Revision 1.2 (September 12, 2010)
This document is a brief but hopefully concise introduction to
facilities management from the point of view of the alumni house
corporation of an MIT FSILG. This document is divided into four
sections:
(1) a definition and explanation of the basic level of
maintenance required, (2) a list of responsibilities (i.e., issues
needing attention), (3) a brief overview of municipal licensing and
inspection requirements, and (4) a list of resources.
For a much more thorough discussion of all of these issues, see the HM101 House Manager's Manual.
MIT and the Association of Independent Living Groups (AILG) expect that all FSILG houses will be safe, secure, clean, comfortable, conducive to learning, proactively managed, and appropriately inspected and licensed. It is the goal of the AILG Facilities committee to provide assistance to houses in meeting their facilities-related responsibilities.
There is no presumption that all houses will be managed identically, that any kind of one-size-fits-all prescription about facilities management would make sense. (We take the “I” in “AILG” seriously.) But it is possible to list some baseline expectations about what is or is not acceptable.
In particular, here are some specific examples of what is expected of an MIT FSILG. These lists are not comprehensive – no such lists could ever be – but they should paint a picture of the basic level of management that a well-run house ought to be achieving. Many houses will choose to do a lot more.
It is also useful to prioritize the sorts of problems that come up. We can distinguish between those that are serious and should be dealt with soon, versus those that are urgent and must be dealt with immediately. But in any case: for any of these problems, no one should be saying “Oh, it's always been that way”, or “Well, that's not really a problem” – these are problems.
All wiring must be safe, professionally installed,
and conforming to applicable electrical codes.
The electrical
system must be adequate for the loads placed upon it.
Serious problems that should be dealt with soon:
nonfunctioning lights, outlets, or other circuits
exposed or nonstandard wiring
too-frequent breaker trips
Urgent problems that must be dealt with immediately:
flickering lights
buzzing, sparking, or overheated wiring
“homebrew” wiring (anything involving permanently-installed extension cords or “zip” cord, or exposed wire nuts or other connections)
All plumbing (hot and cold water supplies, and drains) must be professionally installed, and conforming to applicable plumbing codes.
Serious problems that should be dealt with soon:
dripping or nonfunctional faucets
constantly-running or nonfunctional toilets
slow drains
Urgent problems that must be dealt with immediately:
clogged drains
water continuously leaking (forming water spots on ceilings or walls, or puddles on the floor)
The building must be secure against the weather, against intruders, and against pests (insects and rodents). The heating system must be functional and properly maintained, and reliable enough for a New England winter.
Serious problems that should be dealt with soon:
holes in interior walls or ceilings
too-chilly winter interiors
excessive dirt or clutter
doors or windows that do not close well, or windows that lack screens
anything that an inspector (municipal or insurance) would look at and say, “that's not right”
Urgent problems that must be dealt with immediately:
holes in exterior walls or roof
broken or boarded-up windows
loss of heat during winter
rodents or other pests
excessive clutter blocking emergency exits
Managing any house is a big responsibility. Our FSILGs require at least as much management and maintenance as an ordinary residential home. But of course they actually require much more: they're bigger than the average single-family home; they receive more wear and tear; and they're subject to considerably more municipal regulation and inspection.
Different houses will apportion responsibilities differently. In many houses, the residents take care of minor maintenance. In most houses, the alumni house corporation takes care of major issues. Some houses will choose to do some work themselves, others will defer everything to paid professionals. But: for each of the issues listed here, it is important that someone be monitoring them, proactively scheduling periodic maintenance where appropriate, and actively reacting to any problems that might occur. Our buildings do not tend to take care of themselves.
