“Though this winter has been relatively mild, it can still leave a bleak mark on buildings and their landscaping. While New Yorkers are thawing out in March and April, our asset manager are inspecting for damage and repairing winter’s ravishes.”, says Ira Meister, president and CEO, Matthew Adam Properties, Inc.
Areas include landscaping, terraces, the roof, windows and air conditioning, whether window units or a central system.
Starting at the entrance, we look at plants and trees and also check for salt damage to tree planters, plants and flower beds. The city uses rock salt to melt ice, which kills off almost anything in a planter. We also check for any cracks at the entrance.
Meister says another area to check is setbacks and roof terraces for water/ice damage and to be certain the drainage pipes are not clogged. It’s a good idea to snake out the pipes every year.
This is also the time for a general clean-up of the building and the common areas after several months of people trudging through the lobby and halls with snow and slush on their shoes and boots.
The roofs are visually checked by our asset managers and the superintendent/resident manager for any ice-caused damage and leaks. “In fact, they make period inspections during the winter, particularly to make certain the drains are not clogged,” Meister says.
Residents should check windows and window air conditioning units for leaks to ensure maximum efficiency and arrange for vacuuming of condensers, changing filters and flushing the coils. If the unit was removed during the winter it needs to be replaced in compliance with city regulations. .
“We instruct all our asset managers to visually inspect buildings with window units to be certain they are in compliance,” Meister says.
In buildings with central air conditioning, the HVAC unit and the cooling towers are checked with the towers tested for efficiency at least every five years. Loss of efficiency translates into significantly higher expenses. While this benchmark is usually done in the fall, it can be done this spring if the cooling tower check has not been conducted for five years.
“While our asset managers and superintendents/resident managers continuously inspect a building during the year looking for potential problems and areas needing repair, we urge resident to be alert and let us know if they see something that needs attention,” Meister says. “For smooth building operations and to reduce costs, it is much better to find a problem before too much damage has been caused or when damage can be averted.”