When and how to schedule maintenance for your Specialised Disability Accommodation

Specialised Disability Accommodation (SDA) provides essential living arrangements designed to cater to the unique needs of people living with disabilities. You need to ensure that your SDA remains safe, accessible, and functional at all times. Maintaining SDA standards requires constant effort. You want to make sure that you emphasize on proper scheduling and execution of maintenance tasks as these are critical to maintaining high standards of living, safeguarding health and safety of the people in the facility. 

In addition, as you maintain your SDAs, you may want to make sure that this stays in compliance with Australian regulations. It looks like maintaining your SDA comes with a lot of moving parts. But not to worry because, in this article, we will outline when and how to schedule maintenance for your SDA to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the disabled people living in it.

Why should you maintain your SDA regularly

SDAs or Specialised Disability Accommodations are designed to come with specific features such as wider doorways, accessible bathrooms, and reinforced structures. These are important because they work to provide comfort, safety, and independence for the residents in the facility. However, you should know that these features can become bad over time or they may need some adjustments, especially as the needs of the building residents continue to change. Because of these, you should know when to do SDA repairs. Regular repairs and maintenance routines help ensure that you:

• Always meet safety standards: When you conduct regular checks, these help to prevent accidents and ensure that the premises remain safe for all disabled people as well as the support workers.
• Ensure full functionality of all accessibility features: This means that all doorways, ramps, and lifts must be in working as they should to support mobility.
• Comply with all regulations: When maintaining your SDA, it is important that you meet necessary NDIS maintenance guidelines, which include maintaining specific safety and quality standards.

When is the best time to schedule maintenance for your SDA?

Like we have stressed in the sections above, it is important to always maintain your SDA. In order to do this, you will have to develop the right SDA maintenance schedules.

This is important because the type of maintenance you need will depend on the type of house that you live in. The maintenance will need to be carried out on the components that you have in the house. This is because the elements has to continue to meet your needs. Use the following to maintain your SDA:

1. Maintaining your house every quarter: If you choose to carry out your disability accommodation upkeep every quarter during the year, then this is how to go about this: 

• Check special installations: If you have special installations in your house that allows you to  move such as lifts or ramps, it is important to check these installations at least every three months. They are important to your movement around the house. So, you should check them to ensure that they do not have damaged or worn our parts. 
• Check your home systems: Your home has special systems such as building components that supply water or ensure the availability of electricity. It is important to check these systems every three months to make sure that they still function the way you need them to.
• Ensure your general safety: As a part of maintaining your house, it is important that you check everywhere in the building to ensure that you are safe. This means trying to look for any factors that may cause accidents such as slippery floors or faulty devices.

2. Maintenance done twice a year: When looking to maintain your house, there are special features that should be maintained two times every year. In this case, consider the following:

• Check your assistive technology: Disabled people rely on special devices to function properly. With the help of these devices, they are able to do things that they would not have been able to do. In this case, it is important to keep checking that these elements in the house are fully functional. And this should be done two times in a year.

This is how you can ensure that they are functioning properly. Because they are technological installations, you may also have a need for software updates or recalibration which should be done during this time.

• The Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems: An average SDA comes with HVAC systems which should be serviced twice in a year in order to maintain indoor air quality and ensure that the accommodation is comfortably heated and cooled.

3. Yearly maintenance: When it comes to disability accommodation upkeep, there are many areas and fixtures that should be maintained every year. In this case, you may want to consider ensuring the following:

• Constant structural integrity of critical components in your SDA: You should ensure that you conduct annual checks on the building’s structure, especially when this has to do with walls, roofs, windows, and foundations. This helps to catch any potential long-term issues and ensure that the building is sound and prevent any future safety risks to the housemates.
• Checking of all fire safety systems: Your SDA comes with fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and extinguishers which should be inspected thoroughly and tested every year by certified professionals to make sure that they are fully in compliance with recommended safety regulations.
• Carry out general deep cleaning of the facility: In addition to regular cleaning of the SDA, You should perform a deep cleaning at least once a year to make sure that you maintain a hygienic environment for the people living in the facility. In this case, you may want to focus on key areas in the house such as the kitchens and the bathrooms where germs and bacteria can fester and become a serious problem to the health of the housemates. 

