Protecting Your Community Scheme’s Safety, Value, and Compliance (By Matthew Dean)

A well‑run Community Scheme is not built on luck — it is built on consistent maintenance, responsible decision‑making, and a management team that refuses to cut corners.

If you live at a complex, you will know that maintenance is critical. On a larger scale the building may need a good plastering and painting to keep your pride and joy in tip-top shape and keep those property values rising, and ZDMgt can gladly you assist with a site-wide tender and even arrange finance for such a project.

However, even on a smaller level maintenance affects owners on a regular basis. Sure, that rusted-off garden gate may seem like a minor blip in an otherwise lovely Community Scheme; but to the owner of that unit it could mean their dog escaping and causing chaos, or otherwise just be the source of major annoyance. Over a period of time, if items are just left to break and rot, the Community Scheme will appear dilapidated and poorly maintained.

There is also maintenance – whether scheduled or ad-hoc – which plays a role in the Health and Safety of the residents. This can range from pest control to plumbing, from safety signage to fire equipment. Some items are even required to ensure your Community Scheme is covered with insurance.

How many Community Schemes are there throughout South Africa, where the Trustees do not see the importance of maintenance? It happens all the time whereby maintenance and compliance are taken far too lightly. Thinking back to a host of real-life examples; sites where rusted fire equipment was somehow serviced instead of replaced – because the Trustees wanted to save money and did not see the importance of working equipment, and used a contractor who was all too happy to neglect his duty by servicing equipment that should legally have been condemned. Hose reels which have seized up, so the hoses cannot be rolled out in case of a fire.

There are sites where the Trustees skimp on pest control or even neglect to do pest control at all, even though this is required; there are sites where rodents are running amok and one wonders if the Black Plague is about to make a comeback! And, believe it or not, when a drain is blocked and the sewage is gushing all over the place, some Trustees will even let this happen for a couple of days until their preferred plumber has time to sort it out – exposing residents to a potentially fatal health hazard.

Typically a Body Corporate will appoint a Managing Agent and let them deal with maintenance matters; but ultimately it is the Trustees who provide the yea or nay on all maintenance matters, and if they decide not to undertake necessary repairs then it simply does not happen. This can have quite an effect – from your Community Scheme becoming run-down, to being a potential health hazard!

Something else which is often of concern is the quality of contractors used for maintenance work. For example, Trustees may have preferred contractors; while this is by no means always a bad thing, sometimes the reasons could be a tad nefarious. Or, perhaps the preferred contractors are usually good but getting complacent over time and they are not held accountable for this service degradation. But even if the contractor’s service and quality is to one’s liking, are they legitimate? Are they legally allowed to perform a service? Is their company status solid or are they the type of contractor who may just take a large deposit payment and then run off with your money?

At ZDMgt we take maintenance work seriously, and strive towards optimal Community Scheme compliance. This ensures your peace of mind when it comes to the running of your residence. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Fire Equipment Compliance: Services are done at the appropriate intervals, by contractors who are confirmed as eligible to operate by SAQCC Fire.
• Safety Signage: It is not commonly known, but all safety signs must be SABS-approved and display the SABS logo. Our maintenance staff keeps a sharp eye on this during building inspections.
• Business Stability: The contractors which are used for quotes and jobs are checked out beforehand with CIPC to make sure their companies are in business.
• Proper Plumbing: Plumbers are vetted beforehand to ensure they are registered and current with PIRB; while not a legal requirement, insurance companies do require this and it adds another element of assurance that the plumbers being used are qualified.
• Excellent Electrical: Electricians are vetted to ensure they have their legally required papers to make sure they are able to carry out safe and compliant repairs to avoid any shocking situations.
• Legal Lifts: Lifts, or elevators, are required to be inspected every two years; failure to do so warrants closure and fines by the Department of Labour. We therefore ensure that this does not even become a concern for our Community Schemes.
• Successful Service: ZDMgt works with contractors which are not only vetted for all relevant registrations, but also monitored for their quality of service. When a contractor shows signs of repeated poor performance, the contractor is replaced.
• Total Transparency: ZDMgt stores the contractors’ company paperwork and updates this as and when documents expire; while routinely checking on available databases such as CIPC Bizportal and SAQCC Fire to ensure the contractors remain registered and valid.

In closing; it is a regular occurrence that the importance of maintenance is often underestimated. Sites end up looking shabby over time from neglect; sites are put at risk by a failure to appreciate the importance of compliance; and sites even become dangerous when potential health hazards are ignored…

…But these are not things you need to be worried about if your Community Scheme appoints ZDMgt as your Executive Managing Agent. We know what needs to be done to ensure a well-maintained, compliant and safe environment.

Appoint us at your Community Scheme, buckle up, and enjoy watching things get done!