The advent of the fall/ winter rainy season affords apartment owners the opportunity of taking a variety of preventative maintenance measures, the cost of which will be substantially lower than waiting for the effects of rain to mandate more costly remedies.

A number of recommended items follow.

RAINY SEASON PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE

Begin with a Little Preventative Maintenance on Your Own
If possible, have handy man or other low cost laborer remove leaves, tree branches and any other accumulated debris from your roof, gutters and downspouts. Don’t be surprised to find strange items such as mattresses, cots, etc. that have been “bequeathed” to you anonymously by tenants. Roofs and drains are designed to have water flow off the roof to the ground. Accumulated debris inhibits the appropriate water flow and can cause pooling, which leads to leaks, or can redirect the flow of water to unintended areas which may be vulnerable to water intrusion.

You don’t need a roofer and gutter man to tell you this, and if you take this preliminary step before dispatching them, it’s one less thing for them to do, saving them time and you money and allowing them to concentrate on higher priority issues.

Have Your Roof Checked
Engage a roofing contractor to inspect the roof. Even with a newer roof, annual inspections are important. The seals of vent pipes become brittle and crack in the hot dry weather. A little sealer applied before the rains can prevent damage to ceilings and walls from water intrusion. Discuss the price of the inspection in advance. If the roofer is trustworthy, it may make sense to authorize in advance, subject to a cap, minor repairs to be performed at the time of inspection to save the cost of a return trip.

If the roof is under warranty be sure to have the roofer that installed it do the inspection and preventative maintenance work. Allowing other contractors to work on a roof may invalidate some or all of the warranty.

Have Your Gutters Checked
The old good news/ bad news joke applies here. Remember the dentist that said,”Your teeth are perfect but, your gums have got to go”. You may have a perfect roof but if the gutters are clogged, have pulled away from the building, have split seams or have downspouts that have come loose, you are likely to have problems. Gutter repairs are usually quite modest but failure to make them can be quite costly.

Examine Trees and Plants For Needed Trimming
Branches, which encroach on your roof and/or balconies, should be trimmed annually or as needed. Leaves on the roof and in gutters alter or inhibit the designed flow of water and can cause water intrusion into units. Overgrown trees or plants can damage window screens and are a harbor for bugs.

Have Your Sump Pump Checked
If you have below grade parking or a basement you probably have a sump pump whose job it is to remove water and keep it from pooling. Flooding not only can damage the structure but wreaks havoc with personal property that may be in the area. During the dry months, dirt and other debris can accumulate to inhibit the proper functioning of the devise. The electrical wires can become loose or severed. To test, take a garden hose and run water directly into the drain to which the pump is connected. You will know right away whether it is working or not. It is advisable to have your gardener run water into the sump pump pit each time they visit the property. This will alleviate the smell of stagnant water and will insure continual operation of the device.

Have Your Magnesite Decks/ Walkways Checked
Cracks and chips in magnesite decking should be repaired and sealed. Water leaks, which penetrate magnesite, can among other things damage the wood frame members underneath causing dry rot, which can spread and in extreme cases compromise the structural safety of the support system.

Have Your Weather-Proofing Checked
Check the weather proofing around doors and windows. Leaks at these points usually cause expensive interior damage to ceilings, walls and flooring.

Have Your Wall Furnaces and Gas Appliances Checked
The gas company will do this free and will actually do some types of repairs, however the actual tenant must request the service. The heaters have to be turned on, of course, to be checked.

NON-RAINY SEASON PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE

If you perform all you other annual preventative maintenance items prior to the rainy season as well, you will not have difficulty remembering when you last checked something and you are more likely to avoid letting things go. Rather than saying, “The rainy season is coming. It’s time to check the roof”. Instead say, “the rainy season is coming. It’s time to perform preventative maintenance”.

Buildings vary so, no list can be complete for each one. Here are some additional common recommendations.

Drain Your Hot Water Heater
This will help remove deposits from the bottom of the heater, which will corrode, and rust out the heater prematurely if left indefinitely. Also, check to see if the heater is leaking.

Check for Plumbing Leaks Under the Building
Have a plumber crawl under the building looking for problems. Early detection will not only reduce your water bills but also reduce the damage from dry rot and possibly the "M" word (mold).

Check Inside the Units
While more frequent inspections would be good, at least annually go through your units. Check the smoke detectors for proper operation. Check for plumbing leaks, tubs and showers that need caulking, running toilets, dripping faucets, the wax seals around toilets, and walls, windows and ceilings evidencing leaks. Test for drains that are slow to eliminate water. Run the garbage disposal and dishwasher, if you have them. Replacing the toilet flappers which cost about $2 plus labor is better than having running toilets for months that nobody bothers to tell you about. You also may make some new friends (people who you didn’t know were living at the property) and/or find unauthorized appliance installations. Replace any plastic toilet flex connectors with those made of metal. Plastic connectors more frequently break and when they do can cause a flood.

Rooter the Common Drain Lines
With the fear of mold about, cleaning up properly after a big sewage back up is a very costly proposition. The best bet is to take steps to avoid big back-ups by regularly rootering the common lines. Call a rooter man for a bid. When a back up is reported after hours, attack it immediately. Don’t try to avoid the overtime charges by letting it go until the morning. This can be a costly gamble. From time-to-time give your tenants a reminder in writing what not to put into disposals. Doing it once and/or common sense are not enough. Ask your rooter man for tips.

Check Signage
Are any signs missing that you had posted? Pool or other safety, hazardous materials, no parking, etc. signs have a way of disappearing.

Check Parking Areas
Look for debris, grease/oil spots, and unauthorized storage and/or vehicles. Look for evidence of leaks in the garage ceiling or walls.

Clean Out Dryer Vents
Another inexpensive thing to do but possibly costly if not done. This can create a fire hazard if let go.

Check the Common Area Electrical Fixtures
Look for burned out lights and exit signs. If you’re lucky they only need a bulb. Consider equipping the outside lights on photocells instead of timers. The retrofit will pay for itself in lower utility bills, decreasing the cost to change timers regularly and will make the property safer for pedestrians and will be one less thing that you have to think about.

Check for Needed Touch-Up Painting
All wood surfaces do not need painting or staining at the same time. Different exposure to the elements or patterns of use dictates more frequent attention in some areas. Failure to treat wood when needed will result in unnecessary and possibly costly damage.

Check Walkways and Driveways
Look for cracks and uneven surfaces. Repair to avoid trip hazards and leaks. Deal with problem tree roots sooner rather than later. Owners may incur shared liability with the City for trips occurring on City sidewalks in front of a property.

These items may seem costly and time consuming. My experience suggests that it is more costly to let crises determine your maintenance program. If you still aren’t convinced and won’t do everything, at least prioritize. Do the things which if not done will cause the most expensive damage. Translated, anything having anything to do with water, mold, fire or health and safety. Also, attend to the problems, which occur most frequently at a particular building. For those inspections that you can’t or don’t want to do yourself, prepare a checklist and save money by having one qualified person perform as many of the inspections at one time as possible. This will be cheaper than hiring a variety of separate trades on a piece-meal basis.

No one can think of everything. If I missed something, let me know. Perhaps the next article will be “Things I Missed and Don’t Know”. E-mail me at Wes@Wellmanproperties.com.