McLean Gardens - - Maintenance of Individual Units


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Maintenance of Individual Units

In general, owners are responsible for the cleanliness, upkeep, and repair of the interior of their units. Owners are also responsible for maintaining safe conditions within their units. These responsibilities include:;

electrical systems and components serving that unit only (i.e., appliances, fixtures, lights);
plumbing and related systems;
routine cleaning of windows and screens;
skylights.

Owners can be held responsible for damage not only in their own units but also in those of others if that damage is caused by negligence.

The best way to keep significant parts of your unit in good repair is to participate in the annual free unit inspection program. This visual inspection service offered by the McLean Gardens maintenance staff will help you identify potential maintenance needs before they become serious and often expensive problems. Read more.

Unit owners have found the following guidelines for avoiding water damage useful.

Know where your main water valve is so you can turn off the water in your unit if you find a leak.
Upgrade your water supply lines and valves to the new stainless steel standard. The In-Unit Maintenance program can do this for you at a reasonable cost.

Why? The plumbing in your unit may be the original that was installed in the early 1980s renovations and is now near the end of its useful life. Old pipes my burst or break, flooding your unit, and possibly the unit below, with water. To prevent this damage, you must upgrade all of the water supply lines and valves in your unit to the new stainless steel standard. As the owner, you are liable for any water damage that occurs to the furniture and furnishings in the unit below you if it is determined that your unit’s old PVC valves are the cause of the water leak.

Every month, the Association must respond to emergencies involving water leaking into residences, and the problem is almost always due to the fact that owners have not upgraded the water supply lines and valves and the old ones have failed, allowing water to leak out. Repair of water damage is a considerable expense for the Association.

Consider upgrading your hot water heater if it is more than 10 years old.
Hot water heaters have a useful life of some 10-15 years. An owner is responsible for water damage caused by a water heater that has reached the end of its useful life. New hot water heaters with an Energy Star rating may reduce your use of electricity and provide a tax credit.
Upgrade your heat pump if it has not been replaced in the past 15 years.
Many owners have a maintenance contract with one of the local companies that provide this service. Old heat pumps can leak and cause water damage for which the owner could be held liable.

Before purchasing a new heat pump, consult with Management or experts about new models that can be employed with both the current HVAC system and a geothermal system.
Have the water condensation line to your heat pump cleaned every spring and fall. You can schedule this work with as In-Unit Maintenance for a modest cost. Or the service might be provided as part of a maintenance contract with a local company.
Ensure that your toilet supply line valve (located under the toilet tank) is running properly and secured properly. Some serious water leaks have been caused by faulty toilet valves.
Shut off your water at the main valve when you will be away for more than a week. No water will be able to leak out while you are gone if anything should break.

If you find water leaking into your unit:

Put a bucket (or something similar) under the leak and notify your neighbor immediately by phone or by knocking on his/her door.
If your neighbor is home, try to help find the source of the leak and shut off the water at the faucet or the main water valve.
Call the office immediately (202) 966-9780.
- during weekday working hours (8:30 am to 5:00 pm), the maintenance staff will come as fast as possible.
- at night or one weekends, the condominium’s emergency message service will get a message to one of the McLean Gardens engineers immediately. It usually takes about 45 to 90 minutes for someone to arrive. Please be patient and use buckets and towels to take care of the leak while you are waiting.
If someone is in danger or has been injured, call 911 immediately for medical help.

For further information about owners’ maintenance of their units, see:

Questions? Call the office at (202) 966-9780.

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