Follow NHA's maintenance team through a regular workday, from everyday repairs to planning for the future!
When you think about the work of a housing maintenance team, you probably picture someone fixing a leaky faucet, repairing a door, or responding to a maintenance request.
And you'd be half right. Because on any given day, NHA's maintenance team is balancing the immediate needs of residents with planned improvements to existing buildings and decisions that will shape how our buildings operate for many years to come.
For the latest installment of our Behind the Scenes series, we followed the maintenance team for a day to get a closer look at the people and the work involved in caring for our homes.
9:00 AM - Starting the Day (and Setting Priorities)
In case you haven’t picked up on it yet...coffee is basically an institution for most of our NHA staff 😉
Most workdays, the morning begins with coffee and a look at what's on the agenda.
For our maintenance team, that means reviewing outstanding requests, coordinating work across our buildings (and the team), and figuring out how to make the best use of the day ahead.
Of course, plans can change pretty quickly when you're responsible for maintaining multiple residential buildings. So we asked the team to illuminate for us how that prioritization happens. Here’s what Maintenance Lead, Derek, said:
“Health and safety concerns and emergency repairs always take priority, while other requests are scheduled around planned maintenance projects and longer-term work. Depending on what's happening, some tasks are handled directly by Devon and Francis, while others may be assigned to contractors.”
This allows the team to keep everyday maintenance moving while also dedicating time to larger projects and planning. And as we discovered, even a relatively ordinary day can involve a surprising variety of work.
9:30 AM - Scheduled Maintenance
One of the items on the agenda for the day: Devon will be replacing two toilets in resident units – for two very different reasons.
In one home, the replacement was planned to improve accessibility, with a different style of toilet making it easier for the resident to use. In the other, the goal was to improve the functionality of the toilet.
Both were relatively straightforward improvements, but they're also good examples of how maintaining community housing involves more than simply repairing what's broken - sometimes, it's about recognizing opportunities to make a home more comfortable, accessible, or better suited to the needs of the person living there.
10:30 AM - Keeping Things Running
Not all maintenance work begins with a request from a resident. A big part of keeping NHA's buildings in good condition involves regularly checking the systems and equipment that keep everything running.
That includes Francis’s weekly visit to the boiler rooms to check on each building's mechanical systems. It's the kind of work that most residents will never see, but regular inspections help the team stay on top of equipment conditions, identify potential issues, and address concerns before they become bigger problems.
1:00 PM - Looking Ahead (and Up!) to Sustainability
Later in the day, we headed up to the rooftop of Riley Park, where the team is exploring some possibilities for the future.
NHA is currently working with Sustainable Projects Group (SPG) on a solar feasibility study to look at opportunities to improve the building's energy efficiency through rooftop solar panels.
Before any panels can be installed, though, the team needs to consider the condition of the roof itself. After all, installing solar panels only to remove them for a roof replacement a few years later wouldn't be the best use of resources.
To help determine the best timing, Derek met with a roofing contractor and headed up onto the roof himself to assess its condition and consider whether to move forward with solar installation now or wait until the roof is due for replacement.
It's just one example of the longer-term planning that goes into maintaining NHA's buildings. Between the everyday repairs and improvements, the team is always thinking ahead, weighing their options and making decisions that will help keep our buildings in good condition for years to come.
2:30 PM - The Bigger Picture
As the afternoon winds down, it's clear just how much of the maintenance team's work involves planning, coordination, and looking ahead.
While residents are most likely to encounter the team when something needs repairing, there's an enormous amount of work happening outside those interactions. From routine inspections and identifying potential issues before they become bigger problems to coordinating contractors, managing budgets, and prioritizing improvements, maintaining community housing requires both a practical understanding of how buildings function and a long-term perspective on how best to care for them.
As Maintenance Lead, Derek explains that a big part of his role is anticipating potential issues and helping the team balance immediate needs with longer-term priorities, all while working within available budgets and focusing on improvements that will have the greatest impact on residents.
Throughout the day, that work has taken different forms, from checking the boiler room and making accessibility improvements to evaluating the feasibility of rooftop solar panels. Each task comes with its own considerations, but together they demonstrate the range of work involved in caring for NHA's buildings.
And while much of this work happens out of sight, the team understands exactly why it matters.
"At the end of the day, these buildings are people's homes. I take a lot of pride in knowing that the work our team does helps residents feel safe and comfortable in their homes, even when they may not see everything that goes into making that happen." — Derek
It's a nice note to end the day on, and a reminder that NHA's work doesn't stop at providing housing. There's a lot that goes into making sure those homes continue to be good places to live.