How Greystar Efficiently Ensures ADA and FHA Compliance
This case study is based on the webinar by Jason Bohannon, Quality Assurance (QA) Manager at Greystar Development and Construction Services, on September 19, 2018. The webinar can be found here.
Background
The American Disabilities Act (ADA) is a law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. ADA is a requirement for all public spaces. The FHA (Federal Housing Administration) and CBC (California Building Code) regulate accessibility requirements in common areas in multi-family housing. As a builder and owner, it is not just important, but it is your responsibility to know these regulations and codes.
The Challenge
In 2016, more than 6,500 ADA lawsuits were filed related to commercial properties that were noncompliant. One lawsuit can cost as much as $15M in litigation fees, fines, and judgments. Accessibility lawsuits are a multi-million dollar business for plaintiff attorneys and non-compliance can be detrimental to a company. Furthermore, if a developed property has not met all accessibility codes, the buyer will discount the property value by $200,000-400,000.
The Solution
Greystar proactively resolves issues during construction and proceeds with the highest level of code compliance in order to avoid devaluation and non-compliance issues later. Three different Key Inspection Reports are generated in Buildup software during construction. These reports including:
- Architect report,
- Waterproof consultant report, and
- Accessibility consultant report.
The Results
Previously, Greystar QA inspection walks took 18-25 days to complete for a 600-unit building. This walk process involves writing down issues on paper and distributing issues to the appropriate subcontractors. Buildup punch list software module makes the documentation process much more thorough and efficient, decreasing the total inspection time by an average of 4 days or 10-20%.
Buildup also makes it easy to notify the appropriate subcontractors so they can quickly respond and fix issues. As tasks and issues are documented, a daily report with open tasks is created, providing subs with access via email or app.
With Buildup, Greystar is able to address tasks much faster than the old standard reporting processes and ensuring that properties are in compliance with ADA, FHA and CBC codes, thereby maintaining higher property values.
