Maintaining Aging Buildings: Older Structures Have Special Concerns

Nothing lasts forever, even with good maintenance—including most building components. Exterior elements are perhaps most subject to wear and tear in any climate. Their construction and material type dictate their maintenance needs and repair schedules; masonry façades clearly have different needs than wood or clapboard fronts. But with a good care program and a bit […]

Structural Systems: Protecting condominiums and high-rise buildings (HI)

On Take2 we have talked a lot about the effects hurricanes and storms can have on our single family homes around Hawaii. However, we also want to discuss the impact that storms and bad weather systems can have on our high rise buildings and condominiums.   Watch the report (after the ad)………………………………

Maintaining Roads, Driveways and Parking Decks (FL)

The intense Florida heat poses serious safety hazards and if not maintained properly, damages can progress to large cracks and potholes, neither of which you want in your parking lot, on your roads, or parking decks.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Façade Inspections: A Critical Component of Your Maintenance Plan

In light of the tragic condo building collapse in Surfside, Florida, earlier this year, condo and co-op boards, as well as rental building landlords, are taking a hard look at their building system inspection policies. While all mandatory inspections exist for a reason and should be taken very seriously, among the most critical is façade […]

How Preventive Maintenance Can Help Your Association (IL)

Preventive maintenance has always been an integral part of maintaining a property, but it has become even more critical in the new age of labor shortages. When your property manager suggests renewing or signing a contract for a vendor to provide preventive maintenance, your Board should seriously consider the option.   Read the entire article……………………………….

How Property Managers Prioritize Maintenance Requests

When managing multiple properties, maintenance and repair issues happen all the time. While you may think that dealing with these is a no-brainer, in reality, to consistently provide a high-quality service and achieve a degree of cost-effectiveness and responsiveness, prioritizing maintenance issues is essential.    Read the entire article……………………………….

Problem Solved: Avoiding Common Pitfalls on Capital Projects (NY)

I think that the most common mistake when a board undertakes a capital project is not thinking through exactly how much that project is going to cost. A board will say to us, “What’s your price for specs?” Or, “What’s your price for drawings?” And there’s no discussion of what the project will actually cost. […]

Tips For Associations Planning Large Repair And Construction Projects

Maintaining the association’s common elements is one of the primary responsibilities – – and headaches – – for associations and their Board of Directors. The duty is so important, in fact, it comes up multiple times in the Condominium Act (Florida Statute Section 718.111(4) to maintain, repair, lease, and replace the common elements; Section 718.111(3) […]

5 Benefits of Ongoing HOA Preventative Maintenance

As a society, we’re often told, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” But what this phrase commonly hides are lingering issues that should be dealt with right away before they become potential disasters.  Within an HOA, it’s vital boards stay proactive to prevent potential disasters from occurring by implementing an ongoing HOA preventative maintenance […]

Why Proper Maintenance & Winterization is Important for Your Property (CA)

In Southern California, we may not get temperatures as low as our northerly or easterly neighbors. However, there is still important maintenance and winterization that should be strongly considered. Proper maintenance and winterization can help avoid costly repairs, keep your equipment functioning and improve efficiency of your home.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Preventative Maintenance – Board Member Perspective (CO)

We all know it’s not so fun to spend money on those pesky community projects that don’t have a big wow-factor. The pretty projects are fun, but predictive maintenance is often the most valuable. It can be much less stressful for leadership to avoid maintenance topics that create tension among your community members. It might […]

Aging Infrastructure and Fiduciary Duties for Communities (CO)

Our communities are like our bodies; all the stress alleviation endeavors in the world won’t help us if we aren’t taking care of ourselves or our communities. Reflection or Meditation will not do us any good if we aren’t getting sufficient sleep. When we try to reflect or meditate, we might doze off because we […]

9 Things That Should be on Your Community Association’s Winter Prep List (IL)

If you live in a state that has all four seasons, you know that each one brings unique beauty…and unique challenges.  For example, in the Midwest, ice and frigid temperatures can cause ice dams and frozen pipes in condominium, homeowner (HOA), and townhome community associations.    Read the entire article……………………………….

How To Manage A Successful HOA Project

Residents pay a premium to live in an HOA-managed community and they expect certain returns on their investment. In addition to the obvious tasks such as keeping the community grass mowed, residents often demand capital improvement projects, such as installing a playground or constructing speed bumps. Besides keeping residents happy, these infrastructure enhancements have the […]

Costly concerns: Addressing long-term maintenance and repair

The condo collapse in Surfside, Fla., has forced community association residents, board members, and managers to reevaluate long-term maintenance and repair, yet even before the tragedy, the concern for the longevity of essential components has been rising in recent years.     Read the entire article……………………………….

