How Can You Tell If a Building Is in Good Condition? |
Inspection and maintenance are the key's success in building's good condition. Periodic inspection helps to identify potential problems before they become serious, as well as preventive maintenance helps through to avoid problems from occurring in the first place. On the long run, a well-maintained building will increase its value in time.
However, getting information regarding preventive maintenance performed on a building is quite often difficult. How would you know if it's in great condition if you have no maintenance logs available?
If you don't have access to a recent building condition report (if one exists) or are having difficulty to obtain a valid building condition documentation, a visual inspection can tell you a lot about the building's condition.
The presence of broken or damaged assets is an important indicator of a building's poor condition. This illustrates the importance placed on maintenance works.
In most cases, visual inspection will reveal such damages.
Here are some examples:
Minor damages should be properly examined when visiting a potential property to buy. Examining the plumbing, flooring, and general functionality of the home will reveal a lot about the property's condition.
A good housekeeping of the facilities is another important indicator. This, once again, illustrates the importance placed on building maintenance.
Carpets are quite often a reliable indicator. To really get the correct approach, you must look above and below the carpet to see its condition.
Also, if the indoor parking lot or the entrance appear to be a confusing mess, the residents may not be very respectful of the building.
The washrooms are also very informative, as well as the ventilation hatches, the windows and the wall condition in the common areas should also be monitored.
One of the worst ways to maintain a building is to make cosmetic repairs.
A cosmetic repair is usually done to hide a more important problem. As an example, this type of repair is typically used to conceal a crack.
In general, these repairs can be found through a visual inspection.
Here are some examples:
If the building is a condominium, the level of investment indicates the level of maintenance activities. This information can be obtained through a meeting with a co-owners.
Every 20 to 30 years, the majority of assets must be replaced. Low contributions will not be able to sustain and finance the building's preventive maintenance, usually more than 15 years old. Furthermore, these contributions will not be able to finance major repairs or asset replacement in the near future.
A final important clue to a poor condition of the building is the lack of maintenance work.
Here are some examples of recurring jobs to watch out for:
To keep a building in good condition, the owner or property manager must implement a preventive maintenance program. Regular inspections and repairs, as well as a system for tracking and managing work orders, should be part of this program. Property owners and managers can keep their buildings in good condition and avoid costly repairs by following these simple steps.
However, because the maintenance management of a building is frequently vague to a person who is not involved in the management of the building, a visual inspection and a lot of common sense are required to get a relatively accurate idea of the surveillance of a building's maintenance.
 | Author: Jean Lamontagne (https://PlanGAB.com) Coach for startups and businesses, author, speaker, programmer and serial IT entrepreneur for more than 30 years, Jean Lamontagne has developed several companies, two of which have exceeded one million in sales. Jean Lamontagne designed the PlanGAB.com smart platform to predict, plan and manage building maintenance.
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