A water pipe bursts inside one of your properties, and your maintenance staff responds quickly to stop the flow. After that, you’ll have to make sure areas incurring water damage are addressed and the salvageable building materials are dry before you can begin the work of returning your property to its former condition. You’re in… Read more »
Lead in School Drinking Water
Is School Water Safe to Drink? The reality is that lead in school drinking water continues to be a serious concern, with children in many schools potentially drinking water with dangerous levels of lead. Even when water entering a facility meets all federal and state public health standards for lead concentrations, older plumbing materials found… Read more »
Air Sensor Technology and Indoor Air Quality
A direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a heightened awareness of indoor environmental quality by both building occupants and property owners in the built environment. Direct-reading air quality instruments have long existed to monitor indoor air quality pollutants in real-time. Still, in recent years, advances in sensor technology have resulted in an expansion… Read more »
What Should Be Included in an Emergency Response Plan Gap Analysis for Multifamily Properties?
Emergency response plans are an essential part of multifamily property management. When troubles present themselves (and they invariably will) the emergency response plan is the guide that can turn chaos into calm and deliberate action. The property management team that knows the plan and has practiced the plan is miles ahead of the team that… Read more »
Turning Liability into Opportunity
We have all seen the headlines: bacterial outbreaks, chemical contamination, mold lurking behind walls. They are attention-getters that play upon our fear of the unknown and how it may harm us. This is the realm of environmental health, the study, and management of human health impacts arising from physical, chemical, and biological agents in our… Read more »
Green Building Certifications: Do You Need One?
How healthy is the building? Is the air and water quality in this building safe? Is ventilation adequate? Questions like these were gaining popularity prior to the COVID pandemic, but are now top of mind for anyone who works in or visits the space. Employers, employees, residents, management, visitors — all care about the health… Read more »
Multifamily Property Owners Can Benefit from the SB 721 Inspection
California multifamily property owners have until January 1, 2025 to complete the first inspection required under SB 721. That bill requires all exterior elevated elements (EEE) be examined for safety. Elements affected are those designed for human use that have a walking surface elevated more than six feet above ground and are constructed of load-bearing… Read more »
Healthy Building Fundamentals: An Overview of the Process
The healthy building movement is not a new idea (it is decades old), but voices in support of a closer look at building health were amplified sharply by the COVID pandemic. Property owners who gave the healthy building concept little thought pre-pandemic are now taking a closer look — and for good reason: Building health… Read more »
How to Prevent Mold Growth on Rental Properties
Mold Growth Prevention on Rental Properties Mold growth prevention and mold removal methods are two of the most frequent tenant-related issues faced by rental property owners and managers — both residential and commercial. While proactive building maintenance and incident response procedures certainly play a critical role in keeping mold and mold-based problems from occurring, getting… Read more »
How Recent Changes to RRP Rules Affect Property Management
Renovation, repair, and painting (RRP) rules were created by the EPA to protect building occupants and workers from the hazard of “lead poisoning.” Other federal and local bodies are also concerned about the dangers of lead in construction, making it all more important to be aware of the pertinent regulations before beginning a project in… Read more »
Trends in Multi-Family Property Maintenance During the Pandemic
Multi-family apartment communities have always presented unique challenges to the people who own them, work at them, and live in them, but the COVID-19 pandemic created situational difficulties on a scale most of us have never before witnessed. FACS works with multi-family management teams nationwide, so we’re positioned to not only help staff navigate the… Read more »
When Is an Asbestos Survey Required?
You could save yourself hundreds of thousands of dollars by getting this right. True or False: The U.S. completely banned the use of asbestos in building materials in 1989. That means any commercial building constructed in 1990 or later poses no asbestos risk. Consequently, you don’t need to worry about getting an asbestos survey prior… Read more »
7 Steps to a Mold and Moisture Plan for Property Management
Property managers are paid to keep occupants happy and facilities on track. Throw in a recurrent “black mold” problem, water damage from a leaking pipe, or a full-blown flood and mold growth emergency … and the property manager’s job can seem overwhelming. That’s why strategic planning is crucial. With a properly thought-out plan in place,… Read more »
Wildfire Smoke and its Impact on Your Home
Massive wildfires continue to devastate the west coast and are expected to increase as we enter fire season. These wildfires cause millions of dollars in damage, neighborhood displacement, and emotional distress for property owners and occupants. In the wake of this destruction, many property owners, insurance companies, and neighboring residents are looking for answers. Has my home been impacted? What needs to be cleaned? Is it safe for me to clean it myself?