Five Community Association Maintenance Tips for Long-term Success

Community association board members who are invested in making progressive improvements are vital to a community’s success.  

They are responsible for all the changes, additions, and modifications that a community undergoes over a period of months, years, and even decades.  

Keeping a community well-maintained and operational is one of the board members' key financial responsibilities. When a community is taken care of proactively, the year-to-year budget is, on average, much less than those communities whose board members undertake maintenance haphazardly, or on a rising-need basis.  

A well-maintained community is not built overnight. There are certain things that board members must do to ensure that their community stays ahead of big expenses.  

For this post, Management Plus has provided five key maintenance steps you as a board member must take to ensure the long-term success of your community.  

Five Steps to Community Success 

As a thoughtful board member, the residents of your community rely on you for community association maintenance and stable association property values.  

The best way to ensure that you are making progressive steps to better your community is by getting ahead of major expenses before they arise. This process is much easier on your yearly expenses, meaning you will have more long-term funds to make upgrades.  

Consider these five tips to help prepare your community for long-term success and to help increase the values of your association properties.  

Create a List of Trusted Maintenance Vendors and Contractors 

The best way to develop lasting maintenance solutions is by partnering with vetted and trusted local vendors.  

Start by soliciting bids for a local maintenance vendor and checking local contractors for service quality and reputation.  

The right vendor will help make community association maintenance easier and will decrease your fund expenditures over time. Not only that, but they will also advise you on when assets must be repaired and replaced to maximize their value.  

To find the best vendor for you, follow these steps. 

• Hire a vendor that has a thorough understanding of your systems.  
  
  
• Verify that your selected partner is licensed and insured. 
   
• Request and check all vendor references.  

Perform Regular Inspections 

After you have assembled a team of trusted contractors, it is time to set up regular inspections of your assets.  

Regular inspections help ensure you maintain the value of your association properties by preventing total system collapses.  

You should have your contractors inspect your systems at least twice per year, but you can opt for more frequent inspections if you have old systems or a larger budget.  

Take heed of any signs of wear or deterioration and be sure to refer to your trusted contractors for advice on when to repair your systems.  

Create a Maintenance Calendar 

You will never know exactly when your utilities or infrastructure will break down, but you can get a rough idea after you have performed regular inspections.  

Use the information you have ascertained from your regular inspections to help you estimate the lifespan of your community’s assets.  

This includes pipes, public spaces, hardscaping, masonry, sidewalks, plant life, signage, and more.  

Review your inspection reports carefully and consult with trusted experts to create a lifespan timeline for your assets. 

Set Up a Reserve Fund 

For proper community association maintenance, every management team must have a reserve fund.  

A reserve fund is a budget board members set aside to prepare for additions, repairs, and replacements. Your reserve fund is easy to create if you have already set up a tentative maintenance schedule because you will already have a rough idea of what you will need to upgrade over the fiscal year.  

Common knowledge dictates that you should have roughly 70% of the funds you need stored in your reserve fund. This will help ensure that you can afford any projects and make allocating budget space easier when the time comes to upgrade.  

Keep Homeowners in the Loop 

One of your most important jobs in the world of community association maintenance is keeping your homeowners aware of repairs, upgrades, and changes.  

Educate homeowners on why a decision was made, where their money is going, and how maintenance decisions will benefit them.  

Most importantly, listen to their feedback. This will help you determine your resident’s needs and what they would like to see going forward.  

Better Community Association Maintenance with Management Plus 

At Management Plus, we understand that no two communities are built the same way. Your community is unique, and it needs a maintenance plan specifically tailored to its best interests.  

That’s why our maintenance plan is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Our maintenance division employs experienced technicians who listen to your needs and work to proactively maintain your community.  

If your community is ready for a boost in community association maintenance, then it is time to reach out to Management Plus.