Up-to-date and efficient HVAC service is a huge attraction when you’re advertising rental property. The quality of your HVAC equipment is one of the main things tenants look at before renting. But just as your HVAC can help you find good tenants, it can also be the source of endless conflict with tenants. This will happen if you don’t outline your own and the tenant’s HVAC responsibilities from the get-go.
Emergencies with the HVAC system can make a rental unlivable and invalidate the implied warranty of habitability you gave to your tenants. Common HVAC problems such as refrigerant leaks, other kinds of leaks, thermostat malfunctions, blocked filters, and ignition issues all provide valid grounds for tenants to initiate legal action. This is at least one reason to take HVAC maintenance seriously.
How should you assign responsibility for HVAC service and maintenance in a rental? Should you take complete responsibility, should you let tenants handle it, or should you look for a middle ground where you and the tenants share responsibility? These are the basic methods for allocating responsibility for HVAC maintenance in a rental and each comes with its specific problems.