I recently published an article on the effects of this current crisis on apartment buildings/resorts in Cyprus, and how you as a committee can put in measures relating to helping deal with these effects and increase the safety of your residents (If you have not read this article you can find it here).

http://coronavirus-covid-19-precautions-for-communal-apartment-swimming-pools-in-cyprus/

I also published a more detailed article with more specific information on communal swimming pool maintenance and operations (you can find this article here).

Since publishing these articles, I have had a significant number of messages and emails from management committees across Cyprus who have their Annual general meeting scheduled soon and asking what they can do.

In response, I have published an article with answers to these questions.

•Suspension of incoming/outgoing flights
•Ban on public gatherings
•Closure of all suitable AGM venues
•Restrictions on general movement.
•Stay at home orders.

While it may seem a simple solution to just postpone your Annual general meeting, this may have its own set of problems with potentially longstanding issues.

The following is some suggested precautions for a shared Communal Swimming Pool in Cyprus.

This article is relevant for swimming pool professionals, facility managers and building management committees.

This article includes information on this specific outbreak and specific suggested actions you can take to reduce the risk of transmission through a buildings communal pool and connected facilities.

This general information is based on World Health Organisation, National Swimming Pool Foundation and CDC suggested best practices; however, things are developing extremely rapidly, and government advice is frequently changing.

It’s essential to keep checking government advice and in the event, there is a contradiction between the below and government advice, follow the official government directives.

There is currently no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread to humans through the use of swimming pools and hot tubs. Proper operation, maintenance, and disinfection (e.g., with chlorine and bromine) of pools and hot tubs should remove or inactivate COVID-19.

The current recommended disinfection practice is sufficient to “inactivate” the Covid-19 virus in chlorinated drinking water and swimming pools,
Chlorination is the most used method of swimming pool water treatment in Cyprus

The World Health Organisation recommended chlorination level of 15mg.min/litre is sufficient to kill non-enveloped viruses such as poliovirus, rotavirus and coxsackievirus, and an enveloped virus such as Covid-19 would be inactivated at even lower levels, the document says.

The same rationale applies to standards used to control microbiological hazards in swimming pools treated with disinfectant, it says, although the amount of chlorine required varies according to the type of pool or chlorination chemical used. Jacuzzis or other types of spa pools may need a higher amount, for example.

While transmission through properly maintained pool water is unlikely there is a risk of transmission through other bathers and potentially contaminated connected areas such as pool decks, changing facilities, pool furniture etc.

When someone who has COVID-19 coughs or exhales they release droplets of infected fluid. If they are standing within one meter of a person with COVID-19 they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them.

Most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects. People could also catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects – and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. 

There is no definitive information on how long the novel coronavirus can survive on surfaces, but if the virus is like similar viruses, the survival time could range from several hours to several days.

The type of surface, the temperature of the area, and the humidity in the environment may play a role in how long the virus can survive on a surface.

As we do not know for sure, it's important to act if you think a surface may be contaminated. If you think a surface may be contaminated, clean it thoroughly with a disinfectant. A diluted bleach solution or approved disinfectant is likely the most effective.

In general, non-essential facilities such as a Communal Swimming Pool’s should be immediately closed as part of the isolation measured announced by the Cyprus government. 

•Where possible these areas should be secured to avoid any unauthorised use.
•Pool furniture should be stored away where possible
•Notices placed up advising residents not to swim or use the facilities.

Even with closed facilities, it’s important to ensure the pool water is continually treated with normal sanitiser levels maintaining a disinfectant residual of 1ppm free chlorine and all circulation equipment is in normal working operation.

Please note also that the minimum recommended free chlorine residual depends on the type of pool or chlorination chemical used – for example, spa pools (‘jacuzzis’) need a higher residual.

Once the Cyprus Government has lifted the restrictions on use of shared facilities like swimming pools, I recommend before a pool is reopened that a trained pool operator should perform a disinfection regiment similar to a treatment for contamination of Cryptosporidium.

This treatment requires reaching a 15,300 CT value (for example with pH at 7.5 of lower, raise chlorine to 20ppm and maintain that level for 12.75 hours will achieve this CT value). Then restoring pool chlorine to normal operating levels before opening the pool.

It is more important than ever to ensure that any individual maintaining the swimming pool has completed suitable training and holds a recognised operator certification.

These training programs teach the importance of safe pool operation, water circulation, sanitation and water balance along with specifics on how to prevent and treat for swimming pool pathogen contamination. 

