From APRA's Nov/Dec Newsletter-Wily Nilly Drilling of Holes For Cable Leads to Major Damage

I get APRA's (Association of Professional Reserve Analysts) Monthly Newsletter delivered to my email box every other month.The Nov/Dec newsletter has some important lessons for HOA's on deferred maintenance and the costs that come with it.

Satellite/Cable installers are some of an HOA's worst enemies, whether you know it or not. Cable/sat dish installers get paid the same way many of your vendors employees do,  by "piece work". What's piece work? Well lets say that the cable/dish installer has 5 installs in one day scheduled. He/she gets paid by each dish they install. If they get paid lets say $75.00 per dish, they can make $375.00 that day. If it takes the installer 5 hours to do the job, that breaks out to" $75.00 an hour in wages. If it takes the installer 10 hours to do the jobs, that breaks out to "only' $37.50 an hour.

They are incentivized to slam as many dishes in as possible. Therefore, your HOA is at risk of leaks due to the installer slamming in the dish as easily and as fast as they can. Read this from APRA-


Mysterious Holes. While doing my
weekly property inspection, I noticed
holes in the stucco walls that appeared
to be vandalism. The holes revealed a
mysterious black substance inside the
wood structure. The black substance
turned out to be mold and dryrot. About
the same time, reports were coming in
regarding some of the cantilevered
balconies that had dropped an inch or two.


Engineers Called In. The board
decided to bring in experts to study
both the walls and the balconies to
make recommendations for repair and
to write the specifications so bids could
be obtained. At this point, the health
and safety of those affected residents was of great concern.

Bids were obtained from four different
engineering companies and a contract
was awarded to the low bidder at
$56,000. Arrangements were made for
the engineers to have access to all
second and third story balconies for
inspection purposes. A detailed
description of the condition of each
balcony was noted, including a rating
system to determine the priority in
which these balconies would be
repaired. As a result of the inspection, a
dozen balconies were immediately
closed off due to unsafe conditions.
The study revealed dryrot and mold
behind the walls where the small holes
had been made. It was thought that the
water came from roof leaks and poor
drainage. The holes in the walls were
created by the cable company
installing cable to individual units. The
exterior walls were coated with an
elastomeric paint which did not allow
water to evaporate when it got behind
stucco.
Termites. All of the dampness had
attracted termites. A termite specialist
was brought in and the treatment of all buildings cost $100,000.

Dryrot on plywood under dish from leaks through stucco

Wires run on top of wall nailed through creates a path for water intrusion

Open holes in stucco are waiting to funnel water into the wall.

 READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE AND FIND OUT THE COSTS OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AT APRA BY CLICKING HERE

Satellite Dishes Got You Down? This could be the panacea for HOA's and Apartment Communities

Could this be the answer to HOA and Apartment Community satellite dish mounting woes?
Simply provide and install these devices and it may solve a lot of your water intrusion headaches...haven't tried them myself, but the theory looks sound and I am going to request a few samples to try out some of my own experiments...click to their website to read more...

Haselwander Development Princeton Valley Golf Course

Satellite dishes have long been a source of contention for homeowner associations and developments. Many HOA (home owner associations) prior to 1996 had bans that governed dish and antenna installs. That year the FCC determined that receiving satellite signals was a basic right and to no one's surprise dishes sprouted on building roofs, walls and eaves creating a clear mounting problem, with no control or uniformity in sight.
Roof consultants were concerned about the methods used for dish and antenna installations The more roof penetrations, the greater the possibility of leaking and the more attention required to prevent roof leaks from occurring. Many times these penetrations void roof warranties and can leak unknown for years until structural damage is discovered.
The Commdeck product line is the missing link that allows landlords and associations to manage dish and antenna installations and placement. Using Commdeck products will guarantee a uniform installation and maintain the beauty and structural integrity of your community and common property. Using the Commdeck products to mount satellite dishes will keep your roof warranties in tact and allow dish removal and upgrades to be controlled as tenants and homeowners change over time.

Testimonial - Situs Unlimited, Joseph Haselwander

Allowing satellite dish installation for my tenants has been difficult. I would need to take time out of my day to meet with an installer to determine where to place a dish for one of my tenants. The installer would tell me the options, which are, a pole in the yard, a mount lag bolted through the siding or a mount lag bolted through the roofing materials. In all cases a set of wires tacked to the building and another hole drilled into the building where the wire enters. In my estimation, none of these are acceptable. I own properties where the dish has been installed with no thought or concern about my property. This touched everything from the integrity of the structure to the appearance. As a result, I was driven to oppose any dish installations on my properties.
The Commdeck is used on all Situs buildings going forward. It has allowed us to plan for the satellite dishes in the same way that we have planned for the cable. It has provided a choice for my tenants. Satellite dishes on our new buildings have a clean, professional, uniform look that does not damage or degrade the property value.
By having this system built into my investment property, I have the peace of mind that the satellite equipment will be installed properly. My time is limited and this unit has also allowed the satellite installation to be completed with out my needing to go out to the site. In essence, I have given permission for the dish to be installed on these properties by simply having the Commdeck installed.
Joseph Haselwander
Owner
Situs Unlimited