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January 17, 2007
DETERMINING LEVEL OF MAINTENANCE NEEDED - HOW?
Here is a common question sent to me recently: "I have a question about periodic inspection of property, along with maintenance. How can the association properly maintain the property without proper inspection? " This person was focussed on roofs; however, the same discussion below applies equally to other building components.
Proper maintenance of building components and other things like irrigation systems, roads, fences, pool equipment and facilities is inextricably coupled with inspections. Whether an HOA schedules periodic visits from its contractors to have specific maintenance performed, or has interim inspections to determine if maintenance is needed, the key is staying on top of the components such that maintenance is preventive - meaning that it prevents the need for replacement until the reasonable lifetime of the component has been expended. Logically, the better the preventive maintenance, the longer the life of the component. And this does not occur without inspections or periodic maintenance.
California law requires HOAs to perform periodic inspections, tied to preparation of the reserve study, which is intended to tell HOAs how much money to put away for component maintenance, repairs and replacement. Civil Code Section 1365 requires a diligent visual inspection of components the Association is required to maintain at least once evey three years in conjunction with preparation of a reserve study.
This does not mean, however, that it would be irresponsible to schedule yearly or even more frequent inspections. The condition and life of the components has bearing on the prudence of frequency.
Posted by Beth Grimm at January 17, 2007 9:30 PM