The maintenance and preservation of the building is perhaps one of the most critical responsibilities of the board.

Our partnership ensures the maintenance program meets the day-to-day needs of the building. It is also designed to anticipate longer-term issues that will emerge.

We recommend ALL associations and cooperatives commission and update an engineering study/reserve study to best understand the sophisticated nature of your building and the immediate, short, and long-term needs for sound management. Those studies offer a roadmap for resources and oversight that will be needed to maintain and update common elements of the building over time. Without the benefit of this kind of study, it is common for association members to have a hard time understanding priorities or justifying expenses. Our section on reserve studies elaborates on their value.

Below are the overall maintenance categories to consider. These also heavily influence the budgeting process:

Day-to-Day/Contractual/Preventive
  • Landscaping
  • Routine heating and cooling maintenance + service
  • Fire extinguisher service
  • Gutter cleaning
  • Landscaping
  • Routine heating and cooling maintenance + service
  • Fire extinguisher service
  • Gutter cleaning
Mid-Term/As-Budgeted Items
  • Common equipment upgrade/repairs (water heaters/sump pumps/battery back-ups)
  • Entry system upgrades + access control replacements, as needed
  • Common equipment upgrade/repairs (water heaters/sump pumps/battery back-ups)
  • Entry system upgrades + access control replacements, as needed
Large-Scale/ Long-Term Projects
  • Masonry/pointing projects (other than spot tuck pointing)
  • Roof replacement
  • Boiler or major equipment replacement
  • Retaining wall repair/replacement
  • Elevator car renovation and/or replacement
  • Walkway restoration or repaving
Unexpected Maintenance + Repairs
  • Entrance doors system failure (i.e. magnetic locks)
  • Remediation from fire/flood or invasion
  • Vandalism or break-ins that require immediate security

As maintenance is scheduled and budgets are done, it is important to leave room for unexpected issues as they arise, along with improvements that might increase livability without a lot of outlay. This might include bulk trash pick up for things left in an alleyway, resources set aside to handle entrance or security issues, or some potted plants to create a more welcoming entry!