Spring Maintenance To-Do List 

In order for an HOA to succeed, it must be proactive with its seasonal maintenance. The primary purpose of this is to ensure all areas of the HOA are well maintained and addressed.  

• Promotes a healthy and safe environment – A spring maintenance plan helps promote a healthy and safe environment for all members. (add more)  
• Increase property values – Maintaining the value of your community is critical. For HOAs to thrive, they must maintain a set standard, which includes routine maintenance checks and maintenance plans.

Key components to a successful spring maintenance plan

An essential part of a maintenance plan includes determining your type of plan. For example, the following are specific types of seasonal plans that your HOA could consider: 

Preventative maintenance plan

‍Considered the most popular plan, preventive maintenance focuses on being proactive and minimizing problems before they occur.

• Minimize failed components – A preventive plan helps decrease the likelihood of components failing. That is why your HOA must conduct a weekly, monthly, or annual maintenance routine. A few examples may include:

• Swimming pools – every 6 months
• Parking lots – every 12 months
• Community utilities – every 30 days

Predictive maintenance‍

This type of maintenance plan focuses on the likelihood of large repairs occurring in the near future — it monitors minor problems on a timely and repetitive basis. A large part of this plan takes into consideration small repairs that could potentially lead to larger repairs down the road. Examples may include: 

• Checking buildings for small holes and cracks
• Sweeping sidewalks and cleaning out gutters

Seasonal maintenance plan

‍Most seasonal plans should be planned two to three seasons before the start of your season. A seasonal plan focuses on areas of maintenance that are critical to maintaining the safety of the HOA. A large part of a seasonal maintenance plan includes maintenance that is related to preventing damage to the HOA due to harsh weather conditions that could potentially impact the community financially. 

• Hurricanes – clear drains and gutters, checking areas that are prone to flooding
• Tornados – shelters available on the property are up to date
• Storms and floods – tree maintenance, checking for broken limbs or trees in poor health

How much will a spring maintenance plan cost the HOA? 

More times than not, HOAs will often cut costs in maintaining their HOAs due to a lack of funds or volunteers. The longer maintenance is prolonged, the more likely larger problems will occur down the road. This is why creating a maintenance plan is important — it helps decrease costs and unexpected damage that could financially hurt the HOA. In addition, a spring maintenance plan also helps anticipate unexpected costs in the HOA’s budget by reviewing past repairs and the average repair cost spent per year. Examples of important maintenance costs may include: 

• Swimming pools: repairs $5,000/year
• Storm gutter cleaning and repairs: $6,000/year
• Back-up utilities: $4,000/year

The Spring Maintenance To-Do List

To better help your HOA be prepared this coming spring season, here are 5 important spring maintenance projects that are important to maintaining your HOA. 

Exterior

• Community pool – One of the most important jobs on your to-do list will be to maintain your community pool. Keep in mind, communities that contain larger pools will often require additional help cleaning and maintaining the pool daily. This also includes employing lifeguards and front desk workers. Other responsibilities may include: cleaning filters, restarting and testing the filtration system, checking water levels, checking chemical levels, and checking all electronic functions for any glitches.
• Playgrounds – Depending on your winter conditions, your community playground may need a spring tune-up. Responsibilities may include: cleaning playground equipment, checking for loose bolts and nails, repainting rust and stains, clearing debris and trees, and checking for glass or hazardous items that could be harmful to young children.
• Trees and shrubs - Responsibilities may include: trimming trees and shrubs. Removing broken tree limbs and bark from unstable or damaged trees.
• Signage - Check driveways and walkways for signs of deterioration or small damages. 

Common Areas

Common areas are one of the most used areas of the HOA during the spring season. They not only bring profit to the HOA, but they also attract future homeowners.

To-do list: 

• Check lights and fixtures
• Checking plugs and outlets
• Replacing broken tables and chairs
• Checking bathrooms
• Check common area walls, roofing, and windows for cracks and repairs
• Contact pest control for any seasonal maintenance needs   
• Check wood decks and patios for insect and termite damage
• Check gutters and vents 
• Check sidewalks and paved areas

Landscaping 

One of the most important parts of maintaining your landscape is to be proactive. Maintenance related to landscaping should be scheduled 3-4 months prior — this will allow the HOA to plan accordingly, along with preparing for any financial setbacks.

• Third-party service - The HOA board of directors and the property manager will determine if landscaping will be contracted from another third-party service or an established landscaping service that works alongside the property management company. Common responsibilities include: planting and pruning trees, planting flowers, handling shrubs and weeds, watering grass and plants, planning your seasonal flowers, and mowing common areas.
• Sprinkler systems – As the summer months get closer, it will be the board's responsibility to ensure that all community members are aware of any guidelines related to water or sprinkler usage. This will help regulate water usage during hotter times of the year when water is limited.

Utilities

Maintaining your communities utilities is a large part of what will help maintain your communities spring maintenance costs. The board must take all necessary steps to inspect and regulate all areas of the HOA regarding utilities. The following are important areas of the HOA that should be checked every month.  

• Water heaters
• AC units
• Water lines
• Gas lines
• Electric outlets
• Smoke alarms
• Sewage systems 

Technology

Software and technology are another important part of your HOAs spring maintenance to-do list. As the spring season gets closer, your board should take this time to access your HOAs software for any pending updates or admin issues. This could also include any new updates to their website or templates. 

• Check software for any pending updates.
• Check IT tickets for any outstanding open admin or IT issues. 
• Update your website template with a new spring template or images.
• Create a spring maintenance guideline with a list of important spring tasks and reminders.

To help you get a jump start on your spring maintenance plan we created a checklist for you to download!

Click HERE to download your 2023 spring maintenance checklist.

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