You should ask to see the certification card of the operator who physically attends your pool and this can be verified through the qualification provider.

About the Author

In addition to his work as a communal property specialist, Russell Flick is a also a member of the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals and a fully certified Training and Licencing Instructor for the NSPF® -PHTA® International Certified Pool Operator program with additional specialist training in Pool Water Contamination, Aquatic Risk Management and Emergency Response Planning.

This article is the opinion of the author only and is provided for general information of the readers. This does not represent the opinion or guidance of the NSPF, PHTA or APSP or any other organisation. It is important to follow local government guidance and directives and keep checking official sources for any specific instructions.
​
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2Findex.html

https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/safe-recreational-water-guidelines-2/en/
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/water.html

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/pdf/hyperchlorination-to-kill-crypto-when-chlorine-stabilizer-is-not-in-the-water.pdf

https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/guidance/environmentalhealthguidance/Advice%20note%20to%20EHS%20on%20Coronavirus%20and%20Drinking%20%20Water%20and%20Swimming%20Pools_V3.pdf

The following is suggested precautions for any shared property in Cyprus. This includes Apartment Buildings, Resorts, Complexes, Developments and any other property with shared facilities.

This article includes information on this outbreak along with specific suggested actions you can take to reduce the risk of transmission in communal areas of a property.

If you are an owner or resident in a property with communal shared areas (such as lifts, corridors, car parks etc), please forward this document to your management committee and other unit owners.

This general information is based on World Health Organisation suggested best practices; however, things are developing extremely rapidly, and government advice is frequently changing.

It’s essential to keep checking government advice and in the event, there is a contradiction between the below and government advice, follow the official government directives.

Person-to-person contact is thought to be the main method of transmission for the Coronavirus.

When someone who has COVID-19 coughs or exhales they release droplets of infected fluid. Most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects. 

If they are standing within one meter of a person with COVID-19 they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them.

​​The coronavirus can spread through frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, elevator buttons, handrails, corridor light switches etc.

People could catch COVID-19 by touching these contaminated surfaces or objects – and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

There is no definitive information on how long the novel coronavirus can survive on surfaces, but if the virus is like similar viruses, the survival time could range from several hours to several days.

The type of surface, the temperature of the area, and the humidity in the environment may play a role in how long the virus can survive on a surface.

As we do not know for sure, it's important to act if you think a surface may be contaminated. If you think a surface may be contaminated, clean it thoroughly with a disinfectant. A diluted bleach solution or approved disinfectant is likely the most effective.

​​​​Any workers on site should follow good hygiene measures including regular hand washing with soap or alcohol handwash.

It's important to ensure all workers have access to a clean bathroom to wash hands regularly wherever possible

No more than 5 individuals should be working in one area and not to exceed 1 person per 8 square meters of area.

All personnel should work separately and maintain a distance of 2 meters from any other member of staff.

There should be no close contact between workers and residents.

Any worker who has symptoms, or been in contact with someone with the corona virus should not be permitted to work.

If you employ staff directly then you can request to make the following changes.

If you use the services of a communal management specialist, you should consult with them regarding their measures and request changes if needed.

One of the unfortunate aspects of being part of your buildings management committee is that you may need to deal with a property owner or tenant who is argumentative, disruptive or even aggressive towards other property owners and the committee.  In addition to constant disruption throughout the year, these individuals can also make your general meeting a nightmare and even result in other owners not wishing to attend.

In this article I discuss ways you can help with these disruptive owners.

​Make sure you have read the regulations and have a copy to hand at the meeting to ensure that you follow the requirements exactly and can answer any challenges you may receive from these owners and show them the physical wording of the law to back you up.  

If you don’t already have a copy check out my book the Ultimate Committee Handbook (www.UltimateCommitteeHandbook.com) to help explain how to action these regulations in the real world, deal with difficult owners, answer common objections and increase owner participation at the meetings.

​Arguments and heated meetings generally occur due to some previous history, maybe something that happened in the past that causes arguments to spark almost immediately.  

Having a third party host your general meeting, and act as a mediator helps prevent this by having someone without this history and personal issues with particular owners take charge.

In addition to providing this service to my management clients, I also help committees across the island who self-manage by Hosting their AGM and assisting to make sure all requirements are followed and help mediate any discussions at the meeting.  You can contact me through CyprusCommunalGuide.com if you need more info about the Done for you AGM services.

After these meetings I hear comments about how different these meetings are to their usual mayhem of a meeting.  Or how I managed to stop a particular difficult individual from taking over the meeting.   

