eBooks, Articles, & More

Article

Story of the Month:When to Repair or Replace a Component?

I recently conducted a site inspection at a property with a large air conditioning chiller unit on the roof. The property was about 15 years old, and the chiller was original. A replacement chiller of this type should cost about $50,000 (installed) and last about 20 years.

Article

Reserve Study Accuracy

Article

Deciding between “Cash Flow” and “Percent Funding” your Reserves

Hawaii state law (Section 514A-83.6) requires associations to update their Reserve computations each year as part of their annual budget, and include a specific statement about whether the budgeted Reserve contributions were developed using a “Percent Funded” or “Cash Flow” funding plan.

Article

Complying with the Reserve Study Funding Plan Requirement

Various individuals in California have asked if our company, or other California-based Reserve Study providers, are in the business of creating “Funding Plans” to help associations comply with the January 1, 2009 Reserve Study Funding Plan requirement

Article

Can Painting & Tree Trimming be Paid from Reserves?

We continue to find some reluctance to include major, infrequent common area expenses such as painting and tree trimming in the Reserve Study. This stems from IRS rulings and audit filings which state that these are “maintenance” items and not “contributions to capital”.

Article

Why Straight Line Funding or Cash Flow Funding is the Wrong Question

Periodically we are asked if we use the “straight line funding” or “cash flow funding” calculation method. The question is typically posed by someone with strong feelings on the matter, not simple curiosity. But “straight line funding” or “cash flow” is not an informative or revealing question,