The best way to schedule maintenance for your SDA

If you have an SDA, it is important to know when to schedule maintenance for it. Having a proper maintenance routine in place ensures that all tasks are performed and that all aspects of the accommodation are regularly cared for during this process. The following tips will help you to schedule maintenance in a way that suit your property the best:

1. Work to create a maintenance calendar

One of the most effective ways to ensure that you regularly maintain your SDA is to develop a maintenance calendar. To do this, list out all the tasks that you need to perform when maintaining your SDA. Then break these tasks down tasks into daily, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, and annual routines. For example, you could have “checking of fire safety systems” as an annual task on your maintenance, while minor repairs to accessibility features in the facility may be scheduled as quarterly maintenance tasks.

In reality, you can rely on a wide range of tools such as Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, or any software used for maintaining properties. These tools can be deployed to help track these tasks. In addition, you can use the reminder features as many of these tools come with it to notify SDA owners/managers of any upcoming maintenance appointments.

2. Always work with a professional maintenance teams

When it comes to maintaining specialised equipment like lifts, hoists or smart technology, you should hire professionals who are familiar with the SDA regulations and requirements according to the requirements set by the NDIS. Establish a relationship with a certified maintenance team that understands the unique aspects of your accommodation.

• NDIS-registered providers: It is important that you hire maintenance service providers that are registered with the NDIS as well as experienced in handling SDA properties. It stands to reason that if these maintenance servicemen are familiar with the compliance requirements, ten they can simply offer a high standard of service to ensure long-term durability of the components in your SDA.
• Choose licensed technicians at all times: Never put your SDA in jeopardy by hiring the wrong people. If you must carry out electrical, plumbing, or structural work in the facility, you should always ensure that you work with licensed and insured technicians. This is to ensures the safety and durability of the repairs works and they should never cause any harm or risk to the people living in the SDA.

3. Record and track your maintenance routines

It’s important to keep a record of all completed maintenance tasks, including dates, services performed, and any issues identified. This helps to track the condition of the accommodation over time and proves compliance with regulatory standards. Some SDA providers offer maintenance tracking as part of their service, making it easier to stay organised.

4. Be sure to always schedule preventative maintenance for your SDA

Preventative maintenance for your SDA is highly recommended as this is more of a proactive approach to reduce the likelihood of breakdowns in the facility. In this case, you want to make sure that you schedule regular inspections and servicing for critical equipment in the SDA such as lifts, emergency lighting, and assistive devices. It is important to check up on these devices/fixtures before they fail entirely. When you carry out preventative maintenance in your SDA, this can go a long way to save you significant time and money as you get to reduce your emergency repair needs in the future.

5. Be sure to always account for the needs of the resident

Maintenance schedules should be created in consultation with residents, caregivers, and health professionals. Understanding the daily routines and specific needs of those living in the SDA will help plan maintenance around their activities to minimise disruption. Some maintenance may need to be scheduled during off-peak hours or when the resident is not present.

Schedule your SDA for a routine maintenance now

Maintaining your Specialised Disability Accommodation (SDA) is a core responsibility that ensures the safety, comfort, and well-being of  the disabled people in it. This is why you have to establish a structured maintenance schedule and always prioritise working with certified professionals at all times. If you do these, you can easily prevent costly repairs, ensure compliance with regulations, and provide a high-quality living environment for all the housemates in the SDA facility. 

Finally, you may want to ensure that you conduct regular checks on the accessibility features, safety systems, and essential equipment in your SDA as this will go a long way to help create a secure and supportive space for every housemate living with disabilities. Always remember that a proactive approach to maintenance will always protect your SDA property as well as enhance the quality of life for those who rely on these specialised accommodations to easily perform their daily tasks.