Comments: Comments Off on 7 Key Characteristics of the Best Property Management Software by Buildinglink
7 Key Characteristics of the Best Property Management Software
by BuildingLink
From fielding resident questions and processing package deliveries to responding to maintenance requests and keeping your stakeholders informed, managing your HOA community, condo, or multifamily property may feel like spinning a dozen plates simultaneously. Whether you’re using multiple software solutions to keep records or working with pen and paper, you know how complicated it is to manage your property.
This is where an all-in-one property management system like BuildingLink can make a world of difference. By consolidating all your operations into one platform that everyone can access, you can simplify your day-to-day work while ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. When evaluating if a property management software is the best fit for your property or community, here are a few key characteristics to look out for.
YOUR GUIDE TO CHOOSING PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
Managing multifamily properties is no small feat. Between the daily operations, maintenance requests, and never-ending quest to deliver an amazing resident experience, property managers often find themselves spread too thin, struggling to prioritize their tasks and keep pace with the demands.
Enter property management software solutions, a comprehensive tool that gives regional managers complete oversight across multiple properties, streamlining complex operations and facilitating enhanced communication with residents. The result? A more manageable workload for your property management team and a significantly improved living experience for your residents.
Comments: Comments Off on HOA Parking Lot Flooded over the weekend? Now is the time to give Allstate Resource Management a call!
HOA Parking Lot Flooded over the weekend?
Now is the time to give
Allstate Resource Management a call!
Our schedule is filling up fast for storm drain cleanings, the rain that occurred this past weekend was a preview of what this summer will look like for your HOA community.
Contact us to talk to a Stormwater Specialist today!
Comments: Comments Off on Top 7 Reasons to Introduce Lake and Pond Aeration by SOLitude
Top 7 Reasons to Introduce Lake and Pond Aeration
Pond aeration is the simple, yet effective, process of increasing oxygen levels in a pond and can not only greatly enhance the aesthetic beauty of a pond, but can also improve the natural systems taking place beneath the water’s surface.
Aeration creates destratification of the water column, as lakes and ponds typically consist of stratified layers separated mainly by different temperatures and oxygen levels. Natural resource and environmental managers are often challenged by problems caused by lake and pond stratification.
Boost Oxygen Levels with Pond Fountains or Aerators
Through surface aeration with floating fountains, surface aerators, or bottom-diffused aeration, with a compressor pushing air through weighted diffusers, the main purpose of aeration is to increase and stabilize the amount of dissolved oxygen in the entire water column. Aeration systems can have a widespread effect on many different aspects of pond and lake health and can be operated by solar or windmill power if running electricity to your waterbody is not feasible.
Here are 7 Reasons to Add a Floating Fountain or Pond Aerator
Aeration can help balance water quality, thus reducing water quality problems faced by lake and pond owners and helping “clean” the water of cloudiness and odors.
Submersed aerators help circulate the water column, introducing oxygen throughout.
Aeration helps reduce the amount of free-reactive phosphorus in a pond through oxidation.
Floating fountain aerators are aesthetically pleasing, providing distinction and splendor.
Aeration decreases mosquito activity by creating ripples and moving water.
Aeration provides an oxygen-rich environment in the pond, promoting a healthy habitat for fish and other aquatic life.
Aerators help reduce the overall accumulation of organic sediment on the bottom of the pond.
Create Healthy, Beautiful Water with Fountains and Aerators
Implementing the use of an aeration system is a proactive, and cost-effective approach to controlling a variety of challenges when it comes to pond and lake management. Aeration can drastically improve the health of an aquatic ecosystem. With more balanced water quality, troublesome and hazardous issues like algae and aquatic weeds are less likely to develop.
If a healthy pond is a goal, then aeration is one of the first steps one should take toward achieving a beautiful and balanced ecosystem.
SOLitude Lake Management is a nationwide environmental firm committed to providing sustainable solutions that improve water quality, enhance beauty and preserve natural resources.
SOLitude’s team of aquatic scientists specializes in the development and execution of customized lake, stormwater pond, wetland and fisheries management programs. Services include water quality testing and restoration, algae and aquatic weed control, installation and maintenance of fountains and aeration systems, shoreline erosion control, muck and sediment removal and invasive species management. SOLitude partners with homeowners associations, golf courses, private landowners, businesses and municipalities. SOLitude Lake Management is part of Rentokil, a leading business services company, operating across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Let’s Talk Fountains & Aeration: An Interview with Our Aeration Expert
March 21, 2023 11:00 am
We often talk about the importance of fountains and aeration, but what exactly is aeration and what does it do for lakes and ponds that makes it so vital? With…
Allstate Resource Management has over 25 years of experience in maintaining the health of lakes, ponds, wetlands, and stormwater systems. We have continued since our inception to be the leader in resource management. Our services include lake management, wetland management, stormwater drain cleaning and maintenance, erosion control, fish stocking, native plantings, debris removal, water quality, aquatic pest control, and upland management. All of our technicians are thoroughly trained and certified in order to meet the strict standards imposed by governmental agencies. This ensures that your property will be treated by only the most competent individuals who are proud of the services we render.
