There should be no surprises here – for you or your property. A well-managed project starts with a clear understanding of all aspects of the project and how it will progress. The contractor you select must be prepared to lay everything out for you in advance and keep you and your residents/tenants updated on an as-needed basis. That means you should expect some or all of the following:

• Pre-construction meeting (or phone conference) to give board members, managers and residents an opportunity to ask questions.
• A clear notification system, such as door-to-door notices or street signage, to let residents know how work will affect them.

Notifications should include:

• Construction dates
• Project start and stop, days and times
• Site map showing work areas for each phase of the project (larger sized jobs)
• Parking restrictions
• Brief description of the project

If a resident/ tenant does have a concern, he or she should contact the property manager, the appropriate board member, or the project manager – not the crew working on the job. Crew members are following agreed-upon directives from their manager (and designated management), so they will not have the authority to change what they are doing. Changes will need to come from management down through agreed-upon chain of command already in place. This lets the crews on the jobsite focus on their specific responsibilities and it helps to maintain the safest working environment possible for both crew and job site.

It’s important that residents/tenants follow directives for detours and parking during and after the job. Just because a crew and equipment are gone, doesn’t mean pavement or concrete is safe to drive or walk upon. Residents should remain off the freshly completed areas until a contractor representative removes traffic control materials and any associated signage.