Common Problems related to housing maintenance

Introduction

Apartment lifestyle has come very far from just being home to now being gated communities where people live together in a close-knit community. Today, most housing societies aim at providing a hassle-free lifestyle to the residents, along with a calm and peaceful environment. With multiple amenities and facilities, modern housing societies are setting new standards and as a result, community living is getting more popular than typical standalone homes.

Gardens, parks, swimming pools, gymnasiums, sports/play areas, clubhouses, and other amenities and facilities are available in modern gated communities to meet the needs of residents. While Management Committees or Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) are responsible for managing and maintaining these on a daily basis, there is much more that goes into building management. A variety of issues arise on a regular basis within a housing society. Housing society maintenance issues include broken or malfunctioning facilities, complaints from residents, a scarcity of resources, and so on. Let us look more closely at some of these issues and their solutions.

Common Maintenance Related Problems & Solutions

The maintenance teams at Ashiana Housing are very competent and keen to help with anything and everything in their domain. Some of the common problems that require the attention of maintenance teams and the measures taken by Ashiana Maintenance Teams to tackle those are listed below –

●    Safety Neglect

A few of the housing societies are careless with their security measures, resulting in residents becoming victims of theft, vandalism, and, on rare occasions, more serious crimes. At times, the security framework is lax, or security guards are absent or negligent, causing vendors and salesmen to cause unnecessary disruption to members. Even when society installs CCTV systems, the equipment is not upgraded or repaired when it fails. Furthermore, broken light bulbs, open manholes, structural damage, broken pipes, and glass are common in common areas such as the parking lot, staircase, swimming pool, community hall, and garden, which frequently lead to accidents and injuries. Some structures lack modern firefighting equipment, emergency drill routines, and earthquake resistance.

To tackle this, Ashiana Maintenance Team ensures –

• Round-the-clock security service with patrolling and gate checks
• Maintenance and upkeep of fire fighting equipment, CCTV, lights, etc.
• Lifeguard for the swimming pool

●    Household repairs

These can be very tedious for the residents. In many cases, maintenance teams deny or deliberately delay such requests which lead to increased problems for the residents. Ashiana’s Maintenance Team on the other hand is always keen to help and ensures –

• In-house maintenance staff is available at no extra cost and at residents’ convenience
• The staff is competent, experienced, and have a humane approach
• Credentials are verified by AMS

●    Zero maintenance of gardens/plants

Most of the housing societies tend to display well laid out gardens with greenery all around, and walking and jogging tracks, along with water bodies running along them. However, these are more than often, not very well maintained, you’ll often find algae in the water bodies, slippery jogging tracks, ill-maintained gardens, and plants, etc.

Ashiana Maintenance Team ensures that all these activities are performed on a regular basis to deliver a pleasant ambiance, and a safe playing area for children, and to promote the health and well-being of the residents. Our maintenance team ensures –

• Maintenance and upkeep of gardens, trees, and plants
• Pruning of bushes
• Maintenance of fountains
• Maintenance of clubhouse and other facilities
• Maintenance of swimming pool

●    Cleanliness-related issues

Improper and disorganized garage disposal systems and unhygienic common areas can be a real annoyance to all members of society. It is our responsibility too, as members of society and citizens of this country to adopt and adhere to sound waste management practices, as much as it is of the maintenance team to ensure proper disposal of waste and regular cleaning and sanitization of the common areas and amenities.

Towards cleanliness, Ashiana Maintenance Team ensures –

• Daily sweeping of common areas, streets and pathways
• Daily collection of household refuse and its disposal; environment-friendly disposal of waste/garbage
• Operation and maintenance of sewage treatment plant*
• Water treatment & recycling
• Regular cleaning of surface drains
• Pest Control
• Janitorial services for the residents (at a pre-decided cost)

●    Water Scarcity/Contaminated Water

Water, as important as it is, can actually be the source of a Housing society’s maintenance issues. Whether it’s being supplied with dirty or unsanitary water, experiencing water scarcity, or experiencing unanticipated leakages and wastage. Most cities today are already experiencing severe water shortages. Furthermore, housing societies may occasionally fail to arrange for water tankers or experience pump failures. Sewage Treatment Plants that are not properly maintained or handled can sometimes experience major unavoidable shutdowns or stoppages – which can again result in contaminated water.

To ensure an uninterrupted supply of healthy water, Ashiana Maintenance Team conducts –

• Maintenance of the water distribution network including deep bore wells, pumping equipment, storage tanks, etc.
• Water management through STP
• Regular cleaning of overhead tanks
• Periodic water testing

●    Faulty Electrical Supply/Generators

It often happens that residents get unusually low or high voltages in electrical supply, which can result in damage of appliances and in extreme cases, fires. In some societies, generators go faulty over a period of time due to no maintenance and residents might have to live for hours without electricity.

To make sure that no such thing happens and for an uninterrupted supply of electricity, Ashiana Maintenance Team ensures –

• Maintenance of street and common area lighting with replacement of electrical fixtures and fittings
• Upkeep of electrical distribution system, switch gears, and transformers
• Checking and testing for electrical earthing, etc.
• Operation and maintenance of standby generators
• Operation and maintenance of lifts

Conclusion

In addition to ensuring seamless lifestyle for all the residents by preventive maintenance, Ashiana Maintenance Team also conducts multiple recreational activities which ensures a harmonious community living for the residents and well-rounded grooming of children and their hobbies. Recreational Features at Ashiana include –

• Club House with facilities of gym, swimming pool, and library
• Both indoor and outdoor sports facilities
• Select coaching facility also available
• Community events – cultural, sports competitions, health camps, etc.

On buying a home with Ashiana Housing – you sign up for a life of convenience and comfort. Visit our website to explore our projects, and become a part of the Ashiana family today!