Submit a Repair Request
It's easy to get maintenance help for your rental home.
IMPORTANT: Before you make a repair request, please read through the information below.
In the event of a real emergency where your personal safety is threatened, call 911 for help.
For maintenance emergencies, call our office.
Keeping the A/C drain line clean is quite simple. There is a pipe located at your Air Handler unit that should be easily accessible to you. This line needs to be clean and free of algae so that the condensation water can flow from the unit to the outside without flooding your home. One simple thing you can do is pour several cups of vinegar and then hot water down the access tube on your drain line. Alternatively, you may use a few condensate drain line tablets placed in the drain pan or down this same line monthly. Done regularly, this will prevent algae build up that will eventually clog the line and cause the system to shut off, or worse, flood and cause damage.
Be sure to do this regularly. Remember that cleaning your drain line is considered normal home maintenance (like changing your air filters) that our residents are expected to perform. Professional clearing of a drain line can cost between $100-$150!
A great instructional video on how to do this is below:
Some homes may have a condensate pump. If you do, it's just as simple! But again, DO NOT use bleach as they mention in the video. Use white vinegar:
If your air conditioning or heating isn't working properly, we are going to ask you to check a few things to try and help get you up and running immediately as sometimes it is just a very minor issue that can be taken care of before your home even starts to get hot.
#1: Check your thermostat.
Many common problems are caused by accidentally changing the thermostat settings, or the thermostat resetting itself after a power loss or fluctuation.
Settings all correct or is there no power to the thermostat? Go to #2
#2 Is your condensate drain line clogged and/or drain pan overflowing?
Another of the most common reasons your AC may not be cooling is from a clogged condensation drain line. If
there is no power at your thermostat, this is likely because the drain line is clogged and an overflow switch has cut off power to the thermostat, turning off your AC so that the condensation line doesn’t overflow and cause a flood!
However sometimes overflow switches malfunction or are set up to shut power to the Air Handler vs. the thermostat. So the next thing you want to do is find your air handler (Usually located in the garage or in a small closet in the house) and check to see if the overflow switch has tripped. Check out this short video on what it looks like and how to check if it has tripped:
Was it the overflow switch? Attempt to unclog the drain line by checking out the section below titled “Clearing a Clogged AC Drain Line”. This should get you back up and running!
*Note: If your drain line has become clogged, it is in your lease that it is your responsibility to maintain this line. So, it is a good idea to attempt clearing your drain line no matter the situation before we send out an AC technician. In your tenant hand book and on this website, we have instructions on how to help prevent the drain line from clogging in the first place with the regular use of vinegar, hot water and a funnel, you can ensure your AC doesn’t quit on you due to a clogged line. Check out the section titled “Maintaining Your AC Drain Line” for instructions on how to do this.
If the above troubleshooting items are done, you have attempted to clear the drain line, and your AC is still not cooling, submit your Repair Request through your tenant portal and we’ll get someone out as soon as possible. Please remember though, we aren’t magicians and we can’t waive a wand and have a great technician out instantly (nor are they magicians and always have the specific parts to fix all problems all brands of AC’s may have, immediately). Depending on the season and when you submit your repair request techs may be too busy to schedule same day.
We too are Florida residents and have our own AC’s go out on us in the hottest part of the year and know it is MISERABLE. We have great relationships with our AC contractors and they do put our calls as priority, but sometimes we need your cooperation and patience during the summer season. All efforts are put into getting your AC working again within 24 hours or even the same day, but some things are out of anyone’s control and losing our cool in a hot situation doesn’t help, and usually only hurts our ability to have our contractors fix the issue as soon as possible.
If you’ve already troubleshot with checking the overflow switch and checking for power at your thermostat, you likely have confirmed if your issue is a clogged drain line or not. Even if it’s not 100% conclusive, performing the following to clear any drain line clogs is still a good idea. Check out this video for a demonstration on how to do this with just a small, standard wet/dry or shop vacuum.
NOTE that you do NOT need a special attachment shown in the video, a smaller wet-dry vac and a simple piece of cloth wrapped around it works just as well:
Any small shop vacuum should be more than enough to handle this and can be had for under $30 online (Like This One) or at a local home improvement store like Home Depot
If your disposal is leaking water from the bottom, it’s likely a gonner, so go ahead and submit your repair request. If however it is just not turning on, or all you get is a humming noise when you turn it on there are ways you can get it up and working again in no time!
Check out this video to get your disposal back up and running:
99% of the time, if one power outlet or the outlets to one area of your home are no longer working but the rest of the power in the house is on, you have a tripped a GFCI or breaker. GFCI outlets and breakers are safety devices to help prevent overloading an electrical circuit and sometimes will trip if you plug in to many devices at once or there is a power surge. Unplug your devices and simply press the reset button on the tripped GFCI outlet or flip the breaker for the tripped circuit.
