A NSW dad-to-be was floored after a property manager suggested there’d been “no mention of possible additional occupants” when he asked about installing an air conditioner before his baby arrives.

The New South Wales renter, whose child is due in December, said he contacted his property manager out of concern the small home would be too hot for a newborn during what is shaping as a brutal summer.

The property has no central airconditioning and only one unit in the living area, while the future nursery is too small to accommodate a portable air conditioner, he said.

In a message to the property manager, the father said he wanted to install an airconditioner in one of the bedrooms to make it more comfortable for the baby.

“I reached out to my real estate agent telling her that I wish to install an aircon in one of the bedrooms to make it comfortable for the little one,” he shared on Reddit.

“With the room being too small, I am unable to set up a portable aircon in the room.”

A NSW tenant was shocked to receive this response from his rental manager – all because he asked if an aircon could be installed to keep his baby cool this summer.

He said a portable unit was not a practical option because there was no room for the exhaust hose and he was worried the noise would disturb the baby.

“A split-system airconditioner would be a much more practical, quieter and longer-term solution,” he wrote.

But the reply he received was not what he expected.

“Thank you for your email. The cost of an additional AC is around $2000 even for a small one,” the property manager wrote.

“It is not the owners responsibility to make the property ‘more comfortable’ for a baby especially at such high cost.

“The property is small and the AC in the living area has always been sufficient for the property and there are ceiling fans in both bedrooms.”

The tenant later clarified that he had been prepared to pay for the unit and install it himself.

The final line of the email was the one that really shocked him.

“Also, consider your tenancy application was approved as a single leaseholder, with the knowledge your wife would be joining you for overseas, there was no mention of possible additional occupants.”

The father said the response felt completely unnecessary, especially given he had only asked whether the owner would consider the installation.

“What the f**k does ‘no mention of possible additional occupant’ even mean?” he said.

“Do I ask for your permission before we start planning for a baby?”

He later clarified he had been prepared to pay for the unit and installation himself, but had first wanted to see if the owner would be open to arranging it.

“All I asked was if owner would be OK to arrange installation for an aircon?” he wrote.

“My second recommendation would have been that if owner wasn’t willing, I am happy to pay for installation but I didn’t send that part and was trying my luck with this first.”

The tenant’s polite email to his rental agency.

The exchange has sparked a wave of reaction online, with many people incredulous at the suggestion an unborn baby should somehow have been flagged on a rental application.

“You should send this to the federal minister that has been questioning why we aren’t having more babies. Housing insecurity and housing suitability is a big one. At least it was for me,” one person wrote.

“‘There was no mention of possible additional occupants’. LMAO … no worries, just plan your family around your real estate agent. Delusional,” another said.

A third joked: “Also need to see that baby’s rental history for the last three years. Not actually being in existence is no excuse. Pediatric X-ray exams will suffice.”

The awkward exchange lands as renters around the country brace for another scorching summer, with many families facing the reality that keeping a home safe and comfortable in extreme heat is often not as simple as flicking a switch.