How protected is your building from unforeseen emergencies? As a property manager, it’s important that you and your residents are on the same page when it comes to reporting and handling maintenance requests. The good news is that even if you aren’t prepared now, you can take steps to be prepared for the future.
Be Attentive
Safety hazards aren’t always officially reported via a specific phone call or through your maintenance reporting system. In some instances, a tenant may drop by the office to say hello, ask a few questions and casually mention that loose stair railing they happened to grip late last night or a weird puddle they just crossed in the hallway. The attentive manager takes notes and alerts the maintenance staff so that the mentioned issues can be inspected and repaired, if needed.
Keep the General Safety of Your Residents in Mind
There are systems in your building that are designed specifically to increase your building’s safety and keep residents safe, including door locks, security cameras, alarm systems and interior and exterior lights. As a property manager, it’s your responsibility to make sure these systems are inspected and tested regularly and repaired when needed. It’s also a good idea to be mindful of public areas. There shouldn’t be any trip hazards, floors should be kept dry and any problems with carpet and solid-surface flooring should be repaired in a timely manner.
Have Plans Readily Available in Case of Wide-Scale Property Emergencies
Do you have your emergency plans posted in readily viewable areas? These include escape routes in case of a fire and what to do in the event of a tornado. If you do have these posted and haven’t updated them in a long time, you may want to read through them to see if they still meet your residents’ needs and are accurate for the building, especially if you’ve performed any remodels or additions over the last few years. Additionally, you may also want to periodically send out pamphlets on what to do in case of a power or water failure and post that information on the community bulletin board or near the entrance doors.
Keep the Building Clean
Don’t forget about the overall cleanliness of your building, both on the inside and outside. The property surrounding your building should be clean and free of large twigs and leaves. You should strive to maintain your landscaping and keep any parking lots, parking lot drains and parking garages in good repair. On the inside of your building, it’s important to keep common areas clean and free of trash and flat surfaces, like tables and desks, dusted. Also, remember to mop and vacuum floors regularly.
In addition to general cleaning, it’s very important to wipe down commonly touched surfaces, this includes door handles, elevator buttons and handrails, hardback chairs and desktops as well as anywhere else residents commonly put their hands. Increasing the cleaning of frequently touched and used surfaces helps prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria.
Maintain Your Critical Systems
Certain equipment in your building is required by the Chicago building code. These items include electricity, heat and hot and cold water. This is because the failure of these systems would make your building unsafe and potentially uninhabitable. Therefore, it’s very important to keep all heating equipment, plumbing systems and electrical systems in good working order. If a tenant reports that a light switch isn’t operational, it should be fixed in a timely manner. If the plumbing system leaks, it should be repaired, and if the heat is out, you’ll need to call an HVAC technician, like those at Althoff, to have your heating equipment inspected and repaired. By keeping your critical systems well maintained, you are helping to improve the reputation of your building with current tenants, and they may just mention how well you maintain your building to future tenants.
Consider Pipe Lining from Nu Flow
When it comes to keeping your plumbing system well-maintained and protected from future leaks, you may want to consider epoxy pipe lining from NuFlow. Epoxy pipe lining is a technology that allows you to keep your existing pipes while ensuring that they are in good repair by injecting an epoxy coating into the line or by creating a pipe within a pipe via an epoxy pipe liner. Once your pipes are coated or lined, the host pipe no longer corrodes. This extends the useful lives of your existing pipes and helps ensure that your residents always have clean water to wash, cook and clean.
To learn more about epoxy pipe lining for the rehabilitation of your existing plumbing pipes, give us a call at 815-790-9000.