Any Which Way is Up

"Curb Appeal" is just one of the aspects of good management described in CHF's Getting Management Right - A Guide to the Core Management Standards for Housing Co-ops, 2020 Vision.

An extract from the document in this regard states:

It’s important that your property looks its best. That means getting the bigger jobs done, like keeping up with exterior painting. And it also means staying on top of the little things that make a big difference – getting the grass cut, keeping the weeds under control and picking up garbage from your property. How your co-op looks matters a lot. Your members, present and future, want to make sure they can come home to a community that is well cared for, something they can be proud to call home.

Our co-op's "Curb Appeal" is rather shocking.  Three foot high weeds and a dilapidated rotten wooden flower box grace our front entrance, where our office building is located.  Upon further entering our co-op, one cannot miss wooden air conditioner shelf supports whacked into the co-op siding, together with plywood windows. Grassy areas are strewn with garbage pails, recycling bins and household items.  Some driveways have been converted to auto and bike repair shops.  

And, alas, common areas are still not being mowed.

The document states that management should inspect it's property - inside and out, including co-op equipment.  The co-op should put a preventive maintenance program in place to spot "small problems" so that they don't become "big and expensive headaches".  Careful records of unit inspections and unit repairs should be kept to document the history of the unit.  Co-ops should attend to safety hazards, such as lifting or cracked paving, slippery walkways or poor lighting in common areas.

No walk-a-rounds are conducted in this co-op. Back steps and fences have collapsed with rot, the storing of hazardous materials is not documented or addressed, trees are not trimmed, sewers are not maintained, common area lighting is extremely poor, annual unit inspections are not conducted and records are non-existent. 

Committees, the report concludes, are no longer essential - and never have been. It would have been heresy in the 1970s and 80s to even suggest that hired co-op management could replace committees.  Now co-ops are being told that committees were never part of the seven international co-op principles. 

Communication between a Board of Directors and property management has to strike the right balance.  As well, the skills of a property manager have to be aligned with the co-op's expectations.  Any failure on this level, could spell disaster for a co-op.

The 2020 Vision report exclaims that members' satisfaction is first and foremost and members could fill out a "Membership Satisfaction Survey" and "compile the results online".   However, members have different standards.  Perhaps the derelict state of our co-op suits certain members and, therefore, no corrective action needs to be taken.

The report states that by-laws must be adhered to and applied fairly.  Our by-laws contain in-depth committee descriptions, which committees were never part of the seven international co-op principles to begin with.  Our by-laws are in serious need of revamping.

Under the guise of Getting Management Right, our co-op will continue to bumble along its course, with no apparent direction or vision as to it's future.  "Curb Appeal" be darned!