Weather in New England is anything but predictable which is why it’s no surprise that this year, Bostonians have been singing the classic nursery rhyme “Rain, Rain Go Away” more than Sox anthem “Sweet Caroline.”

While the rain has tapered off since April, the rainiest month in Boston’s history since 1872, property owners all over Massachusetts have felt the impact of multiple measurable days of precipitation, including localized flooding, persistently wet lawns, increase in pollen production, and costly water infiltration issues, just to highlight a few.

As local residents of Boston ourselves, our team is no stranger to New England’s often harsh and unseasonable weather conditions, as it is something that we deal with and prepare for on a personal and professional level.

Professionally speaking, as an experienced property management company, we help property owners and association boards, just like you, prepare and protect their real estate investments from costly water issues. And if you can believe it, we often take our clients by surprise when we inform them that a passing rainstorm (or two) is not usually the culprit behind their property’s water problems and that lack of routine preventative maintenance may be equally to blame.

The truth is proper preventative maintenance is essential to the success of any piece of real estate, water issues or not. Which is why the team at Peacock Properties is prepared to share a few tips to help you preserve your shared investment, protect your residents, and most importantly, avoid costly emergency repairs and damages year-round.

Why preventative building maintenance is vital to the success and longevity of your association

Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and when it comes to property maintenance, we couldn’t agree with the accomplished inventor and Founding Father more.

Preventative maintenance of any building, regardless of age or use, can:

• Save you money. Scheduling regular preventative maintenance inspections is extremely beneficial. It allows you the opportunity to look for minor problems before they become major maintenance emergencies, especially in the case of water leaks and infiltration. In addition, a preventative approach can help lower your repair and replacement costs, reduce your condo association fees in the future and lessen the need for special assessments when a major building component fails, such as your roof or central HVAC system.
• Minimize your association’s liability risk. The Peacock Properties team has found that an inadequately maintained building often leads to an onslaught of damages to the structural components of a building, including the façade, garage, driveway, and walkway. When these particular areas of a building begin to breakdown and deteriorate, they can become problematic and may even increase your association’s risk for liability issues.
• Manage your association’s expenses. Performing regular routine maintenance at your property provides you the chance to plan and budget for future needs, projects and inspections as well as eliminates the frequency of costly emergency repairs. In addition to being able to create a more accurate budget for your operating expenses, preventative maintenance can also help you make sure that your association’s reserve account is fully funded at all times.
• Improve overall property appearance. Lastly, a properly maintained property will not only benefit your current residents, it will also help you attract the right kind prospective new owners and renters in the event a unit is available for purchase or rent.

How a property management company can help you with your association’s maintenance and construction needs

If you are single-handedly managing your condo building or dividing the responsibilities amongst your fellow board members, you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that regular routine maintenance will likely bring, especially in the beginning. While there may be a lot of work to address now, it’s important to know that you don’t have to tackle these projects alone; a dedicated property management company, especially one with expertise in maintenance and construction, can support you and your property’s needs.

While there are many benefits to working with a property management company, one key perk is their ability to assist your condo association with proper building maintenance. A skilled management company will not only regularly inspect your building and the surrounding grounds, preventing costly damages from happening in the first place, they will also help you control your maintenance expenses, schedule and budget for upcoming projects, ensure you have the proper liability insurance coverage in place, and in worst-case scenarios, assist you in quickly diagnosing and remediating emergency issues.

Preventative maintenance and management with Peacock Properties

Here at Peacock Properties, our mission is to ensure that our properties are adequately maintained. However, we also think it’s equally important to educate our clients. We do this by providing them with the information they need to make informed decisions about their investment, which is precisely what we are trying to achieve with this blog post.

If you are currently working with a property management company, but are unhappy with the service they are providing and are looking to make a change, Peacock Properties may be the right partner for you. Our team has the capabilities to help you inspect your building’s structural integrity, HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems, as well as make recommendations on how to improve your property’s energy efficiency and ensure your building is up-to-date with current building codes. Additionally, we employ a local and licensed General Contractor who is available to assist you and your association with accurately identifying and addressing all maintenance projects along with responding to emergency repairs.

If you walk away with one thing after reading this blog, we hope, it’s this – don’t wait until you have a maintenance emergency on your hands to begin evaluating your property’s maintenance needs. In addition to answering any questions you may have about preventative maintenance, we’d love to hear more about you and your condo association. Contact us today at 617-600-6355, shoot us an email, or visit us online to learn more about our unique property management approach.