On a given day, life is filled with so many things that you need to remember  that it’s almost impossible to retain it all. For example, can you remember the dates of  your car’s last oil changes or the mileage on your car? Or when you had your blood work  done? Do you remember how many times you fixed a particular appliance or how  much money you spent on the job?  

 Log It!

 Most likely you’ll write this information down on a calendar or in a notebook so you can refer  to it when you need it. For example, you wouldn’t want to get blood work done again when you’ve already had it done or pay for an oil change when your car doesn’t need it yet. And knowing how much you’ve spent on appliances can actually save you money. For example, if your washing  machine has broken down several times already and you’ve already invested hundreds of dollars on repairs, it might be worth buying a  new one instead.  

 It’s even more difficult trying to remember everything that goes on in a condo or  co-op association. Residents call in every day with maintenance requests,  systems need to be maintained on a regular basis and supplies need to be  ordered. It’s important to maintain accurate and up-to-date maintenance logs in buildings  and HOAs.  

 A maintenance log is a written record of what repairs have been made and when,  including scheduled and unscheduled repairs. These records can cover major  items, such as roof or boiler replacements, down to small stuff like how often  supplies are ordered. Keeping good records helps regulate maintenance, identify  trends, and keep repairs timely and appropriate. This becomes especially  important as boards and managers change and “institutional memory” is lost.  

 “Board members are always an important resource when management changes,” says Gloria Donnelli, CPM, president of Elite Management Associates in Pembroke  Pines. “When you take over a new association, you have to rely on them.  

 “But we’ve taken over associations that don’t even have unit owner files… and you have nothing without the unit owner files,” she says. Where did the files go? “I was told they never had them,” she laments. And if an association doesn’t have anything as basic as those files—including information such as the names of current and previous owners—it’s unlikely that the board has good records for work that has been done on the  property.  

 There is a new online service that can help retain institutional memory. My  Green Condo, Inc. (mygreencondo.net) is a web-based service to assist condos  and HOAs with their recordkeeping and paper reduction. Co-founder and business  development manager Ranjan Sankarasivam said this service also promotes  continuity, as all the community documents, whether they are bylaws/house  rules, administrative operations, management forms, residential leases, etc.,  can be stored digitally, and will be there for future generations. Board  members change, management companies change, unit owners change, but the  building’s institutional memory and recordkeeping will remain intact, he says.  

 In the five years since Atlantic & Pacific Management assumed management of the 44-story, 386-unit building known  as Tower I at The Beach Club of Hallandale Condominium, record-keeping for the  property has “evolved” and improved, says manager Marcy Kravit, PCAM. “All mechanical work is recorded; installation of new equipment, lighting, paint,  etc., is tracked.”  

 The tracking, she notes, begins with a daily round by the engineering department  of all mechanical equipment and lighting. Crediting the condominium’s chief engineer for “taking charge of insuring that everything is well-maintained—and logged,” Kravit notes that “Francisco has been able to take all the information from the turnover and make  it his own.” Kravit says the ultimate goal of that attention to details is “ensuring that we’re creating not just a lifestyle, but adding value to the property and insuring  that it’s well maintained, safe and secure. Our staff has also taken a similar  leadership role in communicating any maintenance issues as they arise,  especially after (office) hours.”  

 Tower I, she notes, is part of a larger resort-style complex that encompasses  about 1,000 units in three separate associations, an 18,000-square-foot fitness  center, spa facilities and more. In addition to the individual boards for each  association, there is also a master association for the resort’s extensive amenities, which Atlantic Pacific also manages.  

 Putting Computers to Work

 Not surprisingly, managers today rely heavily on software to keep track of  maintenance activity within their condominiums.  

 “We use TOPS, based in Clearwater,” Donnelli says. Work orders get logged into a system that keeps track of all  levels of maintenance, from painting to air-conditioner replacement. The stored  data also includes information on warranties and maintenance agreements, so  management can follow up to make sure regular service requirements are met.  

