Understanding Maintenance Programs
What is the difference between “Preventive” and “Corrective” Maintenance?
“Corrective Maintenance” is fixing something after it is broken so that the broken equipment, building component or system can be restored to its operational condition – i.e. you replace or repair those things that have broken. This is not maintenance in the sense we normally think of maintenance. When we think of maintenance we are thinking about preventive maintenance. “Preventive Maintenance” is maintenance that is performed regularly on operational equipment, systems or building components to lessen the likelihood of the components failing or breaking down prematurely. “Deferred Maintenance” is the absence of any maintenance. Deferred maintenance creates a need for corrective maintenance.
What is a Building Maintenance Program (I + CM + PM = MP)?
Building Maintenance Programs are set in place by the Board of Directors to help save the HOA money and save the community manager time. The linchpin of the Building Maintenance Program is its’ focus on “Preventive Maintenance”. This is the most important component of the program, because preventive maintenance will help prevent building components from breaking down unexpectedly. While it is impossible to prevent all breakdowns from occurring, maintenance programs help curb repair and replacement costs by working to prolong the lifespan of each component.
The Maintenance Program is a combination of Inspections, Corrective Maintenance and Preventive Maintenance. The inspections are the first step as they identify building components that are either broken (corrective maintenance), breaking down or wearing out (preventive maintenance). The winning formula is: I + CM + PM = MP:
Inspections + Corrective Maintenance + Preventive Maintenance = Maintenance Program
Professional Technician
The key to a successful maintenance program is having a professional maintenance contractor overseeing and implementing the program. This contractor should be licensed, insured to work in HOA communities, and should provide a technician who can perform all the necessary inspections, repairs and preventive maintenance.
Maintenance Plan
The first step in all successful programs is having a plan. ProTec can help you create this maintenance plan. All common area components should be identified and “Checklists” should be created. The Checklists will:
- Identify how often the component needs to be inspected.
- Describe what to look for during the inspection.
- Provide a method for the inspector to report on his/her findings.
The completed checklists will provide the Board of Directors the information they need to make informed decisions.
On-going inspections are vital to the program success because without constantly reviewing the condition of each component, the program becomes reactive instead of proactive.
Now that you have the Checklists, you need to have your professional contractor complete the inspections and perform Preventive Maintenance. Your professional contractor should be a General Contractor licensed to perform all work needed at the community and have insurance that is not limited by the HOA exclusion. ProTec is a licensed General Contractor, fully-insured to work in HOA communities.
Note: many HOA communities have “Operation and Maintenance Manuals” provided by the builder. These manuals are the ultimate inspection template and they include the inspection Checklists discussed here.