Community Association Debris Removal After a Natural Disaster

Natural disasters and severe weather have caused immense damage to communities across the U.S. this year. Wildfires in California have already burned nearly 1.8 million acres in 2021 as firefighters struggle to contain numerous blazes, including the Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe. This week, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana as a category 4 storm, […]

How to Handle Emergency Repairs in Your Condo Association

Every type of building is subject to emergency repair situations. For example, a pipe may burst in the winter, or the roof may develop a dangerous leak. You may have an elevator go down, or your heating system breaks in the dead of freezing night. Storm damage may leave your building exposed and in need […]

Tips from Your HOA: How to Choose a Vendor for Your Maintenance Projects (MN)

For the most part, the idea of actual “maintenance free living” in a homeowners association is just that – an idea. In reality, people living in associations still have some maintenance responsibilities. When it comes time to perform maintenance on your home, here are some tips from the association’s perspective to keep in mind:    Read […]

Ensuring Proactive HOA and Condo Building Maintenance

The tragic collapse of the Champlain Tower South condominium in Surfside, Fla., in late June has raised concerns from board members, community managers, and residents about building safety and brought condominium structural integrity and maintenance to the forefront. While disasters like that in Surfside are extremely rare, association leaders can benefit from making building maintenance […]

Condominium Association Boards: Why You Should Not Avoid Maintenance (FL)

Disputes over the party responsible for the maintenance of various areas of a condominium complex are common. Disagreements frequently arise between unit owners and an association over whether the association or the owner is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of a particular area. This blog post provides an overview and summary of Florida law […]

Florida Building Collapse Highlights Serious Challenges Facing Condo Board

The collapse of Champlain Towers South near Miami, built in 1981, has made owners and buyers nervous. The dream of living near the ocean has been interrupted by the fear that some buildings might not be safe, and that owners’ investments could be in danger. It also highlights the problems that condo, community, and home […]

Deck Maintenance: Why It Is Important and How To Do It

Many homes and multi-housing facilities have decks as they have become a popular way of adding more space to a home; besides providing a place to relax outside, decks are wonderful places to entertain guests and enjoy outdoor dining, especially during the warm months.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Ripping off the Band-Aid: Getting Real about Repairs (NY)

Don’t settle for surface-level solutions.  No one likes to get hit with a huge cost that puts a dent in your co-op or condo board’s budget. A large repair or construction project could dip into the board’s reserves or even impose a special assessment. It’s understandable, then, when board members hesitate to make such big […]

Summer is here! Any Plans for Capital Improvement Projects?

I’m certain that there are many communities (another word “associations”) out there that are getting ready to do improvements around their properties during this perfect season such as resurfacing asphalts, exterior building painting, entrance water feature renovation, etc. Of course, summer projects come with the question of “Are we adequately funded for these projects”.   Read […]

4 Compelling Tips for Deck Maintenance

A deck is a great addition to homes and is equally gaining popularity in modern designs. It’s an ideal space for hosting outdoor parties, meetings, or enjoying the fresh air. But, despite its benefits, it can be a safety hazard if poorly maintained.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Breaking Point: Examining Aging Infrastructure in Community Associations

As buildings and their internal systems and physical components age, how can the com-munity associations that own them best prepare to meet the unexpected—but necessary—financial demands.  (From the Foundation for Community Association Research)     Read the report (PDF)……………………………………..

Ask the Builder: Condo collapse, rusty rebar and your home

Early reports indicate that the cause of the collapse may have been weakened concrete, as well as unstable soil under the structure. It’s going to take many months to complete a forensic study of this catastrophe, so keep in mind that much of what you see now in the news is speculation.   Read the entire […]

CAI Shares Condo Safety Resources in Wake of Surfside Tragedy

Condominium association residents and volunteer board members around the world understandably have questions about the safety of their own communities and are wondering how to protect their buildings after the tragic collapse of Champlain Tower South Condominium Association in Surfside, Fla. CAI is providing information and resources to help concerned residents and board members understand […]

Condo Repair Problems (FL)

After the collapse of Champlain South in Surfside and as proof of problems the condo suffered prior to the tragedy comes to light, other condo owners are sharing their concerns, sending us images of buildings in desperate need of repairs. And some are angry because those repairs have not been made. Do they have any […]

