Page 14 - CooperatorNews NY January 2021

14 COOPERATORNEWS — JANUARY 2021 COOPERATORNEWS.COM 24/7 ACCESS Life can be unpredictable. You can count on us to be there for you, ensuring things happen promptly and efficiently, always with the objective of getting your life and business back to normal as quickly as possible. Our goal is to have your insurance information available at your fingertips. MACKOUL RISK SOLUTIONS | WWW.MACKOUL.COM | (866) MACKOUL | INFO@MACKOUL.COM CLIENT PORTAL Use our client portal to view your policies, request insurance cards, report a claim, pay a bill or print a certificate. MOBILE APP Our app allows you to report a claim while on site, access your client portal, chat with our staff or pay a bill, on the go! TO EVERYTHING YOU NEED WEBINARS Free online and customized classes for new & experienced board members. 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COVID Complications Like just about every other daily activity, maintenance and inspection timetables have been impacted by the coronavirus’ restric- tions on movement and personal contact as well. “Preventive maintenance schedules address equipment for use in the upcom- ing season,” says Wollman. “For example, preparing a building for winter requires boiler cleaning at the end of the summer. To pre- pare for summer, we will check building-wide HVAC systems where central air conditioning is in use at the end of winter. These programs are designed to minimize the possibility of ex- pensive repairs or breakdowns. Lockdown provisions dur- ing the current COVID crisis have delayed some of these scheduled inspections.” Wolf adds that “Initially, we did see a slowdown in vendor response time, or in even being able to find vendors. At this point, everyone has a COVID protocol that includes PPPs \\\[Payment Protection Pro- grams\\\]. There is an increased cost due to the new procedures, however, and some work is not moving forward. Projects have been delayed due to things not moving at all in March or April. In cases where the Depart- ment of Buildings (DOB) had some involve- ment, we have seen delays in issuing per- mits, which has not been helpful.” All considered, while the COVID crisis has not necessarily added new inspections to the list, it has caused disruption to the normal flow of business. Where prohibited by governmental orders in all 50 states, in- spections for annual maintenance have been postponed, slowing established schedules. Coordinating It All For a managing agent, organizing and coordinating an effective program of an- nual maintenance and the inspections that accompany it is a complicated job. It’s sort of like being a traffic cop at a busy five-point intersection, says Wollman. “Coordinating preventive maintenance can be complex, involving both building staff and a range of other service personnel,” he explains. In his company’s case, Wollman says that property managers work with client communities’ superintendents to institute a compliance calendar to ensure that their buildings meet INSPECTION... continued from page 12 any and all Local Laws, building codes, and regulations. According to Wolf, his firm has recently hired a Director of Project Management to coordinate the many facets of this process— which for management companies is one of the most critically important. After all, keep- ing the properties they manage in top condi- tion is the most visible aspect of the job they do, and therefore what they’ll be judged by. In the final analysis, proper maintenance is the ingredient upon which the long-term health of a property’s systems, and hence the value of individual ownership units, de- pends. That maintenance schedule in turn is dependent on inspections—both those reg- ularly scheduled, and those done informally on a daily basis. Systems should be inspect- ed regularly by both manage- ment and staff, and by vendors responsible for maintenance contracts. In- spections and work must be completed sea- sonally to ac- co mm o d a t e both residents and weather. Overall, boards must be vigilant to oversee the completion of this work for the benefit of owners as both residents and investors. A well cared-for property is the key to maintaining unit value. n AJ Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for CooperatorNews, and a published novelist. “Preventive maintenance helps extend the useful life of a building’s infrastructure and makes sure all systems operate effectively and efficiently.” —Daniel Wollman both very conscious of spending and keep- ing an eye on money, the community re- considered their situation. “Having off-site management was expensive,” says Wein- stein, “and we weren’t getting the quality and attention we felt we paid for. We had the experience we needed in the building; one owner was a real estate guy, another a financial consultant. We felt confident that they could cover the basics. Two mem- bers are compensated with forgiveness of some common charges. Economically and in terms of skills, it made sense for us. We started to self-manage a year ago, and it’s made life easier in many respects. We can deal with everything right away, in real time, without waiting for the manager to respond. It didn’t make sense to continue outsourcing the management function—so we eliminated the middleman.” The association had an issue a month ago with the building’s old-style intercom system. They switched to Carson, a com- pany that specializes in providing services to small, non-staffed buildings. “That over- SELF-MANAGEMENT... continued from page 1 continued on page 16