FirstService Residential Case Study: Fall Maintenance at Residential Communities
Property operators share advice on how to prepare properties for fall.
Depending on your location, fall’s arrival requires special preparation to ensure the safety and functionality of each property, regardless of the building’s age, be it 100 or just 5 years old. A thoroughly prepared fall maintenance plan tells the residents that the property is well-run and signals to prospective residents that they will be well looked after.
So, which are the tasks every property manager should perform at this time of year when large temperature swings are increasingly present? FirstService Residential operators from across the country weigh in.
Brian Butler, senior vice president for the high-rise division at FirstService Residential Illinois, talked about the specific needs Chicago buildings have. For those built from the mid-’60s to early 2000, fall is the time when properties switch from AC to heat. These buildings have two-pipe HVAC systems, meaning that residents do not have access to heat and AC at the same time. The cooling weather can create uncomfortable in-unit temperatures when a building cannot easily switch back and forth between air conditioning and heat. To cover this need, they have an active management partner who knows how to manage the community’s AC, heat, and communication with residents.
FirstService Residential’s portfolio of properties includes vintage and new developments, so in addition to HVAC specialists, they work with structural and mechanical engineers and other experts and consultants to ensure preventive maintenance before the heating season starts
To learn more about fall maintenance, read the full article from Multi-Housing News here