Are You Getting Your Maintenance Dollar’s Worth?

Published in the ECHO Journal, May 2011

We talk and talk about maintenance in broad terms: landscape maintenance, pool maintenance, lighting maintenance, roofs, gutter, paving, site cleaning and on and on. We never really get into the nitty-gritty details of what the maintenance tasks really are. We never talk in detail about maintenance schedules, or what should be included in each maintenance contractor’s scope of work.

It Is Time To Correct That Oversight

Here are a series of schedule-oriented checklists that set out specific maintenance tasks, and how often homeowner committee members (or the community manager) should check to be sure that the tasks are done. How frequently the tasks should be checked on also tells you how often your maintenance contractors should be doing the work.

If you separate the tasks by type of work, you will have a basis for drawing up maintenance scopes of work for your association’s various maintenance contractors.

Drawing up these scopes of work does two things:

1. It allows you to check that your present maintenance people are doing all that they should do for you.
2. It provides a basis for getting competitive bids for future maintenance contracts.

The Maintenance Inspection/Action Checklists are laid out with weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual and three, four and five year inspection/action items. They are easily edited or supplemented to tailor them specifically for your association’s facility.

We hope you find them educational as well as useful.

Weekly

• Look for and correct any sprinkler system leaks.
• Replace any broken sprinkler risers or heads.
• Test and amend pool water quality.
• Test and amend spa water quality.
• Clean the spa.
• Check common area lighting and replace burned out lights.
• Inspect and clean laundry rooms, including cleaning dryer filters.
• Inspect lawn areas for mowing height, edging, over or under watering.
• Clean common area walkways.
• Clean common area garbage spaces and recycle spaces.
• Clean the exercise room. Wipe machines and benches with disinfectant.

Monthly

• Inspect ground planting maintenance.
• Check landscape watering and correct over or under watering.
• Remove and replace all dead landscape plantings.
• Clean pool filters.
• Clean spa filters.
• Clean common area garages.
• Check for/remove abandoned vehicles.
• Clean common area buildings such as the clubhouse or pool house.
• Notify owners or tenants who are cluttering the common areas with personal property or debris to remove same.

Quarterly

• Replace dead, over-aged or out-of-season ground plantings.
• Check and prune common area shrubs and hedges.
• Service all oil-fired water heaters or hot air furnaces.
• Treat common area/garbage areas for pests.
• Re-bait all pest (termite) bait stations.
• Check and renew any termite control stations.
• Test all common area fire alarms.
• Reset any slipped tiles in pools, spas and fountains.
• Check irrigation system electrical controls and timers for proper operation.

Semi-Annually

• Clean all roofs and gutters.
• Treat landscaping for pests/disease.
• Inspect pool/spa lining for spalling, tile loss.
• Inspect and service gas-fired hot water heaters.
• Inspect common area hot water heaters for anode and cathode losses.
• Inspect common area hot and cold water piping anodes and cathodes.
• Check sidewalks for raising and shifting.
• Fertilize lawns and ground plantings.
• Check all solar panel piping and correct all leaks.
• Ensure that all roof, balcony, walkway or wall leaks previously reported have been repaired.

Annually

• Check that all storm drains are clean and free flowing.
• Check roofs and flashings for ageing, maintenance needs.
• Inspect all common area walkways and decks for rot, damage or other maintenance needs.
• Mark common area trees for pruning or canopy thinning.
• Inspect paint for blistering, peeling, chalking or caulking failure.
• Inspect siding and trim for cracking, spalling, blistering, rot or delamination.
• Inspect and service all common area air conditioners.
• Inspect and service all common area electrical hot water heaters.
• Winter: check lawn areas for drainage problems to be corrected in the spring.
• Inspect/service all common area elevators.
• Have all common area fire extinguishers inspected, tested if necessary and refilled.
• Test all common area emergency lighting and replace dead or dying batteries.
• Check paving for and repair any potholes, alligatoring, ruts, spalling, cracking or root damage.
• Review all maintenance vendor contracts and make any needed changes.

Every Three Years

• Repair, reseal and restripe all roads and parking areas.

Every Four Years

• Paint or stain all wood siding, trim and walkways.