I would love to take all the credit for this and say this is purely down to experience and skills in handling tense situations, there is something to be said by experience however the fact I don’t have any personal history with any of the owners, and don’t allow the meetings to dwell on these or past arguments is a major factor in this.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​If you are the meeting president you are in charge of the meeting, so act like it.  

Set some rules at the start of the meeting and enforce it.  

These can include the conduct of attendees, how questions will be dealt with, cross conversations between owners during the meeting or talking during a presentation.

The key thing while taking charge is to let owners know at the outset that they will have their chance to speak, but at an appropriate time.  I usually suggest a time limited Q&A after each presentation, and an AOB portion of the meeting where any attendee can request 5 minutes to stand up and address the meeting.  Either ask questions, or simply make a statement.

When dealing with questions, do you best to answer them and if these are procedural or relating to a regulatory requirement have the regulations there to backup your statement.  However, don’t fall into the trap of getting into an argument or debate.  They ask a question, you answer it.  If they are unhappy with the answer or it starts to resemble an argument, don’t debate further inform them their disagreement will be recorded then move on.

I like to say that a general meeting is a series of presentations not a series of debates.

Also make sure you don’t act with any bias.  For example, If you are not taking questions during the presentation don’t make the mistake of refusing some owners while answering others.  

​​​​​​Try to hold a general meeting where you can record/live stream the events of the meeting.  It’s amazing how different an individual will be when they know there will be a record of their statements and behaviour.  This also gives a record to refer to in addition to the minutes in the future if there are any disagreements over what was said or how the meeting was conducted.

You need to make sure that you put notices up that the meeting is being recorded and take measures to ensure that this recording is not taken, stored or shared in a way that breaches data regulations. I would suggest you check out my recent articles on record keeping and the GDPR Regulations at www.CyprusCommunalGuice.com

Unless you have a lot of experience with members organisations, unions, company shareholders meetings and so on, you may never have heard of Quorum.

But this little thing, is probably the #1 hazard to most apartment building and communal resort management committees.  Quorum, or specifically a lack of Quorum is the equivalent of your Management Committees Kryptonite. 

And you must protect yourself from it at all costs!  Ok I am getting a bit overdramatic, but you get the point

What is Quorum?

Quorum is basically the minimum number of people that need to be at a meeting for that meeting to proceed. 

Communal property (shared property such as apartment buildings, complexes and resorts) is governed by a specific law the Immovable Property Act (cap224), and one of the requirements of this law is that when holding a general meeting of the owners (which you must have every year), you must have Quorum.

The Law sets that Quorum for the Annual General Meeting of Owners (AGM) is 50% of those eligible to vote at that meeting should either be present in person or have someone there representing them on their behalf (a Proxy).

To explain “Eligible Owners”, these regulations also state that while everyone can attend the meeting only those who have paid their share of the communal expenses may vote at this meeting, these are the eligible to vote owners.

How do you calculate if 50% of the property owners are represented?

When calculating quorum, you disregard any unit that is in arrears with their communal fees almost as if their property does not exist. 

E.G If you have 20 units in your building, but 5 do not pay their fees you act like your building only has the 15 paying units and need to check that half of those 15 are represented.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple, but I am sure you already guessed that.

The thing that complicate this, is that quorum is not counted by units, or even by unit size. Quorum is calculated based on that units’ proportion of joint ownership (PJO) which itself is based on the unit’s Official Value. 

So, if you have 10 units in your building, your quorum may not be 5 units, you may need 8 of the smaller lower valued apartments or 2 of the larger higher valued ones, whatever adds up to 50% of the PJO.

Unfortunately, I don’t have room to go into this calculation in this article and plan to publish a separate article or perhaps even a live training event on this at a future date.  But if you own a copy of The Ultimate Committee Handbook, you will find much more detail about quorum, including how to calculate the PJO In Chapter Two: The AGM and Chapter Seven: General Committee Operations.  If you don’t own a copy you can get one by clicking this link.

Why does Quorum matter?

Many buildings don’t follow the requirements for quorum, either because they don’t think they will achieve quorum so pretend the requirement does not exist so they can proceed with the meeting, or because they feel it’s too complicated to calculate and unnecessary.

It’s a common opinion that providing you make the effort to advertise the meeting, who turns up is who turns up and the meeting will proceed anyway.

The problem with this is the regulations specifically state that without Quorum no business can take place, so if you cannot prove (with a good set of AGM Minutes) that you met this requirement then the meeting and all decisions made at that meeting (including budgets, committee elections, custom regulations etc) could be ruled invalid. 

