Back to School:
Seal Coating & CAM
Can you believe summer’s already coming to a close? That’s right, it’s already time to trade in our swimsuits and sunglasses for pencils and notebooks as we move into the start of the academic year. It has always been our goal with these blogs to inform readers not only of the services we offer, but why commercial property owners like yourself need them in the first place. So let’s go back to school and refresh ourselves on two other important things to think about this time of year, seal coating and CAM.
Back to School with Sealcoating
Sealcoating is just what is sounds like: It’s an additional coating of asphalt to seal off any potential cracks or breaks. “When applied appropriately and at the right time, sealcoating prevents oxidation, stops weather damage, and beautifies pavement.” And now is the perfect time to get this work done as it cannot be done in the cooler months. Even waiting until October would be pushing your luck.
This goes for crack sealing as well, which is what you would need to repair any fully formed cracks.
In order to set properly, sealcoating must only be done when the temperature has been above 50 degrees for at least 24 hours and when there is no rain predicted for the following 24 hours. It can’t be too cold, and it can’t be wet. Don’t forget to have the area blocked off from any traffic for at least 24 hours after it’s applied to ensure no vehicles mess up the sealcoating and no pedestrians get sticky sealcoating all over their nice shoes. The best practice is to reapply any sealcoating every two to three years.
Back to School with Common Area Maintenance
CAM, or common area maintenance, is something all commercial property owners need to deal with all year round. But we tend to talk about it more in August as it’s the time of year to start assessing your CAM budget and to think about how you plan to adjust it for the following year.
Common areas are typically any place on the property frequented by customers, staff, etc. and includes outside areas such as parking lots, sidewalks, and landscaped areas, as well as inside areas such as corridors, elevators, and mutually shared bathrooms.
Maintenance for these areas include general landscaping, line striping, sweeping, snow removal, and minor repairs.
In some instances, the roof of the building is considered a common area since it benefits the tenants, but it is a very negotiated subject when drafting the Lease. Typically, the foundation, structure, and building envelope are clearly marked as not part of CAM.
A lot can change over the course of a year, new neighbors might move in bringing in new clientele, which can result in an increase in traffic and litter, or weather events may cause damage. Budgeting for common area maintenance can be tricky but it’s important to get it sorted out before it’s too late.
Back to School Tools
Dare Reports can help you assess your property for any work that might need to be done. Dare Reports collects all the relevant information about your property into one easy and convenient app.
We survey the good, the bad, and the ugly and report it all back to you so you know exactly what needs to be done. It’s a mobile app for easily collecting info directly on your smart phone or tablet. And it’s a web dashboard for building forms for viewing and editing fresh data back at the office.
Class Dismissed!
We hope you learned something or least got a refresher on these two important topics for all commercial property owners. Whether you need seal coating, are working on your CAM budget, or need anything commercial property related, just call Dare. Click the link below to get your quote today.
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*Feature image curtesy of Artboard Studio.
*Much of the CAM section contains quotes from Principal of JR Asset Management, Didier Ruiz, CSM, Retail Asset Manager from our 2020 interview.
