MAINTENANCE IS A NECESSITY by Jim O'Krey 

Q:  Our condominium project is less than ten years old, and it is beginning to show wear and tear.  Could this be from lack of maintenance? 

A: Condominium living is great for people with busy schedules or leisure schedules, you do not have to weed, mow, paint or worry about falling off a ladder while cleaning rain gutters.

The only thing you should worry about is how well your project is maintained.  Your board of directors and your property manager can play an important role in the maintenance of your project.

One of the first steps is to ensure your project is properly maintained.  Make sure you inspect your project with board members on at least an annual basis.

It is important during your walkthrough, that a representative or board member of your homeowners association and your property manager be present.  Depending on the size of your project, the walkthrough may take several days.

To save time, seek out volunteers within your Association and divide the responsibility. Separate your inspections into several divisions:  pool & spa, landscaping, building repairs, roofing, painting, site, etc. Your property manager can provide the names of qualified subcontractors, who specialize in each area.  The subcontractors should jump at the chance to walk your project to help you identify problems or contact a general contractor.

It is important to provide a site map and building elevations for each group to help identify the approximate locations of problems that you find.  During the walkthrough, each group should prepare a list of each problem and mark the location on a site map.  Once the walkthrough is complete, a master site plan should be prepared from the information gathered.

The subcontractors or general contractor will provide a written estimate of repairs for the problems encountered. If you are uncertain of the costs, the subcontractor or general contractor will explain in detail what the estimates entail.

Look for certain commonly encountered problems. Water infiltration is usually the biggest problem for any association and can stem from poor design in the original construction or improper maintenance.

The most common areas to inspect for this problem are roofs, windows, walls chimneys, deck drains, gutters and downspouts and caulking.  Also check drainage from paving, walkways, irrigation systems, subterranean drains and slopes.  Make sure drains work.

It is very important to inspect your project and go over your list of concerns or observations with an expert such as a general contractor or a consultant to determine the best course of action.

Don't put your head in the sand, fearing that such inspections will turn up major repairs.  If problems stem from poor maintenance and are resolved in the early stages, the costs of repairs can be minimized.  If the problems stem from poor design, this is something only the experts will be able to tell for sure.

Jim O'Krey is a member of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and is the executive vice president of Wermers Construction. Readers can visit the CAI Website at www.cai-sd.org and get their condominium questions answered by calling the Community Associations Institute at (619) 299-1376, by e-mailing sdcai@aol.com or by sending questions to Condominiums, Homes, San Diego Union-Tribune, P.O. Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191

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