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Maximizing the value and life cycle of a building requires continuously maintaining performance and improving energy efficiency Learn how Rimkus can help with your Building Inspections & Repair.

Maximizing the value and life cycle of a building requires continuously maintaining performance and improving energy efficiency Learn how Rimkus can help with your Building Inspections & Repair.

Building Envelope Services

Maximizing the value and life cycle of a building requires continuously maintaining performance and improving energy efficiency Learn how Rimkus can help with your Building Inspections & Repair.

From the design of new buildings to the construction materials and technologies used to repair and maintain existing structures, we are uniquely qualified to provide a full range of global building envelope consulting services to help prevent and eliminate problems.

Performance for the Life Cycle of Your Project

Committed to utilizing sustainable materials and methods as applicable, we proactively address performance issues to improve the way buildings are constructed and maintained.

 

View our building envelope services:

  • Building Envelope Assessments
  • Façade Inspections
  • Façade Restoration
  • Historic Preservation
  • Pavement Engineering
  • Roof Consulting
  • Waterproofing and Weatherproofing Assessments and Design

 

Building Envelope Assessments

The Rimkus Built Environment Solutions team can provide a complete assessment of a structure’s building envelope (façades, roofs, windows, balconies, walkways, parking areas, etc.) describing the condition of such and all items in need of repair. A recommended timeline and a projected construction cost will also be provided to assist the owner in projecting future budgets. For a full survey of all building components, Rimkus can increase the scope of the survey and provide a full Property Condition Assessment (PCA) including mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, elevators, and interiors. Building envelope assessments and PCAs are typically provided with 5- or 10-year projections; however, they may be customized to the client’s needs. These reports can be utilized as a tool to help create capital expenditure budgets and establish maintenance schedules.

Contract Administration

Retaining Rimkus to handle your Contract Administration services on your roof construction projects will provide you with seasoned professionals who know how to control costs and long term outcomes. You will experience greatly improved transparency and accountability from your contractors and you will also be far more likely to maintain critical schedules, budgets, and deadlines on your projects. Rimkus achieves these benefits by maintaining a free flow of information between the Contractor and Owner. Our services also include payment certification and preparation of change orders for any additional work that may be encountered during the course of the project. We strive to protect our clients by confirming that the solutions you invest in meet all of your roofing and building portfolio needs. At Rimkus, you will find a level of personal attention on every project that is unmatched by any of our competitors. Trust in our veteran team, state-of-the-art technology, and our decades of experience in the industry. We offer:

  • Contract Administration
  • Schedule, budget, and deadline maintenance
  • Minimization of building occupant disruptions
  • Payment certification
  • Preparation of change orders
  • Review of shop drawings / material submissions

 

Diagnostic Testing

To properly assess the condition of your roof we need to determine its composition, quality, and moisture content. At Rimkus, we can accurately assess each of those factors with our Destructive and Non-Destructive Testing protocols. It is one of the steps taken during your Roof Condition Analysis and a necessary tool in projecting the life expectancy and long-term costs of your roof. We can also use the results to save you money by identifying problems before they become catastrophic. We strive to protect our clients by confirming that the solutions you invest in meet all of your roofing and building portfolio needs. At Rimkus, you will find a level of personal attention on every project that is unmatched by any of our competitors. You can place your trust in our veteran team, state-of-the-art technology, and our decades of experience in the industry.

We offer a variety of diagnostic testing methods:

  • Infrared thermography
  • Tramex moisture meter
  • Electrical Field Vector Mapping (EFVM)
  • Core cut testing
  • Delmhorst Probe

 

Façade Inspections

When façade elements fail, components could fall, thereby putting people and property at risk. As a response to this, many cities have passed façade ordinances to identify unsafe conditions, such as loose façade components or materials that may fall and cause damage to property or injury to pedestrians. At Rimkus, we provide professional building inspections supported by recommendations and design for proactive maintenance and repair programs. Façade inspections typically fall into one of the following categories:

  • Safe: Requires no attention
  • Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program: Requires repairs or maintenance within a time period designated by the professional in order to prevent deterioration into an unsafe condition
  • Unsafe: Has no reliable means of structural support and is dangerous to persons or property. Requires prompt remedial action.

Conducting Inspections Inspection requirements range from visual inspection of street-facing façades by architects, engineers, or contractors, to “hands-on inspections” that require licensed engineers or architects to physically touch façade components for each elevation of the building along the entire height of each elevation. Typically, inspections are required for buildings over five stories, with inspection frequencies ranging from two to five years. Our experts are well versed in façade condition assessments and have the experience and knowledge needed to identify repair details as well as oversee the completion of the repairs on behalf of the property owner.

