There are awesome benefits of living in a gated community but there are also certain factors you must keep in mind.
One of the key factors is the maintenance of your own apartment inside, the common area, and the amenities.
It is important that you should focus on all of these, otherwise your home will lose its value.
Nowadays, maintenance of the common areas and amenities are professionally managed by facility management professionals.
Although this arrangement generally brings out great results, there are other issues you must keep an eye on.
It is the responsibility of every resident to check if maintenance is proper and when it is not, bring it to the attention of the residents’ association.
Similarly, it is also everyone’s duty to look after the maintenance of his/her own apartment’s internal areas.
Let’s see how a resident of a gated community should manage and maintain his/her apartment in the best way possible but before that, we will discuss why diligent maintenance is important.
Why Maintenance is Important
Regular maintenance of properties is sometimes neglected but the importance is realized after lack of maintenance takes a heavy toll on the property. Lack of regular apartment maintenance amplifies small problems into bigger damages and the cost of repairing them becomes rather high.
Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that you attend to small problems at the outset and wait for them to be bigger issues.
Let’s look at it with practical examples.
There is a need for regular plumbing to clean up the pipes but if it is neglected, the pipe can get totally jammed one day. These days, water pipes are concealed and it may involve a lot of effort and money to clean up the neglect
Another common issue that needs urgent attention is the electrical wiring. These should be checked once before the monsoons, especially for earthing. Otherwise, an electrical accident can cause massive damage.
Even if there is a strong facility management arrangement at your housing complex, you should also take care of the internal maintenance of your apartment.
Focus on Repairs Fast
Always focus on repairing what is broken, and without wasting any time. There is a tendency in us to postpone small repairs, thinking that we will attend to it later as it is not creating any major problems right now.
But this approach can be costly in the longer run.
Let’s consider a small example.
Let’s imagine there is a small crack on one of the bathroom tiles, which apparently is not creating any problem.
There is no problem — apparently.
But there can be water seepage that can go underneath and slowly but surely damage the internal area. This is not immediately visible from the outside.
But over time, the floor can get damaged along with the adjoining area and at that time repairing this can be hugely costly.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Let’s consider some of the maintenance tasks of your own apartment you must implement.
- Regular painting of walls, doors, and grills. Unpainted iron grills have reduced lifespan because of rust.
- Regular checking and repair/maintenance of the electrical wiring.
- Repair and maintenance of electrical equipment such as AC, Fridge, microwave oven, etc.
- Deep cleaning of the apartment once in 3-4 months.
- Pest control once in 2-3 months.
- Regularly checking plumbing, repair, and cleaning.
- Replacing and malfunctioning machines, especially electrical and safety equipment.
Upgrade Equipment Early
One of the major issues with regular maintenance of your home is the upkeep of all the equipment.
In our modern way of living, we are dependent on quite a few pieces of equipment in our homes. Fridge, TV, mixer cum grinder, geyser, microwave oven, cooking range, electric iron, etc.
Most of the equipment is electrical equipment and needs careful handling and regular maintenance. In fact, careless handling can ensue dangerous electrical hazards.
For example, an AC can cause a deadly fire if it is not maintained well and not serviced for a long time.
Use Common Amenities with Care
It is the responsibility of every member of a housing society to take care of each and every common amenity as if it is his own.
Moreover, everyone must keep an open eye on the amenities and bring any maintenance issue to the attention of the facility management team without any delay.
This attitude helps to keep the amenities in great shape, and poorly maintained amenities do not only hurt the eye but there are chances of mishaps too.
The downside of a poorly maintained housing complex is that it creates a bad impression on any resale flat buyer, and consequently the resale flat price gets reduced.
Let’s also look at some categories of apartment maintenance work that need regular attention.
- Ensuring floors, stairs, walls, and roofs are secure.
- Power-washing concrete driveways, hallways, and stairways.
- Preventing and exterminating rodent, termite, and insect infestations.
- Deep cleaning swimming pools, gymnasiums, and common areas.
- Routinely inspecting apartment assets for workability.
- Maintaining electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems.
- Regular watering of lawns, maintenance of the gardens, etc.
Cooperate with the Association
Every resident of a gated community must cooperate with the association in every way. Without sincere cooperation from the members, the association cannot keep the complex in the best shape.
Keeping in regular touch with the association has an added benefit.
The facility management team generally keeps a great roster of the best technicians, electricians, plumbers, and workmen and if you take their help with any need for your own home, they will offer their best advice and resources.
Even when you raise a complaint on any issue, just do not make it personal. It may take some time for the issue to be resolved. You must be patient and understanding.
Housing Society Management Apps
Housing society management and maintenance have become rather hassle-free with the latest apps. These apps help to keep a record of all the activities that happen, and all the financial details too. There is no need to sift through the pages of the record book for anything.
Instead of managing data on Excel sheets or ledger books, it is much better to keep records on these apps. They are also programmed to send reminders and notifications for maintenance schedules, AMC details of machinery, and service contracts so that there is less chance of forgetting tasks.
Also, they offer transparency to every member of the housing society.
As we see from the above discussion, the need for regular management of any property and maintaining it for keeping it in the best condition is vital.
