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Commercial · Maintenance ContractsCommercial HVAC Maintenance Contracts
A commercial HVAC maintenance contract is an agreement about three things: exactly which equipment is covered, how often somebody looks at it, and what you receive in writing afterwards. Everything else — response priority, filter supply, after-hours arrangements, and what happens when a unit is past economical repair — belongs in the same document. If a contract cannot answer those questions on one page, it is not a contract, it is a subscription.
Start with the asset list, because a contract that does not name the equipment cannot be enforced by either side. We walk the site, tag every unit physically, and record make, model, serial, location, approximate age and current condition — rooftop units, splits, make-up air, exhaust fans, unit heaters, boilers, thermostats and controls. That list is yours to keep. It is also the single most useful document a multi-site operator can own, because it ends the recurring argument about whether a given unit was ever covered, and it lets any technician who shows up know what they are walking into before they climb a ladder.
Visit frequency should follow duty, not a template. A rooftop unit over a retail floor typically wants two proper visits a year — one before cooling season and one before heating season — with filters on a separate, more frequent cycle. A make-up air unit over a grease kitchen needs more, because grease loads filters and coils at a rate no office system ever sees. A warehouse unit heater may only need an annual combustion and safety check, but it needs that one reliably before the first cold week. Sites with dusty processes, heavy cooking or coastal-style humidity coming off Lake Ontario earn a shorter interval; a small clean office does not, and we will say so rather than sell you visits you do not need.
What you get back matters more than what happens on the roof. Each visit produces a per-unit report: what was inspected, readings taken, what was cleaned or adjusted, photographs of anything of concern, filter sizes and quantities used, and a recommendation with a reason attached rather than a checkmark. Over a year those reports become an aging list you can budget from — which units are healthy, which are on borrowed time, and what a replacement would involve. That is where the honest capital planning happens. Two current pressures make it more urgent than it used to be: equipment on older, phased-out refrigerants is getting more expensive to keep running, and the industry move to A2L refrigerants is changing what replacement equipment is available, which our A2L refrigerant guide explains. For rooftop budgeting specifically, see what a commercial rooftop unit costs and the RTU replacement guide.
On the commercial terms: we price from the asset list and site access rather than by floor area, we bill per site so each property's books stay clean, and we do not add overtime, weekend or holiday surcharges — which matters when the only time we can be on your roof is Sunday morning. We are an owner-operated shop at 4145 North Service Road in Burlington, so Burlington, Oakville and Hamilton are our home ground and the wider GTA is a normal run. Why preventive service saves money covers the reasoning, commercial HVAC covers the rest of what we do, and contacting the shop starts with a site walk and a written scope.
Equipment we install and service
Coils cleaned, refrigerant and superheat verified, economizer and damper operation confirmed, belts and bearings checked, condensate drains cleared, electrical connections and amperages read, and heat exchangers and burners tested before heating season.
Gas-fired make-up air units, kitchen and washroom exhaust and process fans. Burner and flame-safeguard testing, interlock verification, filter changes on a schedule that matches how dirty the environment actually is, and a check that supply and exhaust still balance.
Combustion testing with recorded readings, venting inspection, safety and limit control testing, pump and valve checks on hydronic systems, and a written record you can produce for an insurer or an inspector.
Schedules confirmed against how the building is actually occupied, sensors checked for placement and calibration, setback and lockout settings reviewed, and a filter program with sizes, quantities and change dates recorded so nobody is guessing at the supply cupboard.
What goes wrong in these buildings
- I have several buildings and no single list of what equipment is in any of them.
- The last agreement was a page and a half and nobody could tell me what it excluded.
- Filters get changed when somebody remembers, which is not a schedule.
- I find out a unit has died when a tenant calls, not when a technician does.
- The reports I get are checkmarks on a form with nothing I can put into a budget.
- Everyone quotes a monthly number and nobody will tell me what it actually buys.
How it works
Every unit found, tagged and recorded with condition and age, including the ones missing from the building's own records. Access constraints, roof hatches, keys, lift requirements and landlord rules get documented at the same time so scheduling is realistic.
What is done at each visit, how often, what the filter program includes, what the response priority is, and — the part most agreements skip — a plain list of what is not covered. You should be able to read it once and know what you bought.
Per-unit reports after every visit, and an annual roll-up that sorts the equipment into maintain, budget and replace so next year's capital request is written before anybody asks for it.
Common questions
What should be in a commercial HVAC maintenance contract?
A named asset list with serial numbers, the number and timing of visits per unit, the specific tasks performed at each visit, the filter program, the response priority you get as a contract customer, the rates for work outside the scope, the term and cancellation terms, and an explicit exclusions list. If the document does not name the equipment or say what is excluded, the two sides are going to disagree eventually, and it will be at the worst possible moment.
How often should commercial equipment be serviced?
Match the interval to the duty. Twice a year is the sensible baseline for rooftop units and splits that both heat and cool, with filters more often. Grease-laden kitchen equipment and dusty industrial environments need more frequent attention because that is what loads the filters and coils. A simple unit heater in a clean warehouse can often run on a solid annual combustion and safety check. Anyone who quotes the same interval for every building has not looked at the buildings.
Does a maintenance contract include repairs?
Ours does not, and you should be careful with anyone who says theirs does without limits. Preventive maintenance covers inspection, cleaning, testing, adjustment and filters; parts and repair labour are quoted separately so you can see what you are approving. What the contract does give you is priority scheduling when something fails, a technician who already knows your equipment, and far fewer failures to begin with — which is where the money actually comes back.
Is a contract worth it for a small building with one rooftop unit?
Often not, and we will tell you that. For a single unit on a small office or shop, an annual visit before heating season, a second before cooling season, and a filter routine you handle yourself covers the ground without any agreement at all. Contracts start paying off when you have several units, several sites, tenants who call you first, or equipment old enough that you need a defensible replacement plan.
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