Façade Restoration

The appurtenances of a façade (balconies, fire escapes, etc.) often deteriorate faster than the façade itself and therefore require particular attention and, often, increased maintenance. Repairs to these elements should be addressed in a manner that will prolong the useful life of the appurtenance as well as the repairs performed. The Rimkus Building Envelope team can assist in all phases of façade restoration. We are well versed in façade restoration, with a long track record of success on projects varying from low-rise commercial and residential buildings to luxury high-rise towers. The façade, while best known for its aesthetic, also provides structural support for a building and vertical weatherproofing for its interior spaces. All three of these components should be analyzed during façade restoration. Performing a thorough analysis of the building’s façade prior to design, Rimkus provides a detailed list of findings and recommendations for immediate repairs as well as preventative maintenance to completely address façade functions. At Rimkus, we believe that the key to a successful façade restoration project often occurs before the contractor arrives on-site. A thorough and detailed pre-construction effort, including preliminary investigation, preparation of contract documents, bid process and review, pre-construction meeting(s), and review of all mock-ups and submittals, will often eliminate unnecessary costs and construction delays.

Historic Preservation

Rimkus has had the distinct pleasure of working on numerous historic and landmark structures, including both high-rise and low-rise office buildings as well as a number of ornate residential buildings. Exhaustive research, early coordination with all governing agencies, and involvement of qualified experienced professionals are all essential components in the preservation of these delicate historic structures. When analyzing and repairing the building envelope of historic structures a conservationist perspective is preferable, full-scale repair or replacement is not always best. Thorough documentation of existing conditions including sketches, photographs, and cataloging of deteriorated elements is imperative to the restoration process. The use of new technologies to eliminate unnecessary probes and demolition is advisable. By incorporating the use of laser scanning, Rimkus can achieve an unprecedented level of detail and accuracy during the design phase often without the need for hands-on visual inspections. In addition to providing thorough contract documents; these laser scans will allow for the creation of 3D models of decorative stone units for shop drawings and mold casting.

Leak Investigations

Rimkus offers a thorough approach to leak investigations, recognizing that a successful investigation requires pursuing all possible sources of water infiltration. With years of experience, Rimkus understands that there may be multiple factors contributing to a leak. Rimkus offers a range of services to assist in determining the source(s) of water infiltration, including hands-on and visual inspections, non-destructive testing techniques, and more traditional methods of probes and water tests. Our non-destructive testing techniques include the use of infrared imaging to identify thermal anomalies and moisture-compromised insulation, the use of roof and wall moisture scanners and moisture meters to perform impedance testing and identify the relative moisture content of the material, and electronic leak detection (electric field vector mapping) to identify the precise location of water infiltration.

Roof Condition Assessments

Rimkus recommends a roof condition assessment to better understand the life expectancy of a roof and to address an immediate concern. The result is a promptly delivered roof analysis outlining the strengths and weaknesses of the existing roof system. Our findings are put into a clear and legible report that includes photo evidence, illustrations, and a colored AutoCAD roof plan. We believe that a high level of clarity and transparency is crucial to help our clients make informed decisions. Many of our technicians are RCI Inc., RRC, and RRO certified. Our emergency leak responders can diagnose numerous problems on the spot and expedite the remediation strategy. Capital planning is also an important component that we provide as part this process. We believe it is important to provide our clients with a strategy for future investments and expenditures to meet both the short and long-term budget plans.

Waterproofing and Weatherproofing Assessments and Design

Rimkus assists in the evaluation of existing roofing/waterproofing systems, as well as the design and construction administration of the repair or replacement, of all roofing/waterproofing systems including:

  • Single Ply (Thermoset and Thermoplastic) Systems
  • Modified Bitumen Roof Systems
  • Fluid-Applied Liquid Membranes
  • Vegetative/Green Roofs
  • Balcony Waterproofing
  • Below-Grade and Sidewalk Vault Waterproofing

Similar to most aspects of construction one size, does not fit all with respect to roofing and waterproofing systems. Several factors determine the appropriate system for a particular building, including:

  • Building Code Regulations
  • Requirements of Owner’s Insurance Provider
  • Climate and Wind/Weather Exposure
  • Frequency and Type of Foot Traffic
  • Intended Use (of Roof Surface and Interior Space Below)
  • Mechanical Equipment and Exhaust Units
  • Overall Size
  • Roof Slope
  • Desired Life Expectancy
  • Owner’s Budget
  • Number of Penetrations
  • Roof Deck Composition

Several commonly overlooked processes can be established during the installation of a new roof that will help reduce the cost of future maintenance and extend the service life of the roof system:

Leak detection systems can be installed in most roof systems to use as a quality assurance tool and to allow for easy identification of future leaks. This is particularly important in roofs with an overburden (i.e., inverted roof systems and vegetative roofs). A custom-tailored roof inspection and maintenance schedule should be provided for the owner’s use in prolonging the useful life of the roof system and minimizing the risk of leaks resulting from roof damage.

