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Conducting condo community inspection

Conducting a Condo Inspection

Regular property inspections are an important part of managing condominium. Thorough inspections increase the safety and well-being of homeowners, protect property values, and reduce the risk of costly repairs and lawsuits. Why conduct regular inspections? Why hire a condo community inspector to do a condo a community inspection?Conducting inspections regularly keeps you on top of security risks, as well as maintenance and building problems. A thorough inspection should do the following:

  • Increases the safety, health and welfare of all association members and guests: Regular inspections ensure your community is a safe place to live. One significant area of liability is slip-and-fall accidents, which indicate the need for frequent inspections of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and roadways throughout the property. Surfaces should be inspected for uneven and free of snow and ice during cold weather.
  • Identifies problem areas before they get worse: If deterioration of common amenities is detected early, it could save tmoney if repairs are made before the damage becomes even more costly.

What is the property manager’s role in inspections?

A property manager is responsible for carrying out site inspections according to a schedule determined by the bylaws  board. Not only do they conduct formal inspections, but they serve as the eyes and ears, finding and correcting hazards, and ensuring members and their guests follow the rules for both individual properties and shared amenities.

Six HOA Site Inspection Steps 

Whether inspecting communal areas, take a comprehensive approach to examine all areas of risk. This may take extra time and effort in the beginning, but will become easier and routine over time:

  1. Check the HOA’s bylaws and state statues: The bylaws may have inspection requirements, including the minimum for what should be inspected and how often. Also, look at state statutes regarding inspection.
  2. Document the inspection: Documenting the inspection results is critical, as it serves as a written record of problems, issues and violations.
  3. Create an inspection checklist: List all areas and amenities of the association’s property and define the items to check in each area. It’s important to revise or add to the checklist as new issues emerge; but the same checklist should be used for every inspection.
  4. Update the checklist with corrective measures: It’s important to identify problems, but it’s just as important to fix them—either on the spot or in a timely manner. Serious problems should be addressed immediately, but there should also be a timetable for correcting problems of other varying priority levels.
  5. Present site inspection results to the board: Outcomes from site inspections should always be communicated to the board, as the results may require action from the leadership and or affect the annual budget. For example, if the inspector notes that the pool is beginning to deteriorate and will need repair, the board should keep this in mind when they discuss the annual budget.
  6. File the checklist with records: Inspection checklists should become a permanent record. They serve as a record of maintenance, how problems were addressed and when, and may serve as evidence in a lawsuit.

Northeast Home Inspections, LTD can provide a condo community inspection. The condo community association can hire NEHI to provide a condo inspection using our condo inspectors. We provide New England community inspections in the northeast, especially in Berkshire County.

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