Author: Tim Moegen
June 20, 2024 - 5 MIN. READ
A multifamily property manager needs to provide amenities for residents to ensure their satisfaction and retention. One popular amenity is a swimming pool. But owning a pool comes with maintenance responsibilities, so ensuring that the right pool supplies are available is crucial.
The Importance of Regular Maintenance and Pool Supplies for the Multifamily Property Manager
Regular pool maintenance is necessary for the safety of tenants and to prevent costly damage to the pool. The pool (walls, bottom, edges) and all surrounding areas must be regularly cleaned and debris-free. Prohibit glass, as well as pets, from the site.
Make sure to put together a clear schedule. Assign responsibilities and check up on completion. You should have daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual tasks.
Pool maintenance can improve the lifespan of the pool and its equipment, reducing the need for frequent and unbudgeted capital repairs and replacements that will hurt your Net Operating Income (NOI).
The Importance of Water Treatment
Water treatment is vital to eliminate pathogens that may cause infection or disease in your residents. If either happens, your reputation and resident satisfaction is at risk. Managing algae growth with frequent chemical treatments and scrubbing is also critical.
Other Maintenance Tasks
In addition to water quality, check tiles, lighting, diving boards, filters, and pumps as part of your scheduled maintenance. In particular, check underwater lighting for leaks every morning.
A great-looking, well-operating pool will be a daily social mecca for your residents for much of the year. Proper maintenance with an eye toward visual appeals like landscaping, bright furniture, and even lanai areas will appeal to residents as destination spots. A clean, fun place to gather will build resident loyalty.
You can do these services yourself or outsource parts or all of the work, whichever works better for your NOI.
Essential Pool Supplies for Multifamily Owners
You not only need to schedule and perform these services, but you will also need the proper supplies and materials to get them done.
Water Treatment is Crucial
The critical task is conditioning the water. Water can be acid or alkaline, depending on its source and the additional minerals added by rain. It is measured by a value called pH, which runs from 1-14. Values 7 or below are acidic, while values above 7 are alkaline. A pH of 7.4-7.6 is the goal for your pool to avoid skin irritation and equipment damage,
Day to day, the pH is unstable. To maintain the proper pH, you will need chemicals to raise water's pH when it gets acidic and one to lower the pH when it gets too alkaline.
Water calcium hardness is another value to track. The ideal calcium concentration is 175 -300 parts per million (ppm). If your water is too soft, it will absorb the minerals in your pool walls and floor. To prevent tile and cement damage, you will need to add calcium when your water measures below that value.
Finally, sanitizing is essential to maintain your pool. Chlorine is an effective bacteria and algae killer at an ideal one to three ppm concentration. You can add chlorine in tablet or granular form or with a chlorine generator (dispenser) that monitors concentration automatically.
For occasional issues, you can use an algaecide.
Other Supplies and Equipment
Be sure to get the right equipment to maintain your pool. Skimmers, pool scrubbers, and vacuums are important for removing debris and keeping the pool clean. Skimmers remove debris from the surface. Vacuum and remove it from the bottom.
You will also need test gauges to measure the various water values and dispensers to administer chemicals safely. Accurate meters are a must-have.
Pool covers can help conserve water, reduce chemical usage, and keep the pool free of debris when not in use. Look into power-assisted ones to minimize labor costs.
Be sure to invest in good quality equipment. Cheaper options can result in more frequent replacements and cost more in the long run. Low-quality equipment may also be less efficient and increase your labor cost.
Cost-Effective Ways for Multifamily Owners to Purchase Pool Supplies
Getting the right supplies at a fair price takes work. There are several best practices listed below.
Buy in Bulk
The more you can buy in total, the stronger your price leverage. Combine all your sites' volumes.
To save space, negotiate to have the supplier warehouse the supplies and deliver on demand for no additional cost. You can keep a short-term supply on hand.
Determine what and how much of it you need ahead of time. You need to know your purchasing needs thoroughly. Otherwise, suppliers may exploit your lack of knowledge.
Shop Prices
You may say this is taken for granted, and often it is. Chemical prices change, and the supply market tightens and loosens, so you must check the markets regularly, at least annually, to get the best prices.
Bidding Pool Services
When bidding for pool service, the bidder breaks out the volume and price of supplies, chemicals, and equipment from labor. Try to get unit quantities and costs per unit. That way, you can check their chemical prices in the market with supplies-only companies.
By comparing the separated labor and materials costs between companies, you see who bids high or low for either versus other bidders. Doing this analysis gives you keys for discussion and negotiations.
Be sure to vet the suppliers you invite to bid carefully. Check with other trusted property managers and look up social media reviews. Ask for references and follow up on them.
Summary
Maintaining a pool can be a daunting task for multifamily owners. Still, by understanding the importance of pool maintenance and having essential pool supplies readily available, you can make the job easier and protect your NOI.
By implementing cost-effective ways to purchase pool supplies, owners can save money and ensure the satisfaction of their tenants. With Raiven Custom Marketplace, we can help you find whatever you need for your pool from pre-vetted top-notch suppliers at 7-25% discounts.
Contact us today for more information or a demo.
