Nights are cooling off in Orange County, and the first cold one is when a tenant finds out the heater doesn't work. Four things we do on every rental each fall:

- Run it now. Furnace or wall heater on while it's still mild; service it if anything looks, sounds or smells off.

- Swap the filter. Fresh HVAC filter, and vents and returns clear of furniture and boxes.

- One way to report it. The tenant gets one clear way to report a heat problem, and a vendor is lined up who can respond quickly.

- Write it down. Date, filter size and vendor notes go in the property file.

California treats working heat as a basic habitability item, so this is worth doing early. What's on your fall maintenance list?

General information, not legal advice.