How Safe is Your Community?

It is always a good time to go over the basics.  It became obvious recently that my commuter files could use a little cleaning up and in the process of this cleanup I came across several articles that I’ve written over the years.  One stood out as being viable today, with a little up dating.  The list was called “How to Make an Underwriter Happy”.  Also, our perception of responsibility has changed.  So now we need to recognize that the tenant is part of the equation and they too have responsibilities.  Following are two sets of responsibilities that hopefully will help you make your community safer.

MANUFACTURED HOUSING

                        RISK MANAGEMENT CHECK LIST TO A SAFER FACILITY

1. Community Owner Responsibilities 

• Do you have Rules & Regulations including Pet Rules, and are they enforced?
•  If you have rental units are they equipped with smoke alarms and fire extinguishers and are all stairs equipped with andrails and non-skid tape? 
• Are all lights (street and other common areas) in working order and provide adequate illumination? 
• Are all paved surfaces in good repair – no cracks, potholes or raised surfaces? 
• Are speed bumps, wheel chair ramps and stairs marked with “bright contrasting paint”? 
• Are speed limits posted, visible and enforceable? 
• Do playgrounds and equipment meet playground minimum underwriting standards? 
• Are trees properly maintained and inspected for disease and damage? 
• Are septic systems pumped and maintained at an adequate frequency? 
• Is the clubhouse, laundry room or other common area buildings provided with fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, emergency lighting and are exits adequately marked? 
• Is the recreational vehicle or tenant storage area adequately secured and lighted? 
• Does the pool area meet the Swimming Pool minimum underwriting standards? 
• Are all contractors (home movers, landscapers, tree services, septic or propane providers) required to provide certificates of insurance equal to your insurance limits? 
• Do management personnel routinely inspect the community to determine what repairs are needed; and is a maintenance log maintained?

MANUFACTURED HOUSING

                           RISK MANAGEMENT CHECK LIST TO A SAFER FACILITY

1. Tenants Responsibilities

• Is the tenant’s site free of debris, broken appliances and inoperable vehicles? 
• Are pets confined to tenant’s site and are pets of a non-aggressive nature – i.e. NO Pit Bulls, Dobermans, Chow Chows, Rottweilers or Wolf-hybrids? 
• Is tenant owned sporting equipment – i.e. portable basketball hoops – confined to the tenant’s site?  This does not apply to trampolines.  They should not be allowed in the community under any circumstances. 
• Are children supervised in playgrounds or swimming pool areas? 
• If the tenant has a swimming pool, does it meet the life safety minimums as required by county code? 
• Are tenants prohibited from having commercial activities on premises?  i.e. Day Care, Auto repair. 
• Is tenant parking confined to the tenant site, leaving streets open for emergency vehicles?