Don’t call the handyman… yet! Use this guide first to troubleshoot some of the most common household maintenance issues at your short term rental (or your own home!).
Guest complaint – Air Conditioning not working
If a guest complains the system isn’t cooling, the easiest thing to try is to shut the system off for 5 minutes then turn it back on. If you have a wifi thermostat then you should be able to do this remotely.
If the remote reset doesn’t work and you need to go to the property, the first thing to look for is dirty filters. When the filters get really dirty, they can cause the blower fan to trip a breaker or overheat. Change filters first, then (in a typical AC system) check the outdoor compressor and condenser unit.
At the condenser check – is the fan spinning? Is the air coming from the fan noticeably warmer than the surrounding air? If no to either of those, it would be good to check the circuit breaker for the system and turn that off then back on to reset it.
If you find that the circuit breaker is on, then you may have at problem with a start/run capacitor. This isn’t a difficult DIY job but given the voltages, you may want to call a pro. If you want to see how we sometimes force a start as a quick fix till we can get a pro out, check out this video.
If the outdoor unit seems to be working but you don’t feel any air coming from the ducts, you may want to check the breaker for your forced air unit. If that doesn’t help, you may have a bad blower fan in the forced air unit and you’ll need to call a pro.
Guest complaint – Slow bathroom sink or shower drain
It’s probably hair right at the entrance to the drain. This is not a fun job, but it’s also not a difficult one. We keep these on hand for a quick fix. If that doesn’t clear it, it’s probably time to call a plumber.
Guest complaint – garbage disposal not working
Vacation rental guests seem to put a lot of stuff that doesn’t belong in garbage disposals in them, which can jam the motor. When the motor is jammed, usually the disposal has an overcurrent breaker with a reset button (on the base of the unit under the sink).
Sometimes you’ll be able to get it going just by pressing the reset button and trying to start it again, but most of the time you’ve got to address whatever is jamming the motor by removing debris or using a tool.
Many disposals have hex bolt on the bottom of the motor shaft and you can insert an allen wrench to manually spin the motor. This should unjam the motor. If there isn’t a bolt on the bottom to insert an allen wrench, we carry these handy tools around that you can insert from the top and spin the motor.
Guest complaint – Refrigerator isn’t cooling
This one comes up a lot. It was probably overloaded with groceries when the guest arrived and is now having to work overtime to cool the new contents. This issue should resolve itself in a few hours, but sometimes overnight if it’s an older fridge or is full of room temperature drinks.
Guest complaint – Ice Maker not dispensing ice
This one can be related to the issue above if the fridge got loaded up with lots of items. Most normal ice makers don’t make that much ice in a 24 hour period so if guests are using a lot, it might not ever catch up.
You’ll also want to check if the ice maker is actually turned on. Maybe a previous guest turned it off from the settings menu or a switch inside the freezer. Some also have metal bars that need to be in the “down” position.
Guest complaint – microwave isn’t heating food
Most likely someone set the power level lower. Keep note of how to adjust yours back to full power.
If it’s not that, try unplugging it and plugging it back in (if they can reach that). Usually above the range microwaves are plugged in just above the unit in a cabinet.
Guest complaint – dishwasher
Some dishwashers are finicky about the start procedure. We have one were you have to hit start, then close the door in just a few seconds otherwise it wont start. Check your dishwasher for quirks before hosting.
If the issue is that it’s not draining, check if the drain screen as the base of the dishwasher is clean. These are often overlooked and fill up with gunk. Some dishwashers also have a float switch that goes up and down like a fishing bobber and sometimes things can get jammed underneath like a piece of food or broken glass, so check to make sure this moves up and down freely.
Guest complaint – electrical outlet not working
First ask whether it’s a bathroom or kitchen outlet. If so, it’s likely a gfci outlet with a test and reset button that needs to be reset. We find a lot of quirky ways that gfci outlets get wired – like one bathroom outlet in a four bedroom house needs to be reset for the rest of the bathrooms to work – so it’s best you test them all out before hosting guests.
An outlet tester and a non-contact voltage tester are essential tools if you’ll be troubleshooting.
If it’s just a normal outlet, keep good records or properly label your circuit breaker panel and have the guest check for tripped breakers.
Guest complaint – Dryer not working
The most likely culprit for a dryer not heating is that the lint screen is clogged with lint and causing the burner to overheat and turn off. Check the lint screen or see if lint has made it past the screen, sometimes the grate where the vent exits your house gets clogged up too. We like this tool for cleaning out dryer lint.
Guest complaint – pool or hot tub not heating
If you have pool equipment, you really need a remote access solution. The Jandy iAqualink and Pentair Screenlogic are the most common options.
If you’re having heating issues, the first thing to do is try turning the heater off for a few minutes and then back on. This restarts their startup cycle and sometimes will get them working.
Another thing that happens sometimes is previous guests will turn off the heater manually on the heater itself. If this happens, your remote access can’t override this and you can ask the guest to try and turn it back on. We always put a big label on the heater saying “don’t touch” and we take pictures to have handy to send to guests to direct them to check if its turned off and how to turn it back on.
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