Every multi-unit property maintains its terminal HVAC equipment. The only question is whether the work is scheduled or triggered by a complaint.
What reactive actually costs
Reactive work is emergency-priced, unplanned, and performed under time pressure in an occupied space. It usually addresses the symptom that generated the call, because the technician has a queue.
The same unit then generates another call, and the underlying condition — the coil, the wheel, the drain — is never corrected.
What preventive changes
Preventive work is scheduled into soft periods, priced per unit, performed to a fixed scope, and documented. Failures move from surprises to forecasts, because the deficiency list tells you which units are heading for trouble.
The middle ground most properties are in
Many buildings do filter service on a schedule and everything else reactively. That is better than nothing, but filters do not reach the blower wheel, the coil face or the drain pan, which is where most complaints originate.
Making the switch
The transition normally starts with an assessment to size the deferred backlog, followed by a first pass that clears it, followed by a routine cycle that is materially cheaper than the first pass. Budgeting for that shape up front is what keeps the program alive past year one.
Want to know the condition of your equipment inventory?
A-TAC maintains PTAC, VTAC, water-source heat pump and mini-split systems across the NYC metro area — New York City, nearby New Jersey, Westchester and Long Island. We can assess a representative sample of units or the full inventory and report what we find.