HVACBossPro Blog — Property Managers & Commercial

Make-Ready and Turnover HVAC Calls Between Tenants

When a tenant moves out, a property manager has a short window to get the unit ready for the next one. Paint, carpet, cleaning, and somewhere on that list, the heating and air. A make-ready or turnover HVAC check is one of the easiest ways for a small shop to become part of a manager's routine, because it happens on a schedule the manager already lives by.

What a Turnover Call Is

Recurring maintenance, covered in Quarterly PM Visits for Commercial HVAC Customers, comes due on a calendar. Turnover calls come due on a move-out. They are one-time jobs at a vacant unit, usually with a deadline: the new tenant moves in next Friday.

Plenty of HVAC companies that work with property managers offer a standard turnover check as part of how they work with the manager. It is not something the software decides; it is a practice you set up with each manager, and HVACBossPro gives you the place to run it.

What to Check in a Vacant Rental

A turnover is the best time to look at a system, because nobody is living there and nobody is in a hurry to get you out. A practical turnover check usually covers:

• Replace the filter. The last tenant may never have changed it.
• Run the system in heating and cooling and confirm it works.
• Clear the condensate drain line and check the pan.
• Check the capacitor and contactor.
• Look at the coils and the blower for dirt, pet hair and anything unusual.
• Check that the thermostat works and has fresh batteries if it uses them.
• Check the return grilles and supply registers for damage or blockage.

Anything that needs a repair gets a quote while the unit is still empty, which is the easiest time to do the work.

Set Up the Turnover Job

When the manager texts that a unit is vacant, the office creates a one-time job on that address under the manager's account. Because the address already has its equipment record, the tech knows the filter size and where the unit is before leaving the shop. Add a turnover check to your service list so it prices and reads the same every time.

If you have a standing turnover checklist, keep it in a note on the account so it shows on every turnover job for that manager.

Access to an Empty Unit

Vacant units usually mean a lockbox or a key from the office. Keep the lockbox code in the access notes on the address, and update it whenever the manager changes it. Some managers change codes after every move-out. If yours does, ask them to text you the new code with the turnover request, and update the address before the tech goes.

Access is covered in more detail in Tenant Access, Lockboxes and Keys: Getting Into Rental Units for HVAC Calls.

Group Vacancies on One Van

Turnovers tend to bunch up. The end of the month, the end of the school year, the start of summer. When a manager has three or four vacancies at once, put them all on one van on one day on the dispatch board and auto-route them from the shop. Vacant units have no tenants to schedule around, so they are easy to fit in and easy to route tight.

A typical setup is one van on repair calls and one on maintenance. Turnover checks fit well on the maintenance van, especially in the weeks between the spring and fall rushes.

Photos for the Move-In File

Managers keep a file on every move-in. Before and after photos from your turnover check belong in it: the filter you pulled, the clean drain line, the thermostat working. Taken on the tech's phone, they are saved with the job and can be shared with the manager. If the new tenant claims the air never worked, the manager has proof it did on the day they moved in. More on photos in Proof-of-Service Photos Property Managers Actually Want From Their HVAC Company.

Quote Repairs Before the Tenant Moves In

If the tech finds a weak capacitor, a rusted drain pan or a blower motor that is struggling, write the estimate right then from your service list. The manager approves it online, and the approved estimate becomes the scheduled job. Doing the repair while the unit is empty saves an emergency call two weeks after the new tenant moves in.

Bill Turnovers With Everything Else

For managers on monthly billing, turnover checks land on the monthly statement with every other job, each line labeled with the address. The manager can charge the turnover to the right owner without asking you. For how turnovers fit with the rest of property manager service, see the HVACBossPro commercial HVAC software page.