St-Pierre & Associés - Building Science

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Reserve fund study and maintenance manual (Bill 16)

Bill 16

Reserve fund study

The purpose of the Reserve Fund Study is to prepare a report detailing the forecasted short, medium and long term expenses in order to finance the replacement work and major renovations to maintain the integrity of the building and its main components.

The work essentially consists of inspecting and evaluating the status of the systems and common areas of the property, as regards both the external envelope (walls, windows, balconies, roof, etc.), the exposed structural components, mechanical and electrical equipment, as well as movable belongings of the co-ownership syndicate.

Note: The Civil Code of Québec requires from all syndicate of a condominium the establishment of such a fund.

The term of the Reserve Fund Study comprises the following steps:

  • Interviews with officials in order to make a review of the building and specific problems’ history
  • Review of plans and specifications available on site
  • Visual inspection and evaluation of lifespans for every systems and common equipment of the building, including the building envelope, the structure, mechanical and electrical equipment, indoor finishes and outdoor features (landscaping)
  • Establishment of an inventory of common use systems and equipment
  • Report writing which describes the status of every building’s systems (Building Condition Survey). The budgetary cost estimates for replacement or major maintenance are presented in appendix in the form of detailed tables, which allows the computation of the required annual contribution. Regarding the graph, it gives the opportunity to visualize the evolution of the Reserve Fund for the next 25 years.
In summary, the main purpose of the report on the reserve fund study done by a building professional is to estimate in the short, medium and long term, the cost of works relating to major repairs and replacements of components and equipment of the common parts of the buildings.

St-Pierre & Associés supports co-ownership syndicates in establishing their reserve funds in order to have the necessary money to pay the various expenses when the useful lifetime of the components and equipment is reached.

Bill 16

Maintenance manual

The preventive maintenance program proposed in the maintenance manual helps ensuring that all building systems and components are well maintained according to best practices and has for main objective the reduction of early failures occurrences. In some cases, the preventive maintenance program may help increasing the effectiveness of systems and extend their useful lifespan beyond typical durations, which can result in significant savings for owners. This program provides an opportunity to the manager to be in an “active” mode rather than in a “reactive” mode.

The Maintenance Manual is essentially a reference manual of all building systems and components under owner’s or manager’s liability. It describes the required actions as well as their frequency. The maintenance log, which is an integral part of the Maintenance Manual, facilitates good building management and appropriate follow up of the maintenance duties.

Professional services provided within this mandate are detailed as follow:

  • Complete inventory of existing systems requiring maintenance: building envelope, interior finishes and outdoor features (landscaping), mechanical and electrical equipment
  • Identification of elements/systems which require specialized care, including applicable standards and regulations
  • Data collection and preparation of data sheets
  • Preparation of maintenance records for each type of equipment / system
  • Creation and assembly of the Maintenance Manual including maintenance schedules and a maintenance log

A preventive maintenance program aims above all to reduce the occurrence of premature damage in order to enable equipment and components to perform their function throughout their anticipated lifetime.