Maintenance & Repair - Minimum Amount?

Joe,

1. If it's a common expense, then it's a common expense and you can't push any part or all of it over to the individual owner.

2. There are any number of ways to handle this, just have the board establish a policy and procedure for them to get done and make sure the owners know how it works. A simple one would be that you have a handyman come through once per month to handle all items on the "not urgent" list.

3. Yep, if the owner denies having been the cause, then absent any evidence to the contrary, the association will pick up the repair.

Joe

Yes, Ellen, we have a comprehensive reserve plan in place, but no, my question has not been answered entirely.

Let me phrase it differently. Assuming that an association is responsible for the maintenance or repair of a particular item, does anyone have a policy/guideline/practice where a minimum cost threshold has to be met before the association will jump into action? I am talking about very small items that can eat up association resources (particularly time and effort) with no or minimum value added or return. Let me give two examples:
1.) A scratch on a fence post that would cost $10 to touch up
2.) A screw that comes out of an outdoor light fixture that costs $.29 and which any handyman/woman could replace

I guess the other part of the question is there any policy/guideline/practice that a BoD uses when there is a judgment call (i.e. - Rule of Reasonableness) involved
1.) A small scratch on the exterior siding that virtually can not be seen unless you know what you are looking for and you are two feet in front of it. This is the kind of scratch that most homeowners would not have repaired. For illustration purposes, let’s assume that it will cost $100 to replace the section of siding.
2.) A small glass chip (the size of a pinhead) that is in a very inconspicuous place, not in the sight view in a very large window that costs $1,000 to replace.

I know these examples may lean towards the absurd, but let's try them on for size anyway.

Thanks
JoeK

Let me try your questions again:

I know of no condo association that establishes only a minimum cost threshold. They are more likely to combine a minimum cost with a not-to-exceed timeline. In other words, just because the minimum threshold wasn't met, they don't let repairs roll over forever.

Most small assocaitions that I've worked with find a local handyman and several local contractors who will do periodic work on their site. Whoever then receives the work orders assigns them to the appropriate worker/contractor based upon their judgment as to the severity of the repairs, whether they can wait for a short while to be bundled with other similar repairs, the impact of delaying the repairs (rust, wood rotting, a crack getting larger, etc.), and then makes a decision. Someone has to. The board should estalish a polciy that the owners and the budget can live with , then communicate it to them.

In many associations, repairs are scheduled annually or semi-annually---all siding is done at one time, and only severe damage changes that, unless insurance enters into the equation.

The key to the whole thing is that the safety and security of the owners comes first. An exterior light that has gone out in an area where people could easily trip, or where people have to park some distance from their unit, would rate higher than a light bulb showing off the landscaping.

As for the glass chip, if it hasn't broken the seal, hire an auto glass repairer to do a patch. All of the others could wait for the annual repairs.

BUT you have to COMMUNICATE this repeatedly to the owners. Let them see the costs both ways and then let them voice their opinions. Who knows, they may want to pay for someone to show up every day-----yeah.

Joe