Condo and apartment maintenance checklist

In a condo or an apartment, the building takes care of the roof, the exterior, the shared systems and usually the plumbing in the walls. What's left is everything inside the unit, and that's still a real list: the alarms, the water shut-off, the heating and cooling you control, the water heater if it's yours, and every appliance in the kitchen and the laundry. A leak or a fire in a unit affects the neighbors too, which is the reason the safety items come first.

Work through the list once, then put the monthly items on a fixed day and the rest on the calendar by season. If you rent, the landlord may own some of these jobs, so check the lease before you flush the water heater.

The checklist

• Test the smoke and CO alarms: yours protect the unit, whatever the building's system does.
• Replace the smoke and CO alarm batteries: once a year, on the same day every year.
• Replace the smoke and CO alarms: check the dates, since the unit's alarms may be as old as the building.
• Test the GFCI outlets: kitchen and bathroom outlets, monthly.
• Check the fire extinguishers: keep one in the kitchen even if the hallway has one.
• Exercise the water shut-off valves: know where the unit's main valve is, and that it turns, before a hose bursts above the downstairs neighbor.
• Test the water leak sensors: under the sinks, the water heater and the washer, where a leak reaches the unit below.
• Replace the HVAC filter: the unit's own air handler or heat pump has a filter, and it's yours to change.
• Clean the AC condensate drain line: a clogged line in a closet air handler floods the closet and the neighbor.
• Flush the water heater: if the unit has its own tank, it needs the yearly flush like any other.
• Descale the tankless water heater: the same for a tankless unit, with vinegar and a pump.
• Test the water heater pressure relief valve: a quick lift of the lever at the tank.
• Replace the washing machine hoses: the burst hose that floods the building starts in a unit.
• Clean the washing machine: a monthly cycle, and the door left open.
• Clean the dryer vent: a unit's dryer duct is often long and hard to reach, which makes it worse.
• Clean the dishwasher and its filter: the filter monthly.
• Clean the garbage disposal: ice and salt weekly, baking soda and vinegar monthly.
• Clean the range hood filter: most unit hoods are ductless, so the charcoal filter gets replaced too.
• Clean the oven: before the smoke alarm does it for you.
• Clean the refrigerator coils: a fridge in a tight kitchen alcove runs hot without them.
• Replace the refrigerator water filter: every 6 months, by the date on the filter.
• Clean the bathroom exhaust fans: a bathroom with no window depends on the fan entirely.
• Inspect and replace bath and shower caulk: water through the caulk reaches the unit below.
• Seal the tile grout: the shower grout yearly.
• Clean the faucet aerators and showerheads: a vinegar soak restores the flow.
• Clean the ceiling fans: and switch the direction with the season.

Tips

• Find out exactly what the building maintains and what you do. The association's documents or the lease say, and the water heater and the air handler are the usual gray areas.
• Everything that involves water is a neighbor problem as well as yours. The hoses, the caulk, the drain line and the leak sensors are the items to do first.
• Keep the supplies small: a spare filter, a filter for the fridge, vinegar, baking soda and a washer tablet fit in one cupboard.
• If the dryer vents through a long duct to the building's exterior, ask whether the building cleans it. Many don't, and a unit's vent is a shared fire risk.
• Put the monthly items on the same day as the rent or the association payment, and the habit forms itself.

FAQ

What maintenance is a condo owner responsible for?

Usually everything inside the unit: the alarms, the appliances, the fixtures, the unit's heating and cooling equipment and often its water heater. The association's documents draw the line.

What maintenance should a renter do?

The alarms, the filters, the appliance cleaning and the leak checks, which protect you and the deposit. The lease says whether the water heater and the HVAC service are yours or the landlord's.

Does a condo need a water shut-off valve?

Every unit has one, and finding it is the first job. A leak in a unit runs into the units below, and the valve is how you stop it.

How often should a condo dryer vent be cleaned?

Once a year, like any dryer, and sooner if the duct is long. Ask the building whether it cleans the shared portion.