Page 14 - CooperatorNews New Jersey Spring 2021

14 COOPERATORNEWS NEW JERSEY —SPRING 2021 NJ.COOPERATORNEWS.COM Your Association is in Good Hands with Homestead Management Services. Responsible Property Management that responds to your needs • Personal, responsive customer care with 24/7 emergency call service • Modern, fully intergrated databased network for quick response to problems and solutions • Live, expert staff of experienced management personel A complete financial package: • Complete Monthly Financial Statement •Accounts Payable • Accounts Receivable •Deliquency Report •Annual Reports www.homesteadmgmt.org Family owned with over 35 years years of experience 328 Changebridge Rd. Pinebrook, NJ 07058 973-797-1444 284 Rt. 206 South, Hillsborough, NJ 08844 908-874-6991 © AAMC ACCREDITED ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT COMPANY MAINTENANCE Exterior maintenance and repair are tenance employees in a given building or some of the most extensive—and expen- sive—work that a condo, HOA, or co-op ence and qualification, he stresses, and will undertake; they’re also unavoidable. “if they are qualified to do the specific So when planning such projects, two im- portant factors should be considered: The they shouldn’t. In this specific case, the first is the scope of the work, and the sec- ond is who should do it. These are really inspection. The person they chose was a two sides of the same coin, since the scope maintenance guy—but he wasn’t quali- of the work may actually determine who fied, so it wasn’t safe for him to be on the should do it. Safety is another key con- sideration. The inherent dangers involved with certain types of maintenance—roof indicate respective levels of expertise work, for example, or anything else done with exterior and building systems main- on a scaffold—are an important factor. tenance. For example, generally speaking, No association, board, or management a facilities manager is qualified to carry organization wants to put someone’s life out an array of inspections, repairs, and or safety at risk for the sake of window other tasks that may require specialized cleaning or repointing some brickwork, education or training that a maintenance and no one wants to increase possible li- ability for the association—so let’s look while “a building custodian or cleaner is at how these kinds of projects are best just that: someone who keeps the prop- handled from the start to maximize effi- ciency while minimizing risk. Qualifications Are Key “I just had this conversation this week roof. Doing so isn’t just dangerous for with the board members of a condomini- um property we manage,” says Scott Wolf, problems to be missed (leading to more CEO of Brigs LLC, a property manage- ment firm based in Massachusetts. Main- association have varying levels of experi- work, they should do it. If they aren’t, association wanted someone to do a roof roof.” Wolf explains that different job titles worker isn’t necessarily qualified to do, erty clean and orderly.” In other words, you don’t send the guy who cleans the lobby to inspect—much less repair—the the worker; it can void warranties, cause costly repairs), and even raise issues of li- ability. Exterior Maintenance & Inspections Using HOA Staff vs. Calling in a Pro BY A. J. SIDRANSKY