4.05 House Maintenance Delegation
4.05.00
Effective: 12/7/2022
Responsible Executive Officer: Vice President of Facilities
Responsible Committee: Facilities
4.05.01 General Policy Statement
The SHC is committed to living in safe and secure homes, while also creating an empowered environment without interfering with House Autonomy in quality of life/culture issues of the household. The House Maintenance policy is intended to define and streamline steps aimed toward more effective use of our shared resources.
4.05.02 Requirements and Process
The SHC’s Maintenance Team is responsible for ensuring that every House has:
- Safe and functional plumbing that is up to relevant standards
- Safe and functional electricity that is up to relevant standards
- Safe and functional heating that is up to relevant standards
The SHC’s Maintenance Funds will pay for the routine maintenance, repair, and end-of-lifecycle replacement of the following:
- Furniture and Assets affirmed elsewhere in code
- Flooring
- Doors
- Windows, not including window treatments ie. blinds, curtains
- Furnaces
- Plumbing, excluding showerheads.
- Electrical infrastructure, up to and including wall outlets
- Light fixtures
- Outside walls
A House or Member may be, in part or in whole, held responsible for the cost of any service calls and repairs billed to the SHC if any of the following are true:
- The repairs could have been completed by the House or Member with less than 3 hours of member labor and for less than $100 cost of materials;
- The reason for the call was due to negligence or willful damage on the part of the House, Member, or guests of the House or Member.
Every House and its members are responsible for ensuring that they:
- Are in compliance with city ordinances (ie. PACE)
- Pass all city inspections by noting issues, solving what they can, and reporting the rest to the SHC through appropriate channels on a continuous basis
- Replace or repair broken window screens
- Maintain function of smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors
- Troubleshoot garbage disposal issues safely
- Unclog clogged drain lines
- Clean out dryer vents and washing machine filters at least once per six months
- Appropriately notify the SHC of all potential facilities issues that lie outside of the scope of the house’s responsibility or ability
Individual Houses shall be responsible for the purchase of common and inexpensive tools needed for House maintenance. However, a House may petition the SHC Maintenance Committee for funding for tools if the need is demonstrated.
Houses are responsible for the maintenance, repair, and (when necessary and applicable) end-of-life replacement of:
- Lightbulbs
- Interior wall paint
- Toilet hardware, sink hardware, showerheads
- Furniture and Amenities not provided for elsewhere
- Electrical face plates
4.05.03 Reasoning
By identifying who should pay for, fix, or call a contractor to solve an issue, houses can be more effectively maintained; and house and SHC budgets can better account for and/or predict maintenance expenditures.
4.05.04 Related Policies
- 4.03 Facilities Grants – Physical Development Grants
- 4.04 House Provisions
4.05.05 Exclusions/Exceptions
TBD
4.05.06 Contacts
Inquiries regarding this policy, or excepted may be directed to Vice President of Facilities, email facilities@spartan.coop
4.05.07 Definitions
- SHC Maintenance Team
- The Vice President of Facilities in conjunction with SHC Staff whose roles relate to the maintenance of homes: Maintenance Technicians and Maintenance Dispatcher.
- SHC Maintenance Funds
- SHC Budget items related to the maintenance of homes: Routine Maintenance, Capital Improvements.
- Appropriate Notification
- Filling out the Maintenance Request Form, available on the SHC website and through AppFolio, in a timely and effective manner.
4.05.08 Procedures
The Vice President of Facilities, SHC Office Dispatch, and/or SHC Maintenance Tech will provide support and training for members and houses for performing these responsibilities when needed.
If these repairs are more than House and its members can either afford or perform, they may submit service calls and repairs to the SHC to be performed and/or paid, with approval of the Vice President of Facilities, SHC Office Dispatch, and/or SHC Maintenance Tech.
4.05.09 Forms and Instructions
“Appropriate notification” of the SHC to a maintenance issue shall take the form of a Maintenance Request form, available on the SHC website or your member portal. Further instruction for effective submission of this form will be provided on the SHC website.
https://www.spartan.coop/homepage-4/maintenance/maintenance-requests/
History & Revisions
9/27/2022 | Developed as part of Rowan Price’s VISTA Service, 2022; Noah Dreiling, Facilities Officer, Bowie | |
11/14/2022 | Reviewed by Executive Team | |
12/07/2022 | Revisions Submitted; Approved by Executive Team |