Additional owner guides will connect here as they become public.
Start with the systems that can turn a small failure into a fast loss: roofs, drainage, sump equipment, active water-entry points, electrical exposure, trees, slopes, and low areas. Every property needs a review. The depth of that review should follow the building's history and actual conditions.
A storm-readiness inspection should produce decisions. For every finding, record the location, condition, evidence, action class, responsible party, deadline, and closure requirement. That record lets an owner see which work is complete and which risk remains open.
Review prior incidents before walking the property. Water often returns through a path that was stabilized but never permanently corrected. Pull roof reports, leak logs, drainage complaints, pump service, tree or slope observations, vendor proposals, and owner decisions. Bring those locations into the field review.
Classify each finding in one of five ways:
Labels alone are incomplete. “Monitor” needs a condition to watch and a trigger for escalation. “Specialist Evaluation” needs the discipline, scope, and decision date.
Review accessible roof surfaces from safe locations. Look for open seams, displaced materials, damaged flashing, ponding evidence, deteriorated sealant, prior patches, and areas tied to earlier intrusion. Record observations without making a technical conclusion that requires a roofer or other qualified professional.
Confirm that visible inlets and discharge paths are clear and connected. Photograph the condition before and after authorized cleaning. Note damaged components, discharge near vulnerable walls, and any point where water can back up or spill toward an opening.
Walk area drains, swales, curbs, channels, parking lots, loading areas, and landscape edges. Map ponding and expected water movement. Check whether debris, grading changes, stored material, or damaged surfaces interfere with that path.
Identify garages, pits, basements, loading areas, and other low locations that depend on pumps or drains. A qualified test should confirm pump operation, alarm status, discharge, service history, and any backup arrangement supported by the actual equipment. Record what happens if power or the primary pump fails.
Inspect known entry points, glazing, doors, wall transitions, penetrations, and visible sealant. Compare current conditions with prior leak locations. A surface observation can identify a concern, but recurring or unexplained intrusion may need a building-envelope specialist.
Review visible drains, surface condition, transitions, doors, and areas where occupant items may block water movement. Do not promise that a visual check proves waterproofing performance. Escalate movement, deterioration, recurring water entry, or another technical concern to the right discipline.
Check entrances, ramps, trench drains, wall joints, storage restrictions, equipment exposure, and known seepage points. Confirm the reporting route for rising water or restricted access. Keep electrical exposure and safe entry at the front of the response plan.
Look for visible water paths near panels, controls, equipment, and floor-level openings without entering an unsafe area. Protect access to qualified vendors. Electrical hazards, energized water, sewage, or unsafe conditions require immediate life-safety escalation rather than an ordinary maintenance inspection.
Review visible curbs, penetrations, condensate routes, loose materials, and prior leak associations. Confirm who can safely access and evaluate the equipment. Keep roof and HVAC scopes distinct so an unresolved interface does not disappear between vendors.
Record dead limbs, visible lean, root-zone changes, blocked drainage, and trees near buildings, parking, walkways, or overhead utilities. Use a qualified tree professional when the condition requires technical judgment. Do not infer stability from a general property walk.
Photograph visible cracks, movement, blocked drainage, erosion, new seepage, and changes from prior observations. Mark areas that affect access or improvements. Structural movement, slope instability, or a recurring condition belongs with a qualified specialist and a prompt owner decision.
Verify keys, gates, roof access, equipment-room access, vendor entry, current occupant contacts, and the location of available shutoff information. Keep sensitive access details in the authorized operating record, not in public or broadly shared documents.
Use a specialist when the finding requires diagnosis beyond an ordinary visual inspection or when the consequence of a wrong conclusion is material. Examples include structural movement, electrical exposure, recurring unexplained intrusion, complex roof failure, elevator equipment, slope instability, and building-envelope failures.
The inspection record should state the observed fact and why specialist evaluation is recommended. It should not pre-judge the technical conclusion. Name the requested discipline, the decision deadline, access needs, and the evidence required from the evaluation.
Commercial properties add tenant operations, loading, critical equipment, and after-hours access to this sequence. The commercial storm preparation guide applies the checklist to those continuity decisions.
One register should show every material finding and its current state. Use a row for the property and location, observed condition, evidence date, classification, recommendation, owner or responsible party, decision deadline, target completion, and closure proof.
Closed means the approved scope was completed and checked against evidence. Deferred means the owner response, remaining condition, monitoring plan, follow-up date, and escalation trigger are preserved. Open means the next action and accountable person remain visible.
Return to the full El Niño property readiness guide to connect the inspection record to seasonal risk tiering and the 72-hour activation plan.
Start with known loss history and systems that can create rapid damage: roofs, primary drainage, sump systems, low areas, active envelope failures, electrical exposure, unstable trees, and slope or retaining-wall concerns.
No. Every property should be reviewed, but the depth of inspection should reflect property type, prior loss history, building systems, age, site drainage, slopes, trees, and known unresolved conditions.
Use a qualified specialist when the condition requires technical diagnosis or falls outside staff qualifications, including structural movement, electrical exposure, complex roof failures, elevator equipment, slope instability, or recurring unexplained intrusion.
Use five categories: Immediate Correction, Pre-Season Critical, Preventive Maintenance, Monitor, and Specialist Evaluation.
Critical findings should be resolved or clearly controlled, approved work completed, deferred work documented, access and contacts confirmed, and remaining conditions assigned a visible readiness status and next action.
The review should identify the property conditions, responsible parties, deadlines, and proof required for closure.
Request a Property Management Performance Review