The Community Association Institute (CAI) recently released a resource guide for condo buildings. The goal of this guide is to help communities prevent another tragedy like the one that occurred in Surfside last year.
The Community Association Institute
The CAI is an international membership organization dedicated to building better communities. They provide information, education, and resources to board members and the professionals who support them. A major part of their work is done through seminars, workshops, conferences, and educational materials, like the most recent resource guide. Conducting research and providing guidelines for best practices is an ongoing mission for the organization.
Condominium Safety Public Policy Report Highlights
The resource guide, officially titled Condominium Safety Public Policy Report, is the result of 3 separate tasks forces created by the CAI. These task forces were assigned to review and alter best practices for condo associations and other, similar communities. All in an effort to help avoid the devastation of the Champlain Tower South from ever occurring again.
The resource guide offers specific public policy recommendations on:
- Reserve studies and funding
- Building Maintenance
- Structural Integrity
Regarding reserve studies and funding, CAI supports laws requiring reserve studies to be prepared in compliance with National Reserve Study Standards. Also, laws to manage reserve studies during pre/during construction. It supports mandates that require property owner notification of reserve studies related to significant infrastructure/site improvements, among several other points.
Regarding building maintenance and structural integrity, CAI supports laws regarding the free flow of information from the property builder to the association. This would include preventative maintenance schedules, architectural and engineering drawings, and more. It also supports revising current building inspection requirements in some areas.
Finally, the document outlines some areas of flexibility the CAI would like to see offered to associations seeking to improve the property and increase their reserves. It outlines a list of federal disaster assistance programs which are applicable to structural analysis and corrective maintenance funding sources.
You can read the full report here.