New England Condominium December 2020

Technology vs. COVID-19 Condos & Co-ops Use Tech Tools to Beat the Virus BY A J SIDRANSKY December 2020 NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM Zachary Kestenbaum is the CEO of BuildingLink, a nation- al provider of multifamily building technology located in New York. “We know that in property management, being prepared for the unexpected and establishing clear and proactive com- munication is essential, and that’s been especially true during this pandemic. Communities that came into the pandemic with electronic systems already in place and having already switched 205 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10016 • CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED continued on page 6 THE CONDO, HOA & CO-OP RESOURCE CONDOMINIUM NEW ENGLAND When a crisis hits a multifamily com- munity—or any other organization—the difference between a good outcome and a disastrous one is often a matter of simple preparedness. Residential communities in particular need to have a plan in case of an emergency, whether that emergency takes the form of COVID or hurricane, earth- quake, or fire. Some states and munici- palities require multifamily buildings and developments to draft emergency contin- gency plans as a matter of law, and some don’t—but in any event, they are always a must-have for the safety of your commu- nity. What Is a Fire Safety Plan? Public service announcements have been ubiquitous for years about the need for everyone to know what to do in a fire emergency, but in order to know that, you need to have a pre-prepared plan. The proper name for an official fire safety plan is a Fire Emergency Preparedness Guide (FEPG). It gives you information about what is physically installed in your build- ing—fire protection systems, exits, stairs— and describes both fire and non-fire emer- gencies. FEPG requirements for buildings can originate with the state or local gov- ernment (or neither—in which case it’s in- cumbent on boards and managers to make sure their communities draft, maintain, and update as needed their own FEPG). The form of ownership, whether it be co- op, condo, or rental, is irrelevant; indeed, FEGPs aren’t just for residential build- ings—commercial and industrial build- ings should have them as well. Safety is a matter of precaution and common sense, even to the level of the individual family. More on FEPGs “We’ve done a good amount of research over the years and in our experience, fire It’s become axiomatic that over time, technology gets smaller, more efficient, and more capable of multiple increasingly sophisticated and specialized tasks. Think about your mobile phone. There was a time in the not-so-distant past that its predecessor, the car phone, was tethered to the inside of your vehicle, and its sole task was to make voice telephone calls. Now consider your current smartphone. It’s everything from a multi-option means of communication to a pocket-size encyclopedia, placing pretty much the whole of accumulated human knowledge in the palm of your hand. Technologies developed for use in the real estate industry have gotten smaller, more efficient, and more multifaceted with each successive generation, too. And now with the coronavirus being a looming presence over nearly every aspect of multifamily life, developing technology may also offer tremendous unexpected benefits to mitigate COVID’s unexpected consequences. The Intersection of COVID & Tech When developers—both real estate and software—initially devised technologies as refinements for residential buildings and their occupants, chances are they weren’t anticipating that those innovations would one day be used to combat and control a public health crisis like COVID; emergencies like fires and power interruptions, sure. Keeping residents and their property safe from intruders and other threats, certainly. But a highly infectious, potentially deadly microbe sweeping the globe and bringing the business of everyday life to a crawl, or even a grinding halt? Not so much. The holidays: a time for upholding long-standing traditions, usually in- volving festive gatherings of family and friends, communal meals, sacred servic- es, gift exchanges, visitors, and, invari- ably, crowds—until this year, that is. The coronavirus is forcing families and communities to reconsider what, how, and with whom they celebrate in ways that have never before been ad- dressed. For festivities that occur in co- ops, condos, and HOAs, those plans will also have to account for new rules and restrictions that associations and corpo- rations have adopted to keep their resi- dents, staff, and visitors as safe as pos- sible as the pandemic heads into another year. But in spite of the unprecedented challenges before them, associations and cooperatives are finding ways to imbue the season with spirit and celebration. It just might look a bit different than it has in the past. Where the Weather Is Warm In localities where pleasant tempera- tures stick around for the holiday season, outdoor festivities offer communities a safer option for gathering than being in- doors. Where six-foot separation can be maintained, and provided that masks are worn properly by all attendees when they are not eating or drinking, a small out- door holiday gathering with people from outside one’s household is considered “moderate risk” by health experts, in- cluding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (“Lower risk” ac- tivities are discussed in the next section.) Warm-weather locations are also pop- ular holiday destinations for out-of-state visitors, of course, so communities in places like Florida and Nevada must also consider how they are going to handle an influx of guests, revelers, and vacationers when states’ viral counts are surging and regulations for quarantining and COVID testing change frequently. Dr. Linda Marks, Commissioner of the City of Aventura, Florida, as well as Fire Safety Plans Have a Strategy Before You Need It BY A J SIDRANSKY Prepping for the Holidays in a Pandemic Condos Co-ops, & HOAs Create Cheer, Even in Crisis BY DARCEY GERSTEIN continued on page 9 continued on page 8