Condo Media - March 2017 - 45

procrastinate and tend to things only
when they are significant problems.
The same is true for condominium
associations. The pressure to keep
maintenance expenses down means
routine maintenance is often neglected. However, since the board has
a fiduciary responsibility to manage
funds wisely, maintenance items
should not be overlooked. Proper
maintenance can often dramatically
extend the life of common element
building components. A few examples
come to mind:
n Pavement deterioration. Failure to

maintain walkways can lead to tripping hazards and related liability, not
to mention poor curb appeal to buyers.

n Inadequate ventilation. This is a

common problem that causes moisture problems and overheating roof
materials. Both are conditions that
will lead to premature component
failure or ice dams and subsequent
interior water infiltration.

n Decks railings and connections.

Often, deck details such as improper
ledger fastening or lack of flashing
are such that they may encourage rot.
Failure can be dangerous.

Because maintenance has such a
significant effect on the useful life of
building components, it becomes an
important consideration in the reserve
study. So-called "useful life" tables are
helpful, but only provide average values
for components. Proper maintenance
can affect the useful life of some components by 50 percent or more.
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT
The Maintenance and Repair Committee should meet at least once a month to
review repair needs and set priorities.
The committee's first order of business
is to develop a written maintenance and
repair policy available to all unit owners. This is important, as it establishes a
clear procedure for performing repairs

and avoids future disputes of how the
association's funds are used. This policy
should include:
1 Definition of priorities, i.e. emergency, preventive, cosmetic
2 Who will be responsible for regular
repairs
3 Processing routine repair requests
4 Process for hiring contractors
5 Regular maintenance contracts (lawn,
elevator, HVAC, snow plowing, etc.)
6 Need for a maintenance superintendent and who supervises
7 Handling complaints
8 Maintaining a planned maintenance
schedule
9 Maintaining records of past and present projects

tion of a qualified contractor to the
board. The policy may define how to
handle jobs costing less than $500,
$500 to $2,000, or greater than
$2,000. This may further dictate the
need for job specifications, payment
schedules, contract documents, and
construction monitoring and administration.
Needless to say, a maintenance and
repair plan will be an evolving tool
requiring adjustment as the board and
committee discovers what works and
what does not. The important thing is
that there is a plan and a path for the
future well-being of the community.

n JACK CARR, P.E., RS, LEED-AP,
IS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT WITH

To establish a firm foundation for
a repair plan, a building condition
survey should be conducted. This
basement-to-roof review can be performed in-house or by a professional
building inspector engaged to provide
an informed, unbiased assessment of
the physical condition of the various
common building and site elements including siding, roof surface, structural
framing, foundation, water infiltration,
electrical, plumbing, HVAC, flooring,
light fixtures, paving, etc. Providing a
questionnaire to the unit owners during this process not only engages the
unit owners in this important work but
also may reveal common defects not
readily known.
When repair projects are approved,
the committee is charged with creating a scope of work and a budget. The
various projects should be sorted by
priorities and timing, as rarely can any
community conduct all needed repairs
at one time. These individual project
budgets will form the annual budget
for maintenance and capital repairs
and in turn establish a long-term plan
looking out no less than 10 years but
often 20 years.
The committee should seek outside
contractors when needed, solicit and
evaluate bids, and recommend selec-

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March 2017 45
Condo Media - March 2017

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