General Contact Information

 


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HOW TO COLLECT WHAT’S DUE?  By Eric Glazer, Esq.

HOW TO COLLECT WHAT’S DUE? By Eric Glazer, Esq.

We are already starting to see an uptick in the amount of owners falling behind on paying their assessments to their association.  It is wise for an association to know how the collections process works in for the board to put in place a policy that works best for the association.

In both condos, Co-ops, and HOAs, the procedure is the same.

  1. To start, the association must first deliver a thirty day written notice of late assessments to the unit owner which specifies the amount owed the association and provides the unit owner an opportunity to pay the amount owed without the assessment of attorney fees.
  2. If the owner fails to bring their account current, the association must then provide the delinquent unit owner with another letter which is a 45 day notice of its intent to file a lien and its intent to foreclose its lien. The association can demand attorney’s fees, interest and late fees in this letter.
  3. If the owner fails to bring their account current, the attorney can record a lien and threaten to foreclose on the lien if their account is not brought current within 45 days.  The association can demand attorney’s fees, interest and late fees in this letter.
  4. If after 45 days the owner still fails to bring their account current, the association may file a foreclosure action in court.

Keep in mind that because the unit owner must receive a 30 day letter, a 45 day letter and another 45 day letter, it takes a long time to bring a delinquent owner into court.  That is why associations may need to rethink their collection process and start it a little earlier.  If not, by the time it gets to court, the owner may by 9 or 10 months delinquent.

Especially in condominium buildings, things are about to get tough.  There are now mandatory inspections, mandatory repairs, mandatory fire sprinkler or ELSS installation, a tremendous rise in insurance and the inability to waive reserves.  Stay on top of your collections.


About HOA & Condo Blog

Read other industry Legal Articles

Eric Glazer

Eric Glazer graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 1992 after receiving a B.A. from NYU. He has practiced community association law for three decades and is the owner of Glazer and Sachs, P.A. a five attorney law firm with offices in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

Eric is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Condominium and Planned Development Law.

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ROUTINE INSPECTON IS THE FOUNDATION UPON WHICH ALL GREAT MAINTENANCE PLANS ARE BUILT.

ROUTINE INSPECTON IS THE FOUNDATION UPON WHICH ALL GREAT MAINTENANCE PLANS ARE BUILT.

  • Posted: Jan 11, 2025
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Managers here is a maintenance checklist to get the ball rolling? We’ve created just the one to help you identify problem areas before they reach critical status.

Preventive Maintenance is Key, A good manager should get out of the Office and walk the property, get your hands dirty, take action on any problem or the start of a problem you see. This way you will not have a major problem later.

SRI Consultants has come up with a great checklist for you to use. DL it below.

Sign up for your FREE 3-page property maintenance checklist now http://ow.ly/M7YV50IITeO
And make sure to reach out when you require detailed inspections and repair recommendations by a licensed engineer (Hint: 30-40-50-year surveys). We look forward to your call!

Ask our AI about 4D

Do you have questions about Florida’s building safety legislation, Senate Bill 4D? Just enter your query in the textbox  and click “Send Query”. For example, try asking, “What is the Florida Senate Bill 4D?”. This AI tool is experimental and provides no warranties regarding the accuracy of its results. Use at your own risk.

AI gets smarter with every Q&A asked.  it will take time to have every query become available. Try it out. 

This AI tool is experimental and provides no warranties regarding the accuracy of its results. Use at your own risk.
Contact SRI Consultants at office@sriconsultants.net or call (561) 372-1290

 

 

 

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CONDO SOLUTIONS (RADIO SHOW) on WSTU 1450 am Mondays (9 am – 10 am) by Peter Mollengarden, Esq of KBR Legal

CONDO SOLUTIONS (RADIO SHOW) on WSTU 1450 am Mondays (9 am – 10 am) by Peter Mollengarden, Esq of KBR Legal

  • Posted: Jan 07, 2025
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CONDO SOLUTIONS (RADIO SHOW) on WSTU 1450 am

Mondays (9 am – 10 am)

by Peter Mollengarden, Esq of KBR Legal


Peter Mollengarden, Esq. on ‘Condo Solutions’

Live on Mondays, from 9:05am to 10:00am.