This would be a major problem if you ever need to take a debtor to court, need to enforce a breach of the regulations by a unit owner, or an owner legally challenges a decision or the overall legitimacy of the committee.

What if you do not have Quorum at your Annual General Meeting?

Under the regulations, for a General Meeting if you don’t have quorum then you must wait for 30 minutes for late arrivals and if you still don’t have quorum you MUST postpone the meeting and reschedule it for 1 week later at the same time and location.

What if you still don’t have 50% of the owners at this second meeting?

This is where the law is very well written, the requirement for 50% quorum is only for the first attempted meeting. 

If at this second meeting attempt you still do not have quorum, you simply need to wait 30 minutes to allow for late arrivals.  After this waiting time, you can proceed with the meeting with whoever is present and eligible to vote and providing you organise the rest of the meeting within the regulatory requirements this meeting will be considered legal and all decisions binding.

What if you don’t have enough information to accurately calculate quorum.

Once a buildings title deeds are issued, getting the Proportion of Joint Ownership and Official Values of each unit is fairly simple. As an owner you can attend the land registry and submit a N50 application to get a document with all this information for every unit in your building.

But if you do not yet have title deeds then this document will not detail all this information.

If for any reason you doubt the accuracy of the information you have, or cannot get the information you have to assume you do not have quorum at the first meeting and reschedule.  At the second meeting after the waiting period those present and entitled to vote will counts as quorum and you can proceed with the meeting.

What about an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)?

If you need to call an Extraordinary General Meeting during the year, whether it’s to elect a new member of the committee or vote on a specific decision item this is still considered a general meeting and many of the same regulatory requirements apply, including Quorum. 

So, you will need to follow all the same quorum requirements as an AGM.

What if while reading this article you realise you did not have Quorum at your last meeting?

If you feel that you did not have quorum at your last meeting, you should plan to correct this as soon as possible. 

If you have an AGM coming up, just make sure you follow the requirements at this meeting, and if you don’t it may be advisable to call an EGM. 

You can frame this as you wish but you may want to say you have recently become aware of a requirement that needs to be met, and in an continuing effort to ensure that the building is operated in the best way possible you feel it’s necessary to call an extra meeting to meet this requirement.

A Final Important Note.

There are quite a few rules and requirements for how your General Meetings are organised that must be followed exactly.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of your apartment building, complex or resort is probably the most important event of the year, and in my opinion organising it correctly is the most important task of your management committee. 

Unfortunately, despite its importance, it’s also where I see the most common mistakes made by committees. I must say that almost every committee I have every worked with have always worked in good faith, but the AGM is where despite good faith, any mistake can have serious consequences, for the unit owners and the committee members. 

I cannot emphasise enough to make sure that before holding your next annual general meeting to go through the regulations and make sure every step is followed!

If you are unsure of any particular item look through the articles and videos on the Cyprus Communal Guide as I have most likely covered it. 

If you would like a comprehensive resource to take you step by step through organising your annual general meeting, this is included in the Ultimate Committee Handbook (if you don’t already have a copy you can get one by clicking this link).

Alternatively, if you want complete peace of mind, you can look at outsourcing the organisation of this meeting to a professional third party.  I do also offer an AGM 'Done For you' Service 

In addition to selecting a property manager (if required) by a full tender process (covered in ‘The Ultimate Committee Handbook’), the Management Committee may need to use third party vendors.

Common types of vendor are: Lawyers, accountants & auditors, insurance providers, specialist advisers, debt collection agencies, pool technicians, cleaning agencies, garden maintenance and landscapers, lift maintenance providers, specialist maintenance providers (major maintenance works), small works/handyman services, sewerage removal and bio-plant servicing

Note: If these services and vendors are provided as part of your agreement with a property manager, then the majority of the work in selecting a vendor will be done by them, as they are ultimately responsible for any vendors they contract and to ensure that all contractual and legal requirements are met.

Unless dealing with a large-scale building or resort, the Management Committee’s selection of a vendor does not require any advanced formal tender process.

However, there should be a process to ensure that the vendor is suitable, and the best value for money. This does not always mean the cheapest quote, as you can get what you pay for.
General good practice is to request like-for-like quotes to be obtained from a minimum of three providers.

Each provider should be correctly compared like for like to ensure the process is fair and unaffected by bias.
Quotations and confidential/commercially sensitive information received from vendors should be kept confidential and never shared with another vendor.

