FAQs

Yes, it is mandatory to carry out structural audit of your society building at regular intervals. As per the clause 77 of Maharashtra Co-Operative Housing Society Bye Laws, which states that: “The society shall cause the STRUCTURAL AUDIT of the building of the society as follows:

• i. For the building ageing 15 to 30 years – once in 5 years.
• ii. For the building ageing above 30 years – once in 3 years.”

And such audit shall be carried out by the Structural Engineer approved by respective Municipal Corporation under whose limits the society comes. Structural audit along with Non-Destructive Testing also becomes mandatory for procuring the strcutral stability certificate in response to the notice sent by Municipal Corporation under section 353 (B) of Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act 1888.

a. It is advisable to audit your society building regularly as per the clause 77 of Maharashtra Co-Operative Housing Society Bye Laws. However, if there are visible cracks in the RCC members, leakage from terrace, external leakage, visible cracks in plaster, leakage in plumbing lines, etc. it is time for you to carry out structural audit to ascertain the problems and respective solutions.

a. Mumbai Municpality under MMC Act has right to serve notice to the society asking them to provide structural stability certificate from the structural engineer approved by MCGM within time specified in the notice. As part of action from the society, the society needs to appoint an approved structural engineer of MCGM to carry out structural audit of the building along with NDT. The corrective repairs as suggested by the structural engineer must be attended to within six months of submission of the report. Failing which the society may be fines as per section 471 or the Commissioner may carry out the necessary repairs at the cost and consequences of the society and their members. After the completion of corrective repairs by the society under strict supervision of the approved MCGM structural engineer, the society can submit the structural stability certificate given by the said structural engineer.

a. Structural audit includes inspection of external surface for defects in plaster and structural members, painting defects, leakage from terrace, waterproofing defects of terrace, overhead tank, mumpty room, lift machine room, etc., visiting each and every flat to inspect for any defects in structural members, inter-flat and inter-wall leakage, external leakage, etc., defects in plumbing lines and ducts, compound wall and compound floor, leakage from podium and defects in staircase like distress in waist slab, landing slabs and treads and risers.

a. Non-Destructive Tests are to be carried out either if the society is more than 30 years old or the society seeks structural stability certificate in response to the notice served under Section 353 (B) of the MMC Act. NDT are carried out to check the strength and quality of in-situ concrete without disturbing the in-situ properties of concrete. These tests are necessary to assess the concrete deterioration over the period of time. There are 7 tests that are being carried out; Rebound Hammer Test, Ultra Pulse Velocity Test, Carbonation Test, Half-Cell Potential Test, Core Tets, Chemical Analysis Test and Aggregate Ratio Test.

a. External leakage cannot be stopped by carrying out only crack filling and/or patch or complete plaster and/or synthetic texture but can only be minimised. After rectifying all the defects from external face including that of plaster and structural waterproof coat of paint needs to be applied to stop the leakage.

a. No, tar layers are not effective in stopping leakages from terrace and/or chajja. The primary reason is that during the summer heat the expansion during the day and contraction during the night cracked the overlapping layers becoming a source of water ingress resulting in leakage. Moreover, it also affects the existing layer.

a. There are multiple solutions to stop the leakage from the terrace. The most effective is the traditional way of waterproofing with brick bat coba, IPS and china chips. The warranty provided by the contractor is of ten years. The other method is to coat the top waterproofing layer by chemical coating, also known as membrane system, after attending to the defects. This method is most effective if there is patch work and/or only the top layer has become ineffective. The warranty associated with chemical coating is of five years.

a. Following are the ways to maintain the society for a longer life:

• i. Every building/structure must have specific maintenance program with proper rules for alterations and renovations.
• ii. The following steps would help in proper maintenance of the structure.
  • 1. Attend to seepage/leakage problems immediately i.e. proper filling the floor tile joints, skirting joints, windowsill joints, and all internal leakage problems etc
  • 2. Plant growth, visible cracks must be investigated and attended to.
  • 3. Additions/alterations must be carried out under proper technical guidance.
  • 4. All the society members are herewith advised not to carry out any structural alterations/tampering in the building without any notice to the consultant (Struct Care Consulting Engineers Pvt. Ltd.) OR without certification from licensed structural engineer (MCGM approved).
  • 5. Renovations must be carried out under proper technical supervision (especially windows, flooring, toilets, etc.).
  • 6. Carry out periodic checks/sealing around plumbing/drainage lines.
  • 7. External painting to be done as it not only adds to the aesthetic appearance of the building, but it also functions as protective coating to concrete and plaster. At least once in ten years go for external painting.
  • 8. As per MCGM directives it is mandatory to carry out structural audit every 3 years if the building is more than 30 years and every 5 years if the building is more than 15 years but less than 30 years.

a. There are multiple solutions to stop the leakage from the terrace. The most effective is the traditional way of waterproofing with brick bat coba, IPS and china chips. The warranty provided by the contractor is of ten years. The other method is to coat the top waterproofing layer by chemical coating, also known as membrane system, after attending to the defects. This method is most effective if there is patch work and/or only the top layer has become ineffective. The warranty associated with chemical coating is of five years.

a. Yes, for a period of five years if done correctly.

a. Yes, it is always advisable to appoint a consultant while undertaking any repair work even if it is a small work. The work of crack filling and painting work is never only restricted to these two activities. The associated activities like patch plaster, rectifying plumbing defects, rectifying structural defects, etc. invariably need to be undertaken along with the crack filling and painting work. Though the warranty is given by the paint manufacturer through their marketing managers, they are not qualified to give technical specifications for other allied activities. Thus, the society needs to appoint a consultant for the benefit of the society in terms of getting a detailed tender having proper technical specifications for all the activites, other general and special conditions necessary for a successful repair work, quality checking of the work through timely site supervision, measurement and bill checking, etc.

a. Yes, it is advisable to completely change the G.I. pipelines. Usually the G.I. pipes have a shell life of 20 years.

a. In such situation also the society can go for repairs if the majority is achieved in the AGM or SGM. If such majority is not achieved or if the society wants everyone to co-operate, the committee members can minutes the meeting and note down the names of all the members who do not wish to carry out the structural repairs and submit the minutes along with covering letter along with the names of the members to the nearest police station, MCGM ward officer with CC to Municipal Commissioner, Fire station, CM and PMO. This would relieve the committee members and those members who have given their consent for repairs from any liability in case of any mishap.

a. There are two major types of paint available, one acrylic based and the other elastomeric paint. Acrylic paint does not have any waterproofing guarantee from external leakage and no crack bridging capacity. However, elastomeric paint has waterproofing guarantee from external leakage and crack bridging capacity of about 2-3 mm. If the society is facing severe leakage issues from external face during monsoon it is advisable to apply elastomeric paint.

a. Yes, shed can be an alternative to terrace waterproofing. However, as a structural engineer we do not recommend societies to put shed over terrace in lieu of terrace waterproofing. In a longer run the shed induces additional load on the structure by way of wind induced vibrations, which hamper the structure.