 

Join Kaye Bender Rembaum attorney Peter C. Mollengarden and CPA Mark Brechbill every Monday and call in live with your community association-related questions. The number is 772-220-9788.

This is available locally in Martin and St. Lucie counties on 1450 AM, or online at WSTU1450.co

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CONDO SOLUTIONS (RADIO SHOW) on WSTU 1450 am Mondays (9 am – 10 am) by Peter Mollengarden, Esq of KBR Legal

CONDO SOLUTIONS (RADIO SHOW) on WSTU 1450 am Mondays (9 am – 10 am) by Peter Mollengarden, Esq of KBR Legal

  • Posted: Jan 07, 2025
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CONDO SOLUTIONS (RADIO SHOW) on WSTU 1450 am

Mondays (9 am – 10 am)

by Peter Mollengarden, Esq of KBR Legal


Peter Mollengarden, Esq. on ‘Condo Solutions’

Live on Mondays, from 9:05am to 10:00am.

 

Join Kaye Bender Rembaum attorney Peter C. Mollengarden and CPA Mark Brechbill every Monday and call in live with your community association-related questions. The number is 772-220-9788.

This is available locally in Martin and St. Lucie counties on 1450 AM, or online at WSTU1450.co

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CONDO SOLUTIONS (RADIO SHOW) on WSTU 1450 am Mondays (9 am – 10 am) by Peter Mollengarden, Esq of KBR Legal

CONDO SOLUTIONS (RADIO SHOW) on WSTU 1450 am Mondays (9 am – 10 am) by Peter Mollengarden, Esq of KBR Legal

  • Posted: Jan 07, 2025
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CONDO SOLUTIONS (RADIO SHOW) on WSTU 1450 am

Mondays (9 am – 10 am)

by Peter Mollengarden, Esq of KBR Legal


Peter Mollengarden, Esq. on ‘Condo Solutions’

Live on Mondays, from 9:05am to 10:00am.

 

Join Kaye Bender Rembaum attorney Peter C. Mollengarden and CPA Mark Brechbill every Monday and call in live with your community association-related questions. The number is 772-220-9788.

This is available locally in Martin and St. Lucie counties on 1450 AM, or online at WSTU1450.co

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Condo HOA Loans: We can assist you in obtaining the necessary funds for Projects, Reserves, or Cash Flow.

Condo HOA Loans: We can assist you in obtaining the necessary funds for Projects, Reserves, or Cash Flow.

  • Posted: Jan 06, 2025
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Condo HOA Loans

We can assist you in obtaining the necessary funds for Projects Reserves or Cash Flow.

Your Trusted Community Association Financial Resource

 

Don’t go it alone. Whether your Community requires Conventional or Private Lending, CondoHOALoans can assist you in obtaining the necessary funds for Projects, Reserves, or Cash Flow.

When your Community Association works with our Law Firm to facilitate and secure financing, your Community will also have the optional benefit of receiving 100% FREE Delinquent Account Collection Services.

Not sure if financing is right for your Association? Download the Association Funding Options Infographic and take our Free Financial Health Survey to find out.

 


Take the Free Financial Health Survey

Completing this Survey will provide you with a written report you will be able to immediately download upon completion.

Take Our FREE Financial Health Survey

 


Association Funding Options

Getting started with CondoHOALoans is easy.

We’ll help your community identify funding resources and lending options for all of its financial needs. Our Legal Services to your community do not end at the successful closing of your loan with the Lender of YOUR choice. As a valued client of Katzman Chandler, you will have the option, but not the obligation, to have ALL future delinquent accounts collected for FREE.

 

The Condo Building Maintenance Crisis in Florida

As a consequence of hurricanes, business cycles, and fluctuations in the real estate market over the last 20 years, financial distress has been caused to those who live in Community Associations as well as the Communities Association entities themselves.  There presently exist hundreds (if not thousands) of communities whose stories can be illustrated by the timeline below.

Many of these communities presently have underfunded budgets, inadequate cash flow, and lack adequate reserves to accomplish necessary preventative maintenance and actual present maintenance needs. Overall, Boards are starting to realize that there is a lot to do, with little or no money to do it.

 

CondoHOALoans is the best solution for customized, competitive lending options.
Download the Infographic to learn more.