In addition to providing a healthy habitat, we specialize in the installation and maintenance of beautiful color lit fountains, bringing beauty and enjoyment to any lake or pond.
We also offer support services for property managers and HOA’s including educational presentations and CEU programs. Our approved courses offer continuing education credit to CAMs.
We recently published an article on how communities can speed up maintenance projects. In this article, we’ll look at how long some common maintenance jobs should take to complete.
HOAs have an obligation to maintain certain parts of the development. They must set aside a portion of the dues or fees collected from owners to pay for big and small maintenance projects. If the association fails to meet those obligations, it not only creates safety problems for members, but legal issues for the association as well.
If members feel that the board is not properly caring for the property, they can write official complaints, vote to remove board members, or even sue the HOA.
Maintenance must be taken seriously, but it is far easier to manage when you have a system or solution that enables you to organize components, schedule/assign work, and track tasks.
Defining maintenance obligations
The maintenance responsibilities of an association versus those assigned to individual owners depend primarily on whether the item or equipment is classified as part of a common area, exclusive use common area, or separate interest.
Common areas typically refer to shared spaces such as pools, sidewalks and roads. Exclusive use common areas are spaces or elements used by one or more, but fewer than all, of the owners. Separate interests are the separately owned lots belonging to members.
While some maintenance obligations are quite clear, others can be a little murky. This is especially true with exclusive common areas since they tend to be things like patios and windows. Roof maintenance may also be confusing; some HOAs cover roof repairs while others do not.
The association’s CC&Rs should detail maintenance obligations and define who is responsible for what. But if there is some uncertainty, boards are advised to refer to civil codes and/or consult with the HOA’s attorney.
Why timelines matter
There are several reasons why time matters when it comes to maintenance projects. The main one is so staff and management can plan for disruptions and costs. However, there are times when maintenance work will impact owners, and they will also need to know approximately how long the work will impact their day-to-day lives.
For example, if a parking lot is being repaved, owners will need to be informed of the work, they will need to move their vehicles before the work begins, and know how long they will have to find temporary parking.
Contractors can’t know for sure how long maintenance work will take to complete, but they should be able to provide an educated estimate. Tracking the time it takes for professionals to complete routine and unplanned maintenance is another good way to predict future repair timelines. Having this knowledge allows those responsible for setting up maintenance work to complete projects with more confidence (plus they’ll know if a vendor is taking too long to complete certain jobs).
How long should HOA repairs take?
There is no way to know for sure how long any maintenance project will take. Even a standard preventative maintenance job can become lengthy if a contractor discovers additional damage to an element. Other factors, including availability of materials, permit requirements, complexity of the project, size of the community, and weather will all impact the timeline of a project.
That being said, below are some estimates of how long common HOA maintenance work takes to complete.
To get a more accurate time estimate, speak with a contractor or repair expert. They will be able to look at the specific qualities of your community and provide you with a realistic timeline.
Pool repairs
There are many different types of pool repairs. Some can be completed in a couple of hours while others will take several days.
A simple structural leak generally takes a day or two of work. Half a day is needed to complete the first step of a crack injection repair, and another half day is required to “staple” the cracks together and plaster the damaged area.
If your pool has a heater and the warming system breaks, the entire pool may be shut down for a week. The heater can be replaced in a day, but it could take longer. After the new pool heater is installed, it might be another three days before the pool is warm enough to use again.
Most plumbing leaks can be resolved in two days, but the time it takes to fix a pool leak from plumbing can vary according to the extent of the damage.
Pool resurfacing involves the removal and replacement of the top layer of the pool surface. This may be done to give the pool a clean fresh look, or to address several small cracks. In general, this renovation process takes one to three weeks.
Water/electricity lines
A water line is an underground pipe that transports water from a water source to a home’s or building’s service pipe. These pipes typically run beneath sidewalks and streets.
A water line pipe might crack, allowing water to spill out. This can cause many issues, including unsanitary water, higher water bills, low water pressure, and floods.
Due to the severity of this problem, a water main break needs immediate attention. Plumbing technicians will need to turn the water off while they repair the break. Once the pipe is in working order, they will flush it before reconnecting it to the plumbing system.
The good news is this type of repair only takes between four and eight hours.
If an electricity line goes out due to weather, it can generally be restored in a couple of hours. However, if an entire pole comes down, the outage could easily last a full day.
Roofs
In many cases, HOAs have delegated the responsibility of maintaining roofs to the individual owners. But if the association covers the costs of repairs, expect each home to take up 1-3 days of the contractors’ time. More complex designs and materials will add time to that estimate.
Gutters and downspouts
Routine maintenance of gutters and downspouts prevents more serious water damage from occurring. Like roofs, many HOAs have stated that owners are responsible for maintaining these items.
Minor gutter repairs can be completed in as little as one to two hours. Partial replacements can take two to four hours, and full replacements can take two to three days of work.
The timing is similar for downspout repairs and replacements.
Parking lots
Most HOAs can complete routine parking lot maintenance in two to three weeks, but timing will vary depending on the size of the lot and weather conditions.
