Maintenance Plan Continued From Page 23
maintenance manuals for manufacturers’ maintenance guidelines (particularly to maintain warranty). Communicate with your trusted vendors for advice on key maintenance activities, frequency, and cost if they provide such service. You could also contact manufacturers technical staff, and of course conduct research online.
Review any operation and maintenance manuals for manufacturers’ maintenance guidelines (particularly to maintain warranty).
Finally, the board of directors should walk through the community with open eyes to see if anything was missed. What about hidden aspects like drainage systems, electrical, soils and slopes, below grade waterproofing?
2. Create Your Plan—Scope, Budget & Schedule
Based on your research, delegate the scope of work formulation and budgeting to the building and finance committees, if such exist. Review existing contracts, noting any deficiencies or overage of services that may lead you to revise their scope at the next opportunity.
Gather cost data and be sure to ask about projected inflation. Because you are investing considerable time and resources for your plan, and inflation is at a 40-year high, consider actual expense history. However, taking a zero-based approach to budgeting is most common.
Expand your line item spreadsheet to show subsets of maintenance tasks and their required frequency.
26 Community Associations Journal | September 2022
Expand your spreadsheet or other framework in your master list to show subsets for frequency, (i.e. weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly or annual), and tasks, (e.g. inspect, test, clean, lubricate, seal, tighten, etc). Allocate for minor local repair and / or ensure significant contingency in the maintenance section of your operating budget. Have a checkbox for allocation of expenses to operating, reserves, or both.
Set up a system to ensure owners are adequately maintaining appropriate components/assets.
Include Owner Responsibilities
Don’t exclude any Limited Common / owner responsible components from the list; again, it is the board’s duty to set the standard of care of the community. You should communicate the standard of care to owners, and set up a system of inspection to ensure owners are adequately maintaining appropriate components/assets. Items like deck coatings, or sealants, potentially have significant ramifications to the associations’ common structural components.
3. Work Your Plan—Employ Oversight
Now that you have created a well-researched plan and budget, assign and schedule compliance oversight walk-throughs to ensure you’re getting what you contracted for.
Augment your walk-throughs with professional inspections for life-safety systems, building envelope and structural components.
Take notes, pictures and videos with your phone. Let your vendors know if they are doing a great job or
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