Maintenance and Repairs in Community Schemes
Maintenance and Repairs in Community Schemes
Part 2 – Importance of Regular Inspections and Servicing of Equipment
When you own a vehicle, you generally ensure that it is well maintained, inside and outside, to keep it looking good and running well. Taking it for regular services or having something repaired when it is faulty ensures that you don’t break down somewhere on your way home in peak traffic or that further damage is caused to other parts.
It works the same in a scheme and your home. Plant & equipment such as lifts, gate motors, electric fences, aircons, etc. are all items that require regular maintenance to ensure that it continues to work properly and doesn’t break down. Items including gutters and drains needs to be kept clean and free of debris to ensure that breakages or blockages are avoided.
There are also acts and regulations that requires that certain items be serviced regularly, like your fire equipment and lifts.
Servicing equipment on a regular basis can also extend it’s lifespan.
The majority of people don’t realise how important regular inspections and servicing of equipment really is. Some equipment will depend on how often it is used, other equipment has set time frames as per Acts and Regulations.
Inspection and Servicing of Normal Everyday Equipment
Take your scheme’s access gate for instance. The gate works every day, all day. For the gate to open and close it needs a gate motor and runs on gate wheels.
Electric fences should be inspected regularly to ensure that all areas are still in working order, that there are no broken lines and that the lines are kept clear of branches and debris. More often than not it is only found after a break-in occurred that the electric fence was not working.
Aircons should be inspected and serviced annually and filters cleaned on a regular basis. How often the filters are cleaned would depend on how many people work or live in that particular area and how often the aircon is used.
Generators, inverters, security systems……the list goes on. When was the last time that someone was called in to inspect or service your scheme’s equipment?
Inspection and Servicing Equipment as per Acts and Regulations
The most important equipment that has to be serviced as per regulatory requirements, and for all residents’ safety, is:
Lifts, Escalators and Passenger Conveyors
These should be inspected and serviced monthly as per OHAS Act 52 of 1993 section 43 sec 7(1), unless the manufacturer has prescribed longer intervals.
And the older the lift the more important this becomes because parts and components become old and worn out.
Fire Extinguishers, Fire Hoses and Fire Hydrants
All fire equipment has to be inspected and serviced annually as per various regulatory authorities, like SANS (South African National Standard (Safety) and the FFS Code (Fire Safety Systems Code).
Not only is this a regulatory requirement, it is also an insurance requirement. An insurer will not settle a claim in the event of a fire if you cannot prove that your fire equipment had been serviced within that year.
What Can LevyTate Do For You?
LevyTate has designed an advanced, easy to use, fault logging app where you can log your request for maintenance or repairs with the click of a button on your phone, with one of our expert Property Managers waiting to receive your request and take the hassle out of hustling with contractors.
Services can also be diarised, with a reminder sent prior to the due date of the service.
You can track your request at all times via the app and you can also be kept up to date by email, phone or whatsapp.
We have also partnered with Enhance Maintenance to ensure that we have maintenance experts and contractors on call when we need them.
Contact us on info@levytate.co.za or 031 940 1207 for more information on our Managing Agent Services and our Fault Logging App.
