A property manager's maintenance contract has to do more than keep units running. It needs a tenant complaint process, clear after-hours access rules, a way to separate common area equipment from tenant equipment, repeatable reporting for ownership, and condition data that feeds capital planning. Many rooftop units per building make the equipment list and unit tagging the foundation of the whole agreement.
- Property managers answer to two audiences at once: tenants who want a comfortable space and owners who want a clean report and a predictable budget.
- A tenant complaint should start a defined sequence, with a logged request, a response, a diagnosis, and a recorded outcome.
- Many rooftop units on one roof only work as a program if every unit is tagged, listed, and tied to the space it serves.
- Common area and tenant equipment need separate lines in the contract so cost allocation, access, and approvals are clear.
- The best maintenance data doubles as capital planning input: condition, age, repair history, and remaining useful life per unit.
Serving tenants and owners from one contract
An office or mixed-use property has a different maintenance problem from a restaurant or a school. The equipment is shared across people who did not buy it and do not control it. A tenant feels a warm conference room and calls the property manager, who calls the contractor, who finds a unit that serves three suites. Meanwhile ownership wants to know why the building's repair line grew.
A contract written for this setting has to give the property manager tools for both audiences: a way to respond to the first and a way to answer the second. The pieces are described below, and they build on the general maintenance contract scope of work page.
Handling tenant complaints as part of the contract
Most comfort complaints in offices are not equipment failures. They are airflow, zoning, scheduling, or thermostat issues that a trained technician can identify quickly if the visit starts with the right questions. The contract should anticipate that.
- The complaint is logged by the property manager with suite, time, symptom, and who reported it.
- The contractor identifies the unit or units serving that space using the equipment list and zone map.
- The technician checks the schedule, setpoints, and unit status before climbing the roof.
- If a repair is required, the contractor reports root cause and a recommended action, not only the part replaced.
- The outcome is recorded against the unit and the suite, so repeat complaints are visible.
| Complaint | Likely causes to check first | What the record should show |
|---|---|---|
| Space too warm | Unit schedule, failed cooling stage, dirty condenser, closed damper, thermostat location | Unit ID, readings, whether cooling was verified at the space |
| Space too cold | Stuck economizer, reheat or control sequence, setpoint overridden | Setpoint history and economizer position |
| Hot and cold spots | Duct balance, VAV box operation, return path, tenant improvements that changed layout | Zone map, measured airflow, tenant changes noted |
| Noise | Fan belt, bearing, loose panel, duct vibration | Source identified and corrected |
| Water stain | Condensate drain, pan, roof penetration | Source and whether it is mechanical or roofing |
Water stains and similar leaks are worth separating by trade. A condensate overflow is mechanical; a flashing leak around a curb is a roofing matter, and the contract should say who addresses each. The root-cause diagnostics guide explains why recording the cause matters more than recording the repair.
After-hours access and tenant coordination
Office buildings restrict access in ways that other building types do not. Roof hatches are locked, mechanical rooms sit behind tenant suites, and some work is better scheduled when floors are empty. The agreement should resolve these questions before the first call.
- Roof and mechanical room access: who holds keys or codes, how a technician checks in, and whether a building engineer must escort.
- Tenant suite entry: advance notice rules for entering a suite to reach a thermostat, a ceiling unit, or a fan coil.
- Quiet or low-impact work: which tasks must wait until after hours, such as crane lifts, shutdowns that affect a floor, and noisy repairs.
- After-hours and weekend calls: how an urgent call is placed, who authorizes it, and what constitutes urgent for the property (a data room or medical tenant is not the same as a general office).
- Insurance and building rules: certificates, loading dock hours, elevator reservations, and any building-specific requirements for contractors.
- Roof safety: fall protection, roof walkway condition, and any roof warranty restrictions on foot traffic.
Define response expectations in words that both sides can work with, and avoid vague promises. The terms, response times, and exclusions page covers how to compare those clauses between bidders.
Many rooftop units on one building
Low-rise office buildings and business parks often carry a dozen or more rooftop units, sometimes of mixed age, brand, and size. This is where programs fall apart. If units are not tagged and listed, the contractor cannot prove each was serviced, and the property manager cannot tell which unit serves which suite.
- Unique unit identifiers on the unit itself and in the contract, matched to a roof plan.
- Zone and suite mapping so a complaint goes to the right unit the first time.
- Condition ranking to separate the aging units that need closer watching.
- Route planning so a technician can complete every unit in a defined window rather than dropping by one unit at a time.
- Batch reporting that gives a building-level summary and unit-level detail.
The DaVinci Portal provides QR-coded unit records with service history, readings, and photos, which is a practical fit for exactly this problem. Each unit's visit is logged against its tag, and a property manager can look up one unit or the whole roof. For what a single visit should cover, see the rooftop unit PM visit checklist.
Common area equipment versus tenant equipment
Leases differ, so confirm yours. In general, base building equipment such as central plant, shared rooftop units, and common area systems is handled by the landlord, while supplemental units, server room cooling, and tenant-installed equipment may be the tenant's responsibility. The contract should reflect that split so costs and approvals reach the right party.
| Category | Typical examples | Contract handling |
|---|---|---|
| Base building and common area | Lobby and corridor units, shared central plant, building exhaust, common restroom ventilation | Property manager approves; cost flows through the operating budget per the lease |
| Shared suite-serving equipment | Rooftop units serving one or more leased suites | Listed by suite; confirm who approves repairs and how costs are shared |
| Tenant-owned or tenant-installed | Supplemental split systems, server room cooling, kitchenette exhaust | Separate line or separate agreement; tenant approval required |
| Special use tenants | Medical, lab, data, or restaurant tenants with higher requirements | Individual scope and response rules; see the restaurant maintenance contracts page where kitchens are present |
When an office building is considering larger system changes, the office conversions cluster discusses convert-or-replace decisions that the maintenance record can inform.
Reporting to ownership and feeding capital planning
Ownership groups and lenders want two things from a maintenance program: confidence that the asset is being cared for, and a forecast of what is coming. A report that answers both has a short summary, a building-level table, and unit-level detail behind it.
- Summary page: visits completed, open findings, urgent items, and decisions needed.
- Unit table: unit ID, area served, age, last service, condition rating, and recommended action.
- Repair history: repeat failures flagged, with root cause where known.
- Replacement outlook: units to monitor, units likely to need replacement in the near term, and notes on code or refrigerant implications.
- Tenant impact log: complaints received, resolved, and recurring.
Condition data is what turns a repair line into a plan. When the same roof shows three aging units with compressor trends worsening, a phased replacement is easier to defend than three emergency calls. The maintenance reporting and documentation page expands on the format. Replacement itself is covered in the commercial RTU replacement page, and portfolio owners will find more in the multi-site programs page.
Contractor shall service each unit on the attached equipment list by unit identifier and shall record the suite or area served. Contractor shall log each tenant service request received through Owner's designated contact, report the diagnosed cause and outcome, and provide a summary to Owner after each visit cycle that includes condition observations and recommended capital items. Work on tenant-owned equipment requires prior tenant approval communicated through Owner.
What to confirm about the contractor
Davinci performs its mechanical, refrigeration, and controls work with its own UA Local 250 crew and does not subcontract it. Roof repairs, structural support, and electrical service work belong to other licensed trades, so the property manager should have those responsible parties named in the contract or in the building's vendor list. The property management industry page outlines how Davinci works with managed buildings.