At San Francisco-based OpsTechnology, which provides purchasing software to multifamily clients, chief operating officer Sukhi Singh says warranty information is increasingly paired with products from the 300 or so vendors in the firm’s network. “At the point of purchase, you can click a button to expose all purchases made for a unit, or a property,” Singh says. “Connected to that is a separate tab with warranty information.” When replacing an item in a unit, Singh says the system automatically alerts users to warranty coverage via a notice on the work order.
Lehi, Utah-based AxisPointe, which contracts with developers to manage warranty issues through its branded HomeProfile.com resident portal for condominium communities, has compiled a repository of over 125,000 manufacturer warranties. Andrew Smith, AxisPointe’s president, says their system also automatically attaches warranty information to service tickets. “When that service request comes in through the HomeProfile system, it gets pre-populated with the product in question,” Smith says. “There’s a column on who installed it [with], the contact information, and actual warranty document.”
Corbin Seti, operations coordinator for RMI Management in Las Vegas, has been pleased with the service at the three luxury condominium communities where his firm manages the homeowners associations. “If the faucet that came with your unit breaks, usually, you would have to go back to the developer who built the property to get the contact information for the manufacturer,” Seti explains. “Instead, AxisPointe becomes the middleman. They schedule it and take care of it.”
The system isn’t cheap, though. Smith says the service starts at about $300 per door, and it goes up from there. But, he says, it can save money in the long run, while boosting resident satisfaction. That’s particularly crucial in condominium communities to avoid the group discontent that can lead to litigation, Smith says.
For White and Alliance, making sure warranties don’t fall through the cracks is paramount to staying competitive. “It’s just part of the ever-evolving process of professional property management and development,” White says. “We’re all looking for those little nooks and crannies where we can save money.”
Joe Bousquin is a freelance writer in Auburn, Calif.
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