Additionally, the benefit of one vendor’s work or assessment should never be provided to another vendor to assist in the production of their quote. All vendors should be expected to do their own investigation work and propose their own solution.

For example: If you had a leak with the pool and requested for a pool maintenance company to come and provide a free quotation and through their skill and knowledge they find the location of the leak and propose a solution. The details of this should never be shared to allow the other vendors to simply quote to match the repair without needing to perform the investigation.

​All buildings require constant maintenance and most of the time this is just minor repairs but occasionally you are going to need to organise a larger scale project.  For example, your building may be getting to the stage where it requires a complete repaint, or your pool surface may be at the end of its expected life.

While organising small maintenance can be organised with minimal hassle, larger jobs require a little more attention as there are specific considerations when organising major maintenance works.

​When major works are being done there can be a considerable amount of disruption to your buildings residents, however this disruption can be reduced by proper planning and timing.

For example: If your building experiences heavy summer seasonal occupancy, you can plan to organise these works prior to, or after the season. Remember, if you plan to organise these works before the season, keep in mind that they can easily overrun, so make sure there is a suitable buffer period before the summer season starts to accommodate any delays.

​Unless it is part of an existing contract or management agreement, you should always obtain quotations/bids from at least three different providers.  

It’s important to make sure that any vendor selected as part of this bid process is suitable and has all relevant qualifications.  Remember, you get what you pay for, so the lowest bid is not always the most cost effective.  

If you have a copy of ‘The Ultimate Committee Handbook’, Chapter 8: ‘Maintenance of your Building’ explains in detail how to organise a fair and professional bidding process and how to select the winning contractor.

​If you select a poor-quality provider or hire someone operating illegally without relevant qualifications & insurance you can be held ultimately liable for the consequences.  Remember the committee hold the ultimate duty of care towards the building/resort and its owners.

​Ideally you will have a detailed maintenance plan so these major maintenance items will not come unexpectedly and you will have a contingency fund and/or a maintenance fund ready to pay for these works when required.
 
That’s the ideal, however things rarely work this way.  You may need to approach unit owners and ask for them to pay an extra payment on top of their normal communal fees to cover the cost of this maintenance. It’s not a pleasant task, but it is in everyone’s interest to keep the building well maintained, and most units would stand to lose far more in property value than the extra payment if these are not organised.

One of the biggest game changers in the holiday industry (and many other industries) is the power of online reviews on sites like TripAdvisor.  

While at first, you may think that the online reviews on the individual properties are not a concern of your apartment building management committee.  After all, short-term rentals are the owner’s responsibility, but these reviews have a direct effect on ALL unit owners.

TripAdvisor reviews will appear any time a prospective tenant, holiday guest or prospective purchaser Googles your building as part of their research.

Positive reviews will affect the property value of all units in the building, as anyone looking to purchase a property will most likely consider it a better investment if they know the building will be more attractive to potential guests/tenants.  Likewise, if a building has a very poor rating, it will put off potential buyers concerned over issues with the building.

Additionally unit owners who are generating more income from their properties will likely have a positive effect on communal fee payment rates and potentially allow for funding of additional site improvements.

​1) Take control of your Branding
Have a look to see if your building is already listed on TripAdvisor and if it is, follow the instructions for your committee to ‘claim the listing’. If your building does not already have its own Trip Advisor listing your committee should create one so you can reply to reviews and update the site information/photos etc.

Surveys say that 65% of guests say they are more likely to book a property that responds to reviews. So, when someone posts a review, make sure to post a manager response thanking them. If there were any issues in their review address these positively and whatever you do don’t argue or dismiss their opinions as this looks terrible to prospective guests. TripAdvisor advises that 85% of its users say a good management response to a poor review improves their impression of a property.  

2) Control First Impressions
No building is perfect, and your building is not a hotel and does not have the budget or staffing to keep it spotless 24 hours a day, but what you may think are small problems are amplified in the mind of a tired guest who is arriving on site after a long stressful days travelling.

So, make sure your building or resort is easily identifiable, clean, the areas are well lit and there are clear signs showing how to find their apartments.  Basically, try to make the arrival process as easy as possible.

3) Provide support to unit owners & their guests

​In addition to the committee respecting the power of TripAdvisor, it’s also important to make sure that owners know of this to create a short guide with tips to unit owners on how to increase guest satisfaction and collect reviews.  Plus create a flyer to put on noticeboards and in each apartment detailing the building, rules, local attractions, and emergency contact information.