Apartment building maintenance to prevent building defects
A community living in an apartment sounds very attractive for many city dwellers. But when it comes to maintenance and repairing, which is a important responsibility of the association or property manager, there is always some stone bites. If the association or property manager conducts a routine maintenance of the building and have a well drafted plan to carry out this, many chances of emergency repairs can be avoided.
Maintenance tips to prevent building defects
Let us see what all can be done to a smooth maintenance of your apartment and reduce the chances of emergency repairs.
Good communication with contractors: Rather than simply hiring contractors and employees, in order to ensure a good work, there should be a good communication. There should also be a clear communication among tenants and between tenant association and the contractors or employees assigned to do the work. One need to have an active participation of every residents in the building in the building, as well as a carefully crafted decision making practices for a regular maintenance works to prevent defects.
Maintenance Committee: It is ideal to entrust a maintenance committee who is responsibility for managing, supervising and monitoring all repair and maintenance works from time to time. If you already have a maintenance committee, ensure that you have developed a written policy for their working.
Things to Ensure: Maintenance is generally defined as the works that are and should be done on a regular basis to keep buildings in good working condition. It includes activities right from cleaning the common areas, lubricating hinges and locks, tank cleaning, periodical generator and lift maintenance, checking of leaks and drainages, wiring and maintenance of common spaces, painting and several other things like that. Apartments usually have several maintenance work which you may be unfamiliar as resident of an individual house. The pre-monsoon or pre-winter seasons are ideally suited for such get together to discuss and correct any weather related issues in the building compound or apartment.
Repainting: Weathering and flaking are one of the most common problems that must be give immediate attention in order to maintain the apartment building. Since most paints have a shelf life of two to three years, it is recommended that the entire apartment complex must be repainted to prevent any weather related flaking. A well painted building every four to five years not only makes the building appear new, it also offers better value for residents living inside the building premises with better rates and rental prices.
Get Professional Help: Hiring the services of a structural engineer is recommended if there is any doubt with the quality of inner or outer construction. It is essential to note that most buildings made in India today have a shelf life of 70 to 80 years after which they need to be reconstructed. A proper maintenance schedule can help prolong the overall shelf life of the building. Only a structural engineer can check the skeletal structure of the building which is not visible to the naked eye. A lot of high rise buildings have come up in earth quake prone zones especially in North India. Hiring the services of a structural engineer can be useful for strengthening the weaker areas of the building especially as the building gets older.
A regular and preventive maintenance and prompt care for minor repairs will prevent you from many emergency repairs which are often expensive. So a preventive maintenance is a must have.
