Just inspected a large 4 story apartment complex (120 units). Several units have small tears in the balcony membrane. The membranes were scheduled for replacement starting in about 5 years - the property is only 13 years old. Now they have to spend a significant amount of money on patches. The moral of the story: money should be budgeted annually from the operating account to patch all tears in the PVC membranes on the balconies. Spending small amounts of money on a regular basis to repair/maintain common property will ensure that the common property components reach their expected life.
