Renting
How to rent a portable air conditioner for a heat wave
Sizing a portable AC to the room, the window kit you need, and why renting one for the hot week beats buying one for the closet.
A heat wave in a house without central air, a broken AC with a repair booked for next week, or a nursery that will not cool down is a few days with a portable unit. Neighbors list them by the day and the week, and they are the item most often booked in a heat wave.
Sizing it
- Around 8,000 BTU cools a bedroom; 12,000 to 14,000 BTU handles a living room.
- Sunny rooms and kitchens need more.
- Dual-hose units cool faster and are worth asking for in a big room.
What you need from the listing
- 1The window kit and exhaust hose. Without them the unit heats the room it is cooling.
- 2A window the kit fits: sliding and double-hung windows are standard, casements are not.
- 3The remote and the drain plug or hose, if it does not self-evaporate.
For the general rules on short-term appliance rentals, read renting appliances short-term, then find a portable AC near you.
Frequently asked
Does it need to drain?
Many units self-evaporate in normal humidity. In a damp room they fill a tank; the listing or the owner will say.
How loud is it?
Comparable to a window unit. Ask the owner if you plan to sleep next to it.
Borrow it from a neighbor instead.
Deposit-protected bookings, priced by the day.
More appliances to rent from neighbors
Priced by the day, deposit-protected, from people nearby.
Pelonis Portable Room Air Conditioner
Oswego, IL · Appliances
$10 / day
Pelonis Portable Room Air Conditioner
Oswego, IL · Appliances
$10 / day
Instant bookBissell clean view swivel vacuum
Bolingbrook, IL · Appliances
$10 / day
Bissell Little Green Hydrosteam Pet Carpet Cleaner
Bolingbrook, IL · Appliances
$11 / day
Keep reading
Renting appliances for a short-term need: carpet cleaners, portable AC and more
When a rental beats buying an appliance you need for a week: carpet cleaners, portable air conditioners, dehumidifiers, air fryers and other one-off jobs.
How security deposits work on peer-to-peer rentals
What a rental deposit is, how Rentsome sizes it (30% down to 10% of item value, capped at $2,000), why it is a hold rather than a charge, and when it is released.
Cancellations and refunds: what you get back and when
Rentsome’s cancellation rules for renters and owners: full refund more than 12 hours before pickup, 50% inside 12 hours, and what happens when an owner cancels.