Resident Reports No Heat

TODAY — EMERGENCY in freezing weather

Or start with a sentence

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AR Logic LLC · Privacy

No heat in cold weather is a same-day problem, and an emergency —

  • A radiator under a window covered in frostwhen it is freezing,
  • An older resident wrapped in a blanket in a cold living room, holding a mugwhen anyone in the unit is elderly, very young or unwell,
  • Water pipes along a cold basement wallor when pipes are at risk.

Walk the resident through three checks by message — thermostat on Heat and set above room temperature with fresh batteries, the fan on AUTO, the furnace switch and breaker on — and ask for a photo of the thermostat and the furnace label while you line up an HVAC technician.

Your First Message to the Resident

  1. Outside an open front door at night, a hand holding a phone with 911 dialled

    If they smell gas or a CO alarm is sounding: they leave and call 911 from outside. Nothing else first.

  2. A thermostat glowing orange on a cold wall beside a frosted window

    Thermostat on Heat, set above the room temperature, fresh batteries; fan on AUTO (on ON it blows cold air between cycles) [1].

  3. A hand on a breaker in an open panel

    The furnace’s service switch (a light-switch on or near the furnace) and its breaker on.

  4. A grey, clogged furnace filter held next to a clean one

    The filter: if it is grey and clogged, replace it — a clogged filter can make the furnace shut its burners off [1].

  5. A resident’s photo of a furnace with its front panel open

    A photo of the thermostat screen and one of the furnace with its label.

How Urgent Is It?

  • A hand writing a short note under a desk lamp

    Checks Fixed It

    Log it. A clogged filter means the filter schedule is not working.

  • A row of blue burner flames inside a furnace, just lit
    TODAY

    Burners Light, Then Go Out After a Few Seconds

    Classic dirty flame sensor — an HVAC technician today [2].

  • A furnace in a dark utility closet
    TODAY

    Nothing Happens at All

    Power, ignition or control board — HVAC technician today. In freezing weather, agree a temporary heat plan with the resident, and remind them never to heat the home with a gas oven or stove [5].

Who to Send

A technician’s tool bag and torch on a floor
HVAC Technician.

What to Say to the Resident

A manager at a kitchen counter before dawn, typing a reply on a phone, snow outside

“Thanks for checking the thermostat. I’ll book an HVAC technician for today and tell you the time. If you smell gas or a carbon monoxide alarm goes off, leave straight away and call 911 from outside.”

The Triage Profile writes this line for every photo, matched to how urgent it is.

What to Record

  1. A window covered in frost at night, a thermostat on the wall beside it

    When the resident reported it and the indoor temperature if they can read it.

  2. A technician with a tool bag walking from a van to a building entrance at night

    When the technician arrived and what they found.

  3. A portable electric heater glowing orange in a dim living room

    Any heaters supplied.

Local Rules

New York City · October 1 to May 31

Heat rules are local and specific. In New York City, for example, from October 1 to May 31 owners must keep apartments at 68°F or more from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. when it is below 55°F outside, and at 62°F or more overnight regardless of the outside temperature, and provide hot water at 120°F all year [3]. Check your city and state.

Sources

  1. Carrier — Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
  2. Trane — Furnace not blowing hot air
  3. NYC — Heat season resources (heat and hot water requirements)
  4. ENERGY STAR — A guide to energy-efficient heating and cooling
  5. Ready.gov (FEMA) — Hazard information sheets: winter storms (never heat a home with a gas stovetop or oven)

Updated 30 Sep 2026 · AR Logic LLC

fixRAgent

Got the Resident’s Photo?

Drop it here. The Triage Profile says what it is, how urgent it is, who to send, and what to tell the resident.

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