Here is a helpful video on how to do this:
*NOTE: Not all outlets that are protected with GFCI have the re-set buttons on them. It is common to have outlets that are all on one circuit with one GFCI outlet with the reset button located in a completely different part of the house. Bathrooms usually have a reset located in just one of the bathrooms that control the outlets in all the others. It is also common to have a GFCI reset outlet in the garage that control other outlets in the home, so be sure to check ALL the outlets in the home to find the right GFCI to reset.
If your outlets continue to trip after you’ve unplugged your devices, submit your repair request and we’ll contact you ASAP.
Notice your toilet cycling randomly or the sound of water flowing into the bowl? It’s likely your flapper valve. This is a simple <$10 fix that you don’t have to be very handy to fix!
First, determine what kind of flapper is on the toilet now:
Then simply replace it in just a few minutes. There are many “How To’s” online, here is a good example:
Still leaky? Try some other troubleshooting issues before submitting your request. In most cases that don’t involve a complete replacement of the flushing mechanisms or the bowl itself, fixing a leaky toilet costs well less than $75 and would fall under a tenant responsibility per your lease.
If your toilet is clogged....
Please make every effort to clear toilet clogs before asking us for assistance. Most clogs can be resolved with a plunger and a bit of elbow grease. Be cautious when using a plunger to ensure you don't accidentally flood the bathroom.
Drain Backups
If your drains aren't clearing properly, you may be able to use a plunger or another drain cleaning tool to remove the blockage. Always exercise caution when using chemicals to clean the pipes, as some products may damage the system.
Dishwasher stink? Dishes not getting as clean as they used to? It may not be the dishwasher, but the maintenance of the dishwasher. Dishwashers clean dishes, but unfortunately they don’t clean themselves!
First step is to check the filter, usually at the bottom of the dishwasher under the bottom rack. Remove the filter and filter tray, clean them and check the drain to make sure nothing is blocking the water from flowing.
Additionally, to take care of funky smells, it’s a good idea to run a deep clean cycle with the dishwasher empty and with at least a full cup or more of vinegar poured into the dishwasher. Baking soda also helps take care of any lingering odors, and the combination of the two will help break up thicker buildup and make a cool fizz!
A helpful video on this can be viewed here
Are the corners of your shower moldy or cracking? The seam between the shower wall and tub cracked, "mildewy" or you can see there is nothing or little between the tile and tub? It's likely time to re-caulk your shower.
Generally it is good to do this once a year as not only does it keep your shower area looking clean and fresh, but also is important to prevent water from leaking and causing water damage behind the wall or on the ceiling below (if the shower is on a second floor).
Luckily the process is simple and only requires a <$10 tube of bathroom caulk and some time. Great how-to videos can be found below:
- Plan to not be able to use the shower for at least 48-72 hours.
- First, remove the existing caulk, clean it, then allow the areas time to completely dry out (~24 hours is a good rule of thumb)
- Use a caulking specifically made for the bathroom/shower and follow the instructions on it for how to apply.
- Once applied, be sure to wait at least 24 hours, and ensure the caulking has completely dried and forms a waterproof barrier at all the seams between the shower floor and wall and bathtub and wall.
- Because of drying time involved at each step, we recommend doing one shower at a time so you can use the other in the home while everything dries and sets.
This is considered regular maintenance that should be performed by our residents as the cost is minimal and it is simple to do. You may request we send a handyman to do this for you, however we would have to collect payment up front and it will likely cost quite a bit as they would have to come back to your home a few times to do each shower separately (or several times if you use the shower before the caulking is completely dry and it needs to be done again).
While Ice Makers are specifically excluded from repair on your lease, if your ice maker has stopped working you may want to try these simple troubleshooting items to get it back up and running.
1. Make sure the ice maker is set to the "on" position. This could be a wire lever, a switch, slider or fin. There should be some instructions or indicator on the icemaker itself (there may be a cover over the icemaker itself you have to move).
2. Check the Ice storage bin, is the ice melted into a block? Remove the bin and dump any ice in the bin to make sure there isn't a frozen block of ice clogging the mechanism that moves the ice out of of the dispenser.
3. If you just moved in, you may also want to check that the water line is connected. The easiest way to do that is to check and make sure the water dispenser is working. Otherwise you can also peak behind the fridge (do not move it too much if possible) and confirm if the water line looks to be connected.
If these don't work, still let us know and we'll see what we can do at that point; especially if you have just moved in and discovered the ice maker isn't working.
Should you have a screen become detached from it's frame or other damage occur to a screen, first determine if it is something you can do as most screen repairs on removable window screens or screens at a patio that don't require the use of a ladder to replace/repair will fall under the $75 resident maintenance clause in your lease.
For tears, patch kits can be purchased for just a few dollars at any local home improvement store. For help on how to use these check out this helpful video:
Should a screen be detaching from the frame, you may be able to simply re-attach the screen to it's spline or if it is damaged/ripped, replacing the screen can be deceptively simple! Check out the video below for details:
Still Need Help?
Sign into the portal to begin a maintenance request.
Log in Now
After logging in, please complete a repair request. Provide as much information about your issue as possible to help us take appropriate action.
New Tenant?
If you are new to BlueHome Property Management and having trouble accessing your account, give us a call: (407) 545-6188