Several of these issues (particularly involving Life Safety) are professionally managed on a systemwide basis, and tracked by the AILG Safety, Licensing, and Inspections (SLI) system.
applicable licences/certificates posted and up-to-date
resource/contact list (per “Personnel” section below) posted
egress plans posted
kitchen hood (inspect and service once or twice per year)
other kitchen equipment (some needs regular maintenance, especially stoves & refrigerators)
grease trap (empty regularly)
boiler or other heating system
should have contract to professionally inspect and tune yearly
confidence that system will work when cold weather hits (verify this before cold weather hits)
boiler room not used for storage; entrance kept clear
clothes dryer ducts (clean every 6-12 months, replace flexible ducts with rigid)
fireplaces
maintain carefully
good fire safety practices if in use
seal shut if not in use
chimneys (sweep/inspect yearly)
roofs
inspect yearly
if not a roof deck, ensure not used for recreational activities
gutters (clean yearly)
painting (inspect and touch up yearly)
exterior masonry (inspect yearly)
windows (including screens and storm windows)
leaves (rake as needed)
snow removal (especially public sidewalks per municipal requirements)
elevators (require periodic professional maintenance and certification)
fire escapes (require periodic professional maintenance and certification)
roof and other decks
roof decks require licenses in Boston (new requirement)
no barbecues on decks
exterior doors (including roof hatches) must be in good, working, lockable order
trash and recycling containers (not overflowing)
exit lights
test regularly, replace batteries as needed
non-central fire/smoke/CO alarms
test monthly, replace batteries 1-2 times/year
(all smoke detectors) ensure not damaged by dust during construction
fire extinguishers
know how many you have, where they are, ensure all have hangers
make sure not removed, used as doorstops, discharged prankishly
sprinkler pipes and heads
heads not painted or obstructed
nothing attached to or hung from pipes
enclosed spaces not constructed (esp. lofts)
Other aspects of fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, central fire/CO alarm systems, and kitchen “Ansul” systems are professionally managed on a systemwide basis, and tracked by the SLI system.
There are some issues which, sadly but traditionally, just never go away. No matter how often they're dealt with, these issues have a way of coming back, again and again. There's probably no “silver bullet” to resolve these issues once and for all – they just require constant vigilance, and hopefully won't turn into sources of constant conflict.
housekeeping and cleanliness
keeping phone lines functioning (especially if required for alarm system)
keeping exits clear
fire (and room) doors not propped open
emergency lights and batteries
security: external doors and windows not unlocked or left open (especially during summer)
sprinkler pipes and heads (see “life safety systems, part 1” above)
Municipal Licensing and Inspections are overseen and facilitated by the AILG Safety, Licensing, and Inspections (SLI) system. Much can be said about licensing and inspectional issues; what follows is the briefest possible introduction. See the SLI webpage (http://mitailg.org/sli/sli.html) for more information.
All of our houses have licenses which are required in order to operate. The granting of those licenses is contingent on yearly inspections, which result in inspection certificates. The nomenclature surrounding the licenses and the inspection certificates varies between cities, as does the schedule for the inspections and license renewals.
Boston: yearly ISD inspection, yearly dormitory license reissue (cycle varies), yearly BFD inspection (typically Fall)
Cambridge: yearly ISD inspection, yearly lodging license reissue (typically April-May)
Brookline: ?
The status of all licenses and inspections is nominally tracked for each house by the SLI document registration system, but someone from each house must monitor the process, and submit certain documents when necessary.
The AILG SLI Building Safety Facilitator (BSF) assists with inspections and preinspections, and is available for consultation on related issues.
Undergraduate house manager(s)
name(s): _________________
house corporation facilities chairman
name: ___________________
(some houses) hired maintenance or property management person
name: ___________________
house corporation president or other officers
name(s): _________________
Building Safety Facilitator (BSF)
617-253-6030, bsf@mit.edu
performs preinspection before each municipal inspection
participates in each municipal inspection
available for additional consulting services on request
FSILG Cooperative, Inc. (FCI)
W20-020A, 617-452-4053, ailg-sli-help@mit.edu
for contractors
for professional facility management support
as tenant's representative in MIT-owned buildings
AILG Facilities committee
chair: Steve Summit '83, scs@alum.mit.edu
FSILG office
Other MIT Resources
MIT Housing, MIT EHS, MIT Facilities
FSILG office or Facilities committee can put you in touch with these