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- Tenant complaints
What the tenant said, and what it usually means.
Ten complaints property managers hear about heating and cooling — the likely causes, what you can check before calling, and what we do when we get there.
The complaint finder
Filter by what they're describing.
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Our side is freezing, theirs is roasting.
- Likely causes
- One unit or thermostat serving spaces with different loads — a sunny west side and a shaded interior, a conference room, a server closet. Out-of-balance dampers.
- Check first
- Where the thermostat is, whether diffusers are blocked by furniture or closed, and whether the complaint follows the sun.
- What we do
- Measure airflow at the diffusers, check dampers and the unit, and recommend rebalancing, a moved thermostat, a new zone or a controls change.
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Water is dripping from a ceiling tile.
- Likely causes
- A blocked condensate drain, a cracked or rusted drain pan, or a frozen coil thawing. In rain, possibly a roof curb around a rooftop unit.
- Check first
- Turn the unit to off at the thermostat if you can, protect equipment and furniture, and note whether it is raining.
- Call now
- Water above a ceiling spreads. We clear the drain or pan, find why it backed up, and tell you if the roof side needs a roofer.
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It gets stuffy every afternoon.
- Likely causes
- Not enough outside air — an economizer stuck closed or a ventilation setting turned down — or more people in the space than it was designed for.
- Check first
- Whether it lines up with meetings or a full office, and whether the fan runs continuously during occupied hours.
- What we do
- Check the economizer and outside-air damper, fan settings and schedule, and whether the space use has changed since it was designed.
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The air is blowing, but it isn't cold.
- Likely causes
- A failed compressor or capacitor, a refrigerant leak, a badly dirty condenser coil, or an economizer stuck open on a hot day.
- Check first
- That the thermostat is set to cool and below room temperature, and that the unit's breaker hasn't tripped.
- What we do
- Diagnose the unit on the roof, repair what failed, and tell you whether it is a one-off or a unit that is aging out.
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The thermostat says 72 but it feels colder.
- Likely causes
- A thermostat on a warm wall or in sun, drafts near windows or doors, very dry winter air, or a sensor that has drifted.
- Check first
- What is near the thermostat — a copier, a sunny window, a supply diffuser blowing on it.
- What we do
- Check the reading against a calibrated instrument, and move or re-sense the thermostat if its location is the problem.
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Something bangs in the ceiling when the heat comes on.
- Likely causes
- Ductwork expanding as it warms, a loose access panel, or a blower motor or bearing starting to fail.
- Check first
- Whether it happens only at start-up (often ducts) or continuously (often the unit).
- What we do
- Find the source, tighten or isolate ductwork, and replace worn blower parts before they fail completely.
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The unit keeps turning on and off.
- Likely causes
- An oversized unit, a thermostat too close to a supply diffuser, a clogged filter, or a safety switch tripping.
- Check first
- When the filters were last changed, and whether it happens in heating, cooling or both.
- What we do
- Find which control is stopping the unit and why. Short-cycling wears equipment out, so it's worth a visit.
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There's a burning smell when the heat comes on.
- Likely causes
- On the first cold day, dust burning off the heat exchanger — brief and normal. If it lingers, an electrical fault or an overheating motor.
- Check first
- Whether it fades within the hour. If it smells like gas — rotten eggs — that's different: evacuate and call the gas utility or 911 from outside.
- Call if it lingers
- A burning smell that doesn't fade needs the unit shut off and checked.
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The restrooms smell, even after cleaning.
- Likely causes
- A restroom exhaust fan that has stopped, a slipped fan belt on the roof, or an exhaust fan scheduled off.
- Check first
- Hold a tissue to the exhaust grille — it should pull.
- What we do
- Repair or replace the exhaust fan and check its schedule and wiring.
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It's so dry the static shocks hurt.
- Likely causes
- Colorado winter air: cold outside air carries little moisture, and heating it makes the relative humidity drop further.
- Check first
- Whether it is worse on the coldest days — it usually is.
- What we do
- Check that outside-air amounts are right (not more than needed), and talk through whether humidification makes sense for the space.
Why start with the complaint
Tenants describe symptoms. We look for causes.
"Too cold" is not a diagnosis. The same complaint can come from a thermostat in the wrong place, a stuck damper or a failing unit — and each has a different fix and a different cost.
Knowing what is likely before we arrive means we bring the right parts, and you get a straight answer faster.
Homes
At home, the same complaints apply.
One room too hot, water near the furnace, a burning smell on the first cold day, air that isn't cold. The causes are similar in a house — and so is the advice: check the simple things, then call.
Heard one of these?
Send us the complaint.
Building, suite, what the tenant said. We will book a time and tell you what we find.