"Nothing to report."

Three words that most building managers never send — because they only make contact when something's gone wrong.

But here's the thing: "nothing to report" is actually one of the most valuable updates you can receive. It means someone checked. It means the systems are working. It means you can get on with your week without wondering what's happening in your building.

The best building managers communicate even when everything's running smoothly. Not because they have to fill silence, but because consistent reporting is how trust gets built and problems get caught early.

The Problem with Silence

When you don't hear from your building manager, what do you assume? Most committee members default to "no news is good news." But silence creates problems that only become visible later.

Committee Anxiety

Information vacuums create stress. When you haven't heard anything in weeks, every email notification makes you tense. Is this going to be bad news? Has something been brewing that you didn't know about? The absence of communication doesn't create peace of mind — it creates low-grade anxiety that sits in the background.

Small Issues Become Big Problems

Without regular check-ins, there's no natural opportunity to surface small concerns. That slight vibration in the pump. The door that's sticking a bit more than usual. The resident who mentioned water stains in their ceiling.

These observations might seem too minor to warrant a special call or email. But in a weekly update, they fit naturally. And catching them early is the difference between a $200 fix and a $20,000 repair.

Trust Erodes Over Time

When you only hear from your building manager during problems, your relationship becomes purely transactional — and usually negative. Every interaction is associated with stress, cost, or conflict.

Regular positive communication changes the dynamic. You start to see your building manager as a partner, not just a problem-deliverer. Trust builds through consistency, not occasional heroics.

The False Efficiency of "Only Reporting Problems"

Some managers think they're being efficient by not "bothering" the committee with updates when things are fine. But this logic is backwards. The time spent on a quick weekly update is trivial. The time spent dealing with problems that weren't caught early, or rebuilding trust after communication breakdowns, is substantial.

Weekly reporting isn't overhead — it's investment.

What Weekly Reporting Should Include

A weekly update doesn't need to be long. Five to ten minutes to write, two minutes to read. The point is consistency and coverage, not comprehensiveness.

Here's what a good weekly report includes:

Completed Tasks: What was done this week. Routine maintenance, contractor visits, inspections, resident requests handled. Brief but specific.

Upcoming Scheduled Work: What's happening next week. Any contractor visits planned, maintenance scheduled, inspections coming up. Gives the committee visibility into what's ahead.

Issues Being Monitored: Things that aren't problems yet but are being watched. The pump that's running warm. The gate that's slow to close. Early warning signals that show proactive attention.

Contractor Activity: Who was on site, what they did, any follow-up required. Keeps the committee informed about who's working in their building.

Resident Feedback: Any concerns or compliments from residents. Patterns worth noting. This is often how emerging issues first surface.

That's it. Not a novel. Not a formal report. Just a consistent, reliable summary that takes the guesswork out of building management.

Making Reporting Work for Everyone

The best reporting systems are sustainable — easy for the building manager to produce and easy for the committee to consume.

Format That's Quick to Produce

A simple template works best. Same structure every week, just fill in the details. This takes the thinking out of reporting and makes it a five-minute habit rather than a burden.

If your building manager says weekly reporting would be too time-consuming, they're either not using a template or not actually doing the work that would fill a report.

Building a Reporting Rhythm

Pick a day. Stick to it. Friday afternoon works well — the week's work is done, and the committee gets an update before the weekend. The specific day matters less than the consistency.

Once the rhythm is established, it becomes automatic. Committees come to expect it. Missed updates become immediately obvious.

How Committees Should Engage

Reports are only valuable if someone reads them. The committee chair — or a designated committee member — should review the weekly update and acknowledge receipt. A quick "thanks, noted" is enough.

When questions arise, ask them promptly. When something seems off, flag it. The report is a starting point for conversation, not a replacement for it.

Silence Isn't Golden

In building management, silence is a red flag. It either means nothing is happening — which is concerning — or things are happening that you don't know about, which is worse.

Weekly reporting changes the default. Instead of wondering what's going on, you know. Instead of assuming no news is good news, you get confirmation that things are on track.

It's a small practice that makes a significant difference to how it feels to be on a strata committee. Less guessing. Less anxiety. More confidence that your building is actually being looked after.

If your building manager isn't reporting weekly, ask yourself: why not?

When did you last hear from your building manager?

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