HVAC Maintenance Plan Recommendations?

Question

Hey Guys. I am about to turn my primary residence into a rental and I am trying to decide the best way to ensure HVAC maintenance given that doing it myself will not be an option. I think getting a maintenance plan would be a good way to ensure the filters will get changed at least twice a year. Do you guys know of a good HVAC service guy in the DMV area, who offers a good deal on these plans? I've heard in BP forums that HVAC guys can sometimes alert you to other maintenance issues that they notice etc. Any recommendations would be very much appreciated!

Also, how do you guys ensure HVAC maintenance that does not involve getting a service plan?

Val Csontos · Answer

@Anurag Kumar My HVAC repair tech guy of 15 years who works during a day for a large local HVAC co, told me that the maintenance plans or yearly visits are used basically as  opportunities for the HVAC co  to convince the owner that something costly is broke and needs repairs. Instead of wasting your money you might want to print out the harmful effect of not replacing the filter for residents and make sure the tenants always get a copy and warning,

Also you can take it a step further and you can-write it in the lease that "if the filters are not replaced regularly tenant understand that this will cause a $300 repair bill at the end of tenancy, where tech or HVAC cleaning co. needs to come out and clean the system." These two ways usually takes care of the problem for you at no charge!

Good Luck to you, and let us how did you solved this issue for your rental.

Val

Richard Weinberg · Answer

@Anurag Kumar

I don’t want to upset your day but tenants tend to think of rental home maintenance like they do rental cars. And, changing or not changing furnace filters is a great example. Still if we bought service contracts on each homes hvac system it would have been a bad financial decision versus actual repair and maintenance expenses.

Good luck!

Bill B. · Answer

I don’t think anyone has ever found any of them to be a good deal who wasn’t trying to sell you one. There’s zero chance I would pay $50/year. Maybe if it was $25/year for a couple visits per year I might pay it, but probably not.

With a dozen properties in vegas the $50/year each would be higher than my average repair expenses for all properties combined for the year. So unless the $50/year each included a zero deductible, all inclusive warranty it’s going to be cheaper to skip it, and that’s in vegas. In MN my parents ac system is over 25 years old, the filter might get changed once per year, and they’ve spent nothing on repairs.

It’s probably a lot like the coolant flush and rust undercoating where it used to be more important? What percent of owner occupants do you think use that kind of service? 1%? What percent change their filters regularly 25% 50%?

If this ends up being one fo your biggest worries, you’re living the dream.

Richard Mollel · Answer

If you insist on having a maintenance plan, BGEHOME, in my opinion is a decent company to deal with (Not sure company recommendations are allowed here).

Samir Patel · Answer

@Anurag Kumar

Hey Anurag, I have an HVAC guy that recently serviced my property. He’s solid but I’m not sure if he does routine work like you’re looking for. Feel free to DM me if you’re interested and I can send you his contact info

Account Closed · Answer

@Anurag Kumar

Focus on automation. Twice a year is nothing nearly often enough if your fan is running at all during that month just change the filter on the 1st.  12 filters get left, each with the month written on them. Make a quick 2 minute YouTube video showing how to change the filter (correct orientation). Automate 12 emails reminding of rent due & to change filter requesting a quick reply with picture of new filter in place.

If the above doesn’t result in the tenant changing the furnace filter then focus on tenant selection/ screening. Make sure they know during the application process items such as this that are their responsibility.

Work hard at being lazy. Engineer yourself out of the process.

Anurag Kumar · Answer

Hi Frederick. I agree and will apply your advice. Thank you! Also I am stealing your quote- "Work hard at being lazy. Engineer yourself out of the process." :D

Anurag Kumar · Answer

Hi @Richard Mollel. Thank you so much for the great advice. Actually I do have the ecobee thermostat so this is a low hanging fruit. Thanks again!

Richard Mollel · Answer

In a couple of my rentals I have installed Ecobee smart thermostats, and connected them to the tenant's WiFi network. I get to know of problems at times before the tenant notifies me, e.g. an alert saying "The systems has been calling for heat, but the temperature has dropped by 5 degrees", or summer time, "The system has been calling for cool in the last hr but temperature has risen by 3 degrees", or "High humidity detected" is often a sign of a non-cooling system. You may also add custom alerts, such as for "Change Filter"  for every 90 days and maintenance alerts. I ask the tenant to text me after the filter has been changed so I can update the alert with the change date (all on my phone). They have been pretty good at doing that now, as the alerts goes to the tenant as well as to myself.

The  money I would have spent on a "maintenance contract" is instead saved for when an actual repair is needed. And, if you ever have to install a new HVAC, go with a company that offers 10/10/10 warranty (compressor, other parts, labor), and you will be good for that property for that long.

Anurag Kumar · Answer

Richard, thanks for putting it like that. I agree. It is a dilemma and service plans are not cheap. I've been quoted $200/year. To me it looks like it may just be better to schedule service every few years plus hit and trial to get tenants to change filters.

HVAC Maintenance Plan Recommendations?

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