DOCUMENTATION SHOULD NOT BEGIN AND END WITH REPAIR REQUESTS.
A strong record should show:
Preventive maintenance records Appliance installation dates Model and serial numbers Warranties Roof inspections Septic pump-out records
Elevator certifications Fire protection testing Snow and ice logs Tree inspections
Capital replacement records Vendor recommendations Resident communication
RUN THE “HIT-BY-A-BUS” TEST Imagine that your best maintenance supervisor was hit by a bus tomorrow and could no longer return to work. There is no transition period, no two weeks' notice, and no opportunity to train a replacement. How much critical property knowledge would disappear with that person? Could the rest of the team explain why Unit 314 has had three electrical complaints in two years? Could someone locate the roof warranty or show when
it was last inspected? Could they identify when a water heater was installed, whether it was still under warranty, and what repairs had previously been made? Could they produce snow-removal records showing when a walkway was plowed, salted, and reinspected? If too many answers begin with “We would have to ask Mike,” the property does not have institutional knowledge. It has tribal knowledge.
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