event like a water loss or a fire at your building breaks your operational continuity, the property manager needs to regain continuity to the highest extent possible.

Does your restoration vendor understand your operational flow? If not, then when they respond to an emergency call, they cannot know how best to support you as they begin mitigation. All too often, decisions are made and actions are taken by vendors without your knowledge or consent. YOU should remain in charge, and the vendor should approach project management with YOUR unique continuity in mind. How soon do you need the affected area for use? Are there affected units with small children, elderly resident or immune-suppressed residents who require special attention? Without knowing your operational needs, the restoration project may cause unnecessary hassle, additional time and expense to your operational flow.

SOMEONE KNOCKED OVER THE PUNCH BOWL

It’s bound to happen. Something unexpected, whatever that may be, will disrupt the party. In the daily world of property managers, numerous things pop up that require action to bring continuity back to normal. Experienced managers know what to do because they’ve dealt with these things before… many times.

In the case of property damage events, a property manager may have never had a disastrous event in their building. Or maybe they have, but it was years ago. But uncommon events like water losses, fires, discovering mold growth, even trauma scenes… these are all easily capable of throwing your “party” into chaos.

DON’T PLAY “SPIN THE BOTTLE”

Ah, memories…everyone has one about this teenage game that can either turn out great or, well, terribly wrong. There are innumerable variables associated with property damage events and the fewer random possibilities for a bad outcome, the better.

Don’t spin the bottle on which restoration vendor arrives on your disaster scene. Pre-qualify the company and be certain they understand your operational needs. We know that management contracts have been lost as a result of poor handling of a disaster recovery, so take the opportunity to plan for successful recoveries that put you and your operational continuity as the highest priority.













  

 24 | COMMON INTEREST® A Publication of CAI-Illinois Chapter