Creating a Maintenance Chart for Your Association

The driving goal behind homeowner associations is to benefit through sharing. Pools are expensive, but we all get a pool by sharing the cost. Keeping an expansive lawn is lavish for one purpose, but becomes a community park when shared and everyone benefits. Shared responsibility can cover the cost of regular maintenance and predictable repairs […]

Water damage in a condominium building (FL)

Q: A downstairs unit suffered water damage in our condominium building and we are fairly certain the damage is coming from the shower pan in the upstairs unit. The owner of that upstairs unit is refusing access and won’t let the association fix the common elements. The owner has represented that he fixed the problem, […]

The Common Element Conundrum – When Common Elements Damage Unit Interiors (NJ)

One of the most frequent hot button issues in condominium communities, particularly those with multi-residential buildings, is whether or not the association will pay to repair damage to a unit’s interior stemming from a defect or issue, such as a water leak, in the common elements. A condominium association has specific duties and obligations in […]

HOA Exterior Inspections: What Are They and What Do They Do?

One of the more common procedural tasks handled by property management companies is periodic exterior inspections. These inspections, typically made by management companies, with the assistance of the HOA board members in facilitating them, are an important part of maintaining an HOA’s quality and living standards dictated by state and local laws.   Read the entire […]

Maintenance worker should have a contract (IL)

Q: Our association is self-managed. The association uses a “handyman” to perform various services for the association. This person is paid on a per-job basis. It’s always been handled verbally and on a “handshake.” A newer board member is concerned about the lack of formality with this arrangement, and has suggested we need a written […]

Association Handyman – Employee or Independent Contractor? (CO)

Community associations in need of a handyman or other services may turn to hire homeowners or community residents to do small jobs within the community on an ongoing basis. The association may be tempted to automatically consider the individual to be an “independent contractor” rather than an employee in order to avoid payments such as […]

The Cost of Deferred Maintenance

Many communities find themselves with a dilemma. In the time of COVID-19, communities have many of their residents working from home or not at all. Their daily routine consists of walking the dog, convincing their kids that online schooling is working, logging into an online meeting, talking to clients and colleagues on the phone, then […]

Covenants and Maintenance

With Spring finally upon us, community associations and homeowners alike are planning for necessary repairs and renovations. Particularly in condominium and townhome communities, there can be a great deal of confusion and ambiguity surrounding who is financially responsible to either insure or maintain and repair a particular improvement.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Preventative Maintenance 101

Annual inspections and preventative maintenance are an important aspect to prevent larger issues from occurring in the future on every property, large or small. It is recommended that properties are inspected every year to look for maintenance concerns. Addressing the smaller concerns every year helps your Boards when preparing budgets and catching issues before they […]

Preventative Dryer Vent Care

While cleaning the dryer vent is not on the top of every owner’s to-do list, it is a crucial activity that, when neglected, can cause increased energy bills, expensive dryer repairs, and dangerous fire hazards. Thankfully, taking measures to keep these problems from arising is simple, only necessitating preventative dryer vent care.   Read the entire […]

Covenants and Maintenance (CO)

With Spring finally upon us, community associations and homeowners alike are planning for necessary repairs and renovations. Particularly in condominium and townhome communities, there can be a great deal of confusion and ambiguity surrounding who is financially responsible to either insure or maintain and repair a particular improvement.   Read the article…………………………………….

Preventative Maintenance 101 (CO)

Annual inspections and preventative maintenance are an important aspect to prevent larger issues from occurring in the future on every property, large or small. It is recommended that properties are inspected every year to look for maintenance concerns. Addressing the smaller concerns every year helps your Boards when preparing budgets and catching issues before they […]

The Cost of Deferred Maintenance (CO)

Many communities find themselves with a dilemma. In the time of COVID-19, communities have many of their residents working from home or not at all. Their daily routine consists of walking the dog, convincing their kids that online schooling is working, logging into an online meeting, talking to clients and colleagues on the phone, then […]

A Practical Guide to Community Association Roof Repairs

Most people would not consider roofing to be a hot-button issue unless managing a community association. HOAs and Condo Associations commonly find themselves facing conflicts regarding community roofing. Who pays for HOA roofing? How can members stay compliant with community roofing standards? Can you hire your contractor, or do they need board approval? These are […]

Make Your Roof Last Longer With Regular Maintenance

The roof is the one part of our home that takes quite a beating from the harshest elements day in and day out. While roofs are designed to last, the time will come when you have to replace them eventually. However, you can delay that for years with proper maintenance.  Some roofing maintenance work can […]