; intake should never be used to discourage a complaint.

Covered repair or replacement work may need a City mechanical permit and the proper licensed contractor. The mechanical-permit page controls the current local process.

Update the tenant after dispatch

Confirm that the request was received, what immediate safety action applies, who is being contacted, and when the next update will arrive. Give a realistic update time instead of a false arrival promise.

After the visit, record the diagnosis, measurements, work completed, room temperature, and next action. Note whether cooling was restored or a temporary plan and follow-up remain active.