Reserve Studies Continued From Page 27


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your reserve study provider, attorney and/or other industry professionals would be happy to attend to assist in the discussion.


Poll Your Residents


While exterior inspections may reveal the current condition of the exterior envelope, often, little is known about the interior of the units. Sometimes residents may be  a problem, or they know there is a problem but simply fail to say anything. Polling residents on an annual basis is a great way to encourage them to report issues and catching problems early helps the association save money down the road. The questions will vary based on each individual community, however, here are a few common ones:


Questions For Residents


 Are there any active water leaks in the unit?  Are there wet patches, staining or mold on the drywall?


 Do windows open and close correctly?  Do interior doors open and close correctly?  Is there cracking of the drywall?  Does the resident hear dripping or other unusual sounds coming from the plumbing?


 Does the resident notice singeing or a hot smell coming from the electrical?


Don’t Defer for the Wrong Reasons


Understandably, many associations want to get the most for their money and in doing so often attempt to delay routine  asphalt seal coating.


Associations delay routine  painting, deck recoating and asphalt seal coating.


As reserve study providers, we commonly hear when 


28 Community Associations Journal | October 2021


 a perfectly acceptable response if the association did its  a vendor or other expert, but if the association did not  a board member looked at their deck and decided the  rely on that information.


 before they “look like they need it” to prevent increased costs down the road.


 before the item “looks like it needs it” to prevent increased costs down the road. Deck coatings, for example, are much more cost effective to proactively recoat the topcoat rather than to strip and replace the entire coating system because the topcoat was allowed to wear too long. Asphalt seal coat is another example; proactively keeping your asphalt seal coated has shown to prolong the useful life of the asphalt. Waiting until the asphalt shows signs of deterioration to apply seal coat is counterintuitive as the intent of the seal coat is to help delay the onset of deterioration. The  is not yet needed, it should make any decisions to defer based on a professional evaluation and not an arbitrary decision by the board of directors.


Intrusive investigation, structural assessments, and assessments of internal systems such as plumbing and electrical are beyond the scope of a reserve study.


Call in the Experts (And Follow Their Advice)


As mentioned earlier, a reserve study site visit conducts a limited visual review for budgetary purposes only. Intrusive


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