Paving can take less than a week, but keep in mind that proper curing (letting the asphalt cool and settle) is an important part of the process as well. Depending on the size of the parking lot, thorough curing can take anywhere from one to two weeks.
General landscaping
While not a traditional repair, landscaping is a maintenance job that can be hard to plan for, at least the first couple of times. The size of the property, availability of materials, and weather conditions can greatly impact the time it takes to finish the job. Once you have found a landscaper that you like, you will become more familiar with the time it takes to do certain jobs.
From start to finish, most projects fall into the two- to three-week range, but cutting grass or trimming plans can take half a day.
Conclusion
HOAs have an obligation to maintain certain areas of the development. By scheduling routine maintenance, associations help prolong the useful life of elements and components, and keep the community safe and attractive too.
It’s important for staff, board members and management to have repair timelines so that they can budget for costs and time accordingly. While projects don’t always go according to plan, just having a guideline allows them to manage expectations more effectively.
A lake is a living, and ever evolving thing. Many people think a lake is static and unchanging like a swimming pool.
Often, we hear “I’ve lived on this lake for years and it’s never been like this before. What’s going on?”
The simple answer is: You’re lake is getting older and as it matures it’s going to go through changes. This is
especially true in South Florida since most of our lakes are man made, shallow and quite new in comparison to the natural lakes that occur in other parts of the country.
To add to the situation, our lakes are connected directly to storm water drains and canals, increasing sources of input. Community lakes may provide nice scenery but their primary purpose is to catch and hold rainwater from storms so our neighborhoods don’t flood. That water carries with it anything it picks up as is flows across our properties, down the streets, and through our developments. Items such as dirt, fertilizer, grass clippings, pet waste, leaves, and petroleum products are carried into our lakes via storm flow and accompanying winds where they begin to accumulate.
Everything from lake depth to water chemistry is changed (ever so slightly) every rainy season. Year after year the subtle changes build until finally, the cumulative result becomes visually obvious. Another source for change that often goes unnoticed is the constant barrage of new weeds and plants introduced to our lakes by wildlife. Waterways provide an oasis and convenient habitat for migrating water birds. Every season they travel great distances, hopping from lake to lake; carrying new weeds and transferring them to each water body as they go.
Therefore, if the observation is “Our lake wasn’t like this 5 years ago.” The response is “That’s because it’s not the same lake it was 5 years ago.” The long standing relationship Allstate has had with many of its customers has given us tremendous experience in handling the changes that naturally occur with community lakes over time. Feel free to contact us and let our staff work with your specific waterway needs.
Author: Stephen Montgomery, Allstate Resource Management
Shoreline erosion is one of the most difficult, if not impossible, problems for pond owners to control. And while a new shoreline can be engineered, proactive management is much easier and more cost-effective. To keep your shoreline healthy for as long as possible, it’s important to understand the signs of shoreline degradation – some more obvious than others.
Shrinking appearance
Imagine digging a small hole in your yard. What would it look like a month later? How about a year? Chances are, it will look indistinguishable from the surrounding earth because it has filled back in. Your pond undergoes the same process, though it may take decades before you notice that its capacity to hold water has decreased since the first time you saw it.
Steep drops, islands, and peninsulas
Deep ruts and steep, crumbling drop-offs are an obvious sign of erosion, but the appearance of “peninsulas” and irregular contours along the bank may be an early clue of degradation. The formation of islands, often covered in emergent plant growth, can also indicate that the waterbody is unevenly filling with sediment.
Muck and flooding
Once sediment has eroded into a waterbody, it tends to stay there. Over time, it will become incorporated with pollutants, animal waste, and decomposing plant matter, creating a thick muck on the bottom. As depth and volume slowly decrease due to the build-up, there is a greater risk of flooding during heavy rainstorms.
Exposed pipes or root systems
As water levels drop and shoreline deterioration worsens, it’s not uncommon for roots and stormwater pipes to become visible. In addition to being aesthetically displeasing, this could result in significant property damage and leave property owners liable for any injuries that occur as a result.
Cloudy water
Even if the shoreline appears to be in good condition, solids suspended in the water column could be a sign of erosion. Though this is common after it rains, as stormwater picks up sediment when it flows into the water, prolonged cloudiness may be cause for concern.
Burrowing animals and sinking earth
Burrowing animals like muskrats, Norway rats, invasive armored catfish, and some mole species are both a sign and a cause of shoreline erosion. Not only do the channels they dig weaken the shore and increase the risk of collapse, but they also make it easier for water to escape.
Monitoring for Erosion Damage
Erosion is a natural phenomenon that occurs in every waterbody, but human activity can significantly speed up the process. Partnering with an aquatic expert to implement proactive solutions is essential to maintain a stable shoreline.
In addition to regular monitoring, professionals recommend cultivating a buffer of native vegetation around the entire perimeter of a waterbody, allowing them to grow approximately knee-high to lessen the force of rainwater as it washes over the shoreline. Beneficial buffers also have complex root systems that help hold soil in place.
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.
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.