Although many of us wish we could live in warmer states like Florida or California, for property management teams in colder climates, the onset of spring is a critical time for maintenance. This time of year isn’t just about shaking off the cold—it’s also about preparing for the busy leasing season and ensuring your community remains top-notch. By staying on top of your spring maintenance needs, you can prevent small issues from becoming major problems and continue providing a gold-standard resident experience. However, it can be challenging for property management teams to allocate the sufficient time and people-power to complete all of the necessary tasks.
That’s why we’re sharing the essential items that should be on every spring maintenance checklist for winter-affected areas. Alongside these tasks, we’ll provide industry tips so onsite teams can make the most of their precious time.
1. Inspect and Service Air Conditioning Units
Freezing winter temperatures can impact your air conditioning system, creating problems when your residents transition from heating to cooling this spring. Undetected issues from the colder months can suddenly become urgent problems, potentially overwhelming your maintenance team with a high volume of work orders.
To manage the shift in seasons efficiently, consider using BuildingLink's Preventative Maintenance tool. Our tools lets you schedule and track recurring tasks such as cleaning units, replacing filters, and checking for any needed repairs. This ensures that your maintenance team doesn’t let anything slip through the cracks while getting your systems fully operational for the spring. Scheduling maintenance in advance also promotes a greater resident experience by giving them ample time to plan and prepare for access to their homes. This consideration is especially important for those who work from home, have pets, or specific scheduling needs, as it shows a deep commitment to respecting and accommodating the lifestyles of your residents.
2. Inspect the Roof and Exteriors
Winter weather can also take a toll on building exteriors, often leading to unnoticed damage that can turn into expensive repairs. This season, take the opportunity to inspect the roof, siding, windows, and foundations as well as any community signage. Even if your property isn’t in a colder climate, be sure to schedule window washing as the accumulation of dirt and grime can significantly obstruct views and diminish the overall appearance. In addition, look for signs of damage or wear that winter storms may have caused. Snow plows can often damage driveways or curbs, and road salt used for snow removal can corrode signage and damage landscaping.
To both simplify the maintenance process and ensure that no detail is overlooked, leverage BuildingLink to create detailed inspection checklists, duplicate existing ones, or choose from a pre-built library of templates. Onsite teams can even take photos during inspections and create work orders on the fly, ensuring a more efficient approach to your property upkeep. This is especially helpful given high staff turnover rates, ensuring that essential information is documented and accessible for planning the next year.
3. Prepare Outdoor Spaces
Spring is the time to make your outdoor areas inviting again, an aspect increasingly growing in importance to residents as they seek more enjoyable, functional amenities. This includes preparing communal areas such as patios, rooftops, pools, and grilling stations to make them inviting. Consider ordering items like pool furniture and yard games to offer more engaging outdoor options for your residents.
Maintaining these areas and the needed resources can be challenging, but BuildingLink’s Inventory Tracking solution simplifies this process. With this tool, you can effortlessly monitor the quantities of essential items like propane, track usage patterns, and receive timely alerts when supplies reach critical levels. This ensures you're always prepared, preventing any disruption in the availability of your amenities.
4. Tidy Up Landscaping
Curb appeal is a crucial element in property management, often accounting for a significant portion of the maintenance budget. Well-maintained landscaping not only creates a strong first impression for potential and current residents, but also reflects management’s dedication to providing a superior resident experience. Begin with a thorough-clean up that involves removing any debris and litter that has accumulated over the winter. Prune dead growth on your trees and shrubs and consider adding seasonal flowers and plants to bring more color and vibrancy to your property. Ideal locations for these flower beds include outside the leasing office, along the front curb, and any pathways used during tours, as these areas are pivotal in shaping first impressions.
Managing landscaping efforts, especially within budget, is a large responsibility for onsite teams. If you’re working with a landscaping company, it’s vital to ensure they’re under contract, aligned with your budget, and scheduled regularly to maintain your property’s appearance. Use BuildingLink’s Vendor & Compliance Tracking to help manage this process. Our tool allows you to store important copies of certificates of insurance and licenses, and you can set notifications for when vendor documents are nearing expiration, ensuring you don’t miss any deadlines .
Keeping up with your property this season is much more than a routine task—it’s an essential component of creating a positive prospect and resident experience. By leveraging BuildingLink’s Maintenance Solutions, you can achieve more with less while remaining committed to maintaining a beautiful community.
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Trusted by HOAs, co-ops, condominiums, and multifamily properties around the globe, BuildingLink helps property managers deliver superior resident experiences while streamlining maintenance and operations. We offer tools that will simplify your record-keeping and administration, communications, maintenance, and front desk and staff operations.
When you’re ready to run your community better, smarter, and faster, book your BuildingLink demo today.