Grounds Maintenance Checklist

Cool-season grasses (fescue, bluegrass, ryegrass) cut to 3-4". Warm-season (Bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine) cut to 1.5-2.5". Never remove more than one-third of the blade in a single pass — scalping invites weed pressure and brown-out, which generates owner complaints. Alternate mowing pattern week-over-week to avoid ruts.

String-edge along sidewalks, driveways, curbs, and bed borders. Crisp edges are the single biggest visual cue prospects use to read whether a property is well-managed during a drive-by.

Hand-pull or spot-spray weeds in flower beds and tree rings. Top-dress mulch to 2-3" depth — deeper than 3" suffocates roots and can hold moisture against trunks. Keep mulch 4" off any siding or stem to prevent volcano-mulching damage.

Run each zone for 1-2 minutes and walk it. Look for sheared heads, geysers, soggy turf (failed valve), and dry patches (clogged head). A single broken head can drive a $400+ overage on the water bill before the next inspection.

Blow or sweep leaves, grass clippings, and trash from common-area sidewalks, building entries, and amenity paths. Pay special attention to leasing-office approach — the first 30 feet a prospect sees.

ADA and most premises-liability standards treat any vertical displacement over 1/4" as a trip hazard. Mark with cone or paint, photograph, and open a work order for grinding or mudjacking. Trip-and-fall claims are the single largest category of common-area liability.

Accessible routes need 36" minimum clear width and unobstructed passage. Trim back overgrown shrubs, move planters, and clear stored items. Common offenders: leasing-office sandwich-board signs, mulch piles, and resident bicycles.

Walk the lot with a grabber and trash bag. Check around dumpster pads, cart corrals, and resident-unit drop zones. Cigarette butts at building entries are a top resident-survey complaint.

Note faded stripes, faded ADA blue, missing van-accessible signage (60" minimum mounting height), and damaged fire-lane markings. ADA accessible spaces and access aisles must be repainted before they fade out — citations are common at municipal inspections.

Walk the property after sunset (or check at dusk-on photo cells during the day). Log every outage with pole number or building location. Dark parking areas are the #1 driver of negligent-security claims after assault incidents on premises.

Reference the CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook and ASTM F1487. Check for protruding bolts, broken welds, S-hooks not closed, exposed footings, surfacing depth (engineered wood fiber needs 9-12"), and entrapment gaps (3.5-9" range is the danger zone). A failed inspection means closing the playground until repair, not deferring.

Close the playground or affected piece with caution tape and posted signage. Notify the community manager and open a work order with a certified playground vendor (NPSI-CPSI). Document the closure with timestamped photos — this is the audit trail if a claim arises.

Hit pool-deck cans, dog-station cans, mail-area cans, and amenity-area cans. Restock dog waste bags at every station — empty dispensers are a top complaint at HOA-managed communities.

Clean BBQ grates with a wire brush; wipe tables, benches, and shade-structure surfaces. Empty grease traps. Bird droppings and pollen accumulate fast on outdoor furniture and turn into resident complaints quickly.

Target ranges per most state health codes: free chlorine 1-4 ppm, pH 7.2-7.8, total alkalinity 80-120 ppm, cyanuric acid 30-50 ppm. Log readings to the daily pool log — most states require this log on-site for inspection. Out-of-range readings mean rebalance and retest before allowing swim use.

Add chlorine, acid, alkalinity-up, or stabilizer per the deviation. Wait at least 30 minutes with pumps running, then retest. If readings still won't hold, close the pool with posted signage and call the pool service vendor — never let residents swim in chemistry that won't balance.

Skim the surface, brush walls and tile line, and vacuum the floor as needed. Empty skimmer baskets and the pump basket. Clean fountain and water-feature heads of mineral buildup.

Check filter pressure (clean or backwash if 8-10 psi above the clean baseline). Confirm self-closing, self-latching pool gates and that the latch is at least 54" above the deck per most state pool codes. Verify the safety ring, shepherd's hook, and posted rules sign are present and legible.

Walk each building looking for impact damage, peeling paint, woodpecker holes, wasp nests, dryer-vent lint buildup, and stucco cracks. Photograph any active damage and note the building/unit reference for the capex log.

Remove leaves and debris; verify downspouts discharge at least 4 feet from the foundation. Clogged gutters drive ice damming in cold climates and foundation water intrusion in any climate — both are far more expensive than the cleaning.

Use binoculars from the ground or a drone — do not send untrained crew onto a sloped roof. Look for missing or lifted shingles, displaced flashing, ponding on flat sections, and debris around HVAC curbs. Photograph anything suspicious for the work-order packet.

Open a work order in AppFolio / Buildium / Yardi and assign to the roofing vendor with a current COI naming the property as additional insured. Attach photos and the building reference. For active leaks, escalate to emergency dispatch — do not wait for the next vendor cycle.

The maintenance supervisor reviews the week's findings, confirms all work orders are open or closed, and signs the inspection record. The signed record is the audit trail for owner reporting and any future liability dispute.