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My AC is not working: what New Orleans renters can do

New Orleans law says your rental's cooling must keep bedrooms at 80°F or cooler. The steps if yours can't: tell your landlord in writing, measure and document, and use 311 if it isn't fixed.

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Yes — in New Orleans, working cooling is the landlord’s legal responsibility. City law says a rental must have a cooling system in good working order that can keep all bedrooms at 80°F or cooler. If your AC is out, the steps are simple: tell your landlord in writing, measure and write things down, and report it to the city if it doesn’t get fixed. This page states what the ordinance says and links the city’s own documents. It is information, and a lawyer is the right person for legal advice.

Ordinance text verified October 16, 2026, against the New Orleans Code of Ordinances, Ch. 26, Art. XIII on Municode.

What the law says

Section 26-656 of the city code sets minimum standards for every rental in Orleans Parish. The cooling standard reads:

Each rental housing unit shall have a cooling system in good working order that can safely maintain a maximum temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit in all bedrooms, measured at a point three feet above the floor and two feet from exterior walls.

The rule covers houses, apartments, condos, short-term rentals — even a room you rent from a roommate with no written lease, according to the city’s Healthy Homes FAQ. (A few places are excluded, like hotels, motels, and licensed care facilities.) Your landlord is also supposed to register the unit with the city and give you a copy of the minimum standards.

First, a safety note. If anyone in the home is confused, fainting, or losing consciousness during a heat wave, that can be heat stroke — call 911. The National Weather Service lists the warning signs of heat illness. Get the person cooled down and cared for first — the AC comes after.

Step 1: Tell your landlord, in writing

Text or email works. Say the AC is not cooling, when it started, and which rooms are hot. Ask when it will be fixed. Keep a copy of every message.

Writing matters for two reasons. It starts a record with a date on it. And the code’s anti-retaliation rules work better for you when you can show you reported the problem — the Rights of the Lessee handout explains those protections.

If air comes out of the vents but the house stays warm, the landlord’s repair person will want details. Here is what that symptom usually means — you don’t have to diagnose anything, but noting “air blows but it’s warm” versus “nothing turns on” helps.

Step 2: Measure and write things down

The law names an exact measuring spot, so use it. Put any household thermometer in the bedroom, three feet above the floor and two feet from exterior walls. Keep it out of direct sun and away from an AC vent. Wait for the reading to settle.

Write down, or photograph:

  • The temperature, with the date and time (afternoon readings matter most)
  • The thermostat display, if you have one
  • Every message you sent your landlord, and any reply
  • The dates anyone came to look at it, and what happened

A dated reading from that exact spot is the most useful record you can keep, because it matches how the standard is measured.

Step 3: If it isn’t fixed, report it to the city

The law gives you the right to report violations and request an inspection (Sec. 26-680). Three ways, straight from the city:

  1. Call 311, or file online at nola311.org
  2. Email healthyhomesenforcement@nola.gov
  3. Ask for an inspection of the unit when you report

A city inspector can then check the unit. If it fails, the landlord gets a notice and a deadline to fix it, and the case can go to an administrative hearing after that.

Your landlord can’t punish you for reporting

The ordinance prohibits retaliation. Raising your rent, cutting services, refusing to renew, or threatening eviction because you reported a problem is against the law (Sec. 26-680). If something like that happens within six months of your report, and there is probable cause to believe a violation occurred — shown by a citation, an inspection notice, photographs, or other evidence — the code presumes it was retaliation and makes the landlord prove otherwise (Secs. 26-680(d), 26-681). Keep your dated records — they are what makes that protection work.

For legal help, the city’s FAQ points renters to Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, which offers free civil legal aid to people who qualify.

While you wait

Close blinds on the sun side, run fans, and sleep in the coolest room. If the heat is dangerous, cooling centers open during extreme heat — NOLA Ready lists them. And if you’re curious what the landlord’s side of this looks like, the landlord compliance guide covers the same ordinance from the other direction.

Sources

  1. New Orleans Code of Ordinances — Ch. 26, Art. XIII, Healthy Homes Program (Municode), accessed 10/16/2026
  2. City of New Orleans — Healthy Homes Minimum Rental Standards (2025 handout), accessed 10/16/2026
  3. City of New Orleans — Healthy Homes, Rights of the Lessee, accessed 10/16/2026
  4. City of New Orleans — Healthy Homes FAQ, accessed 10/16/2026
  5. National Weather Service — Heat-related illness, accessed 10/16/2026

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