(833) 427-3863

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Proposals from Vendors for the yearly budgets, here are some of the things to consider

Proposals from Vendors for the yearly budgets, here are some of the things to consider

  • Posted: Jan 06, 2025
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As Board Members are asking for Proposals from Vendors for the yearly budgets, here are some of the things to consider.

BY ROYALE MANAGEMENT

Budgets take time for any Condo and HOA Community, each year many of the services paid for by these associations come under review at budget season. While its nice to think about cost savings we feel it is much more important to look at workmanship, licensing, scope of work and then Costs. SFPMA and our Members are here for every community, on our Directory finding everything from Services to the businesses that keep your operations up and running to the Legal Experts safely protecting Condo and HOA’s from disputes and Litigation.

Search our members directory, Find a Company Ask for and  Request an RFP – Request for Proposal for your buildings Budget.

 

HERE IS A LIST OF THINGS NO VENDOR CONTRACT SHOULD CONTAIN:

1) An automatic renewal clause. While it’s ok for an agreement to continue on a month to month basis it’s wrong to saddle future board with an obligation to track and cancel an agreement on a certain date or between certain dates to keep it from automatically being extended for an additional term.

2) A right of first refusal. This allows an existing vendor to match the price and terms of any new vendor proposal and thereby force the association to keep them. Most often an association gets proposals from new contractors because they are unhappy with more than the price and terms and giving a vendor a right to stay because they agree to match price and terms, does not solve the problem and can only lead to litigation.

3) Contracts with unnecessarily long terms. While a vendor that has upfront cost for things like equipment like a laundry vendor bringing in new equipment who needs to recover the equipment cost agreement terms should be kept as short as possible. Five years might be ok for the laundry contract but would not be for a landscaping contract in this case a one year term would long enough.

4) Cancellation only for “cause” clause. Proving cause only makes the lawyers richer and can be hard to do. The best solution is to build in a “cause free” ability to cancel with a 30-day notice.

 


 

Royale Management Services, Inc

Phone: (954) 563-1269

Full-service, CAM (Community Association Management) licensed, residential property management company, specializing in management, consulting and accounting for Condominium Associations and Home Owners Associations.

“The expansion into Community Association and Home Owner’s Association management was a natural move after a number of our clients serving on condo boards asked for our help with their associations accounting, budgeting and management, due to increasing operating cost and sloppy accounting records maintained by their current bookkeepers and managers.”

 

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RMSCondo/

Learn more on our Website:  http://royalemanagement.com/

Find us on SFPMA Members Directory

 

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The Broward County Condo & HOA Expo returns Tuesday, Feb 18th, @ Broward County Convention Center.

The Broward County Condo & HOA Expo returns Tuesday, Feb 18th, @ Broward County Convention Center.

  • Posted: Jan 05, 2025
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February 18, 2025 AT 8:30 AM – 4:30PM
AT THE BROWARD COUNTY Convention Center.

 

Be sure to mark your calendar and complete your FREE REGISTRATION today!

The Broward County Condo & HOA Expo is an event you can’t afford to miss! In a single day, you’ll get the tools, information, and contacts you need to gear up for your property’s busy season:

  • Learn and get FREE CEU’s from 10+ different seminars and courses covering today’s essential management topics (But hurry – Seats fill up fast!)
  • Get advice from experts in law, security, property management, tax, accounting, and more.
  • Browse the newest products and services.
  • FREE PARKING! Use the Northport Parking Garage connected to the Convention Center, and we will validate your parking at check-in!
  • FREE LUNCH! As a Community Association Manager, Board Member, Board President, or active HOA member, use promo code RO2 when registering in the next 7 days and receive free lunch at the expo!
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“Condo Craze & HOA’s” Watch us live on YouTube with Eric Glazer

“Condo Craze & HOA’s” Watch us live on YouTube with Eric Glazer

  • Posted: Jan 04, 2025
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“Condo Craze & HOA’s”

Watch us live on YouTube with Eric Glazer

Sunday @11am

Eric Glazer graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 1992 after receiving a B.A. from NYU. He has practiced community association law for more than 2 decades and is the owner of Glazer and Sachs, P.A. a five attorney law firm with offices in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

Eric is Board certified by The Florida Bar in Condominium and Planned Development Law and the first attorney in the State that designed a course that certifies both condominium and HOA residents as eligible to serve on a Board of Directors and has now certified more than 20,000 Floridians all across the state.

Mr. Glazer is certified as a Circuit Court Mediator by The Florida Supreme Court and has mediated dozens of disputes between associations and unit owners. Eric also devotes significant time to advancing legislation in the best interest of Florida community association members.

 

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