Quick Tip: Ensure Tenants are Changing Air Filters

28 Sep Quick Tip: Ensure Tenants are Changing Air Filters

Nothing is more frustrating than getting a maintenance request from a tenant saying that their air conditioner isn’t working and when the HVAC vendor get’s there, they find that the cause is a clogged air filter that hasn’t been changed in months. If your lease requires the tenant to change air filters regularly, you should be checking up on them to ensure they are fulfilling their lease requirement. But other than a guess based on how dirty it is, how do you know if the filter currently installed is 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, or even 12 months old. Here is a tip that I have found extremely helpful in this area.

Prior to a new tenant moving in and while doing your move-in inspection, ensure that the air filter is brand new. If not, install a new filter. Then, on this new filter, write your initials and the current date. During your next periodic inspection, check the filter to see if it is the same filter you installed or if it’s a new filter. This will be readily apparent now because if you see your initials on the filter, you know for a fact it hasn’t been changed and you’ll have evidence to approach the tenant with. If it has been changed, great. Pull it out and once again, write your initials and date on the new filter. This way you’ll know once again if it has or has not been changed on subsequent inspections.

Make this a habit and ensuring compliance in this area will be a breeze.

Ben Parham

Founder at Property Management Training Headquarters

Ben Parham is the Founder of Property Management Training Headquarters as well as the President and Managing Real Estate Broker of Integrity Realty & Management, Inc., a cutting edge real estate sales and property management brokerage operating throughout the Greater Denver Area. Ben served as the 2018 President of the Denver Chapter of the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM) and currently serves NARPM National as a Southwest RVP Ambassador. Ben is a U.S. Navy veteran where he was a Cryptologic Technician (Technical) and was awarded the Joint Service Achievement Medal, two Navy Achievement Medals, and a Good Conduct Medal. He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and is licensed as a real estate broker in both Colorado and Florida.