 Without a computerized system, she notes, the paperwork involved could become a  nightmare. But even with computerized records, mountains of paperwork are a  challenge for managers. “I have a 3,000-square-foot office, and I still had to move things to storage.  There are just huge amounts of files,” she says. Files that can be purged are eliminated every year, she said, but  even with the purging, boxes upon boxes always remain.  

 Managers say that it’s important to keep lists of repairs and maintenance, warranties and files for  the major components of the buildings, such as heating and cooling towers. What every property logs just depends on the property, says Donnelli, but under  state law, many records must be kept for at least seven years.  

 While computerized files might seem to be an obvious answer in this age of  technology, she notes for some things, good old paper is still the answer, even  if does add to the paper tiger. “Say if you’re replacing an air-conditioning unit on a clubhouse, you should always have a  file that says ‘Clubhouse A/C’ and in it should be the permit for the A/C, the warranty information, the  information on the vendor that installed it, and any kind of maintenance  agreement that you would have on it.”  

 Creating a Schedule

 Kravit notes that tracking software is also used to create a maintenance  schedule for staff to follow. “The spreadsheet outlines the tasks that need to be done daily, weekly and  quarterly, semi-annually,” she says, and reminds managers and staff about annual inspections.  

 For example, she notes, “The water treatment of the condensing water for the cooling tower is tracked  monthly. The elevator maintenance is tracked monthly and service calls are  posted on the elevator company website for viewing. Every electrical motor and  pump under the quarterly preventative maintenance schedule, and domestic water boilers, are serviced bi-annually, and on a daily basis are  controlled through automation remotely if changes are required.”  

 In addition to mechanical maintenance, she adds, “Pest control service takes place on a biweekly basis and is tracked for common  areas, rodent control and services to individual units.”  

 When tracking systems are in place, Kravit says, managers are able to create  weekly reports and keep the board informed.  

 Why bother with all the logging? In addition to keeping track of what’s been done, this information can become useful to the association. For example,  managers say, running reports can present a clear picture of whether the money  being spent constantly repairing a piece of equipment might be better spent on  replacing it.  

 Insurance. Having a paper track of what’s been done on the property can help you if any particular issues arise,  particularly with insurance. Recordkeeping can not only help you keep track of  maintenance issues, but having those records can also be useful with insurance  claims.  

 Taking over properties. Properties change hands all the time and managers also find this information to  be very useful. “Some companies are a little better organized than others,” Donnelli acknowledges. Associations whose management companies have tracked  service over the years are able to get new managers up to speed more quickly.  

 Supplies. It’s important to keep an up-to-date list of supplies that you need to run the  building effectively and efficiently. If something breaks or leaks, having the  part on hand is vital to correcting the problem, especially if the problem  happens over the weekend or on a holiday. Not knowing how much you have left of  one item or another can leave you in a difficult bind should something go awry.  Property managers, accounting personnel and other office staff are typically  responsible for updating any logs, but it depends on the property, size of  staffing and type of equipment they have.  

 In New York City, Al Estrada has been the resident manager of 250 West 94th  Street, otherwise known as The Stanton, for 17 years. He says that the most  important part of his job is logging. “I keep logs for everything from the boiler to how much water the laundry room is  using,” he says. “Every morning I take numbers down. We use it to compare notes to see what the  building is being charged. It also tells me, for instance, how much water the  boiler is using in the wintertime and it can let me know where I'm losing  water.”  

 If you aren't already logging, Estrada suggests taking a union course if  available. “Logging is part of the job and it’s important to know how much stuff you're using.”  

 Whether you’re logging information in on the computer or in a log book, it’s important to have some kind of backup system. Recent events, such as Hurricane  Sandy, have reminded us of the importance of having a second copy of important  information. “We do cloud backup,” Donnelli says. “God forbid we should have a hurricane or some other catastrophe. We have it  backed up in space, and I do that through my software provider.”                          

 Lisa Iannucci is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to the South  Florida Cooperator. Pat Gale, associate editor of New England Condominium, a  Yale Robbins publication, also contributed to this report.