From the field
George Herlth III, FMP, on the work, the record, and why FixGrid exists. First published on LinkedIn.
If it isn’t in the record, it doesn’t exist
With starts down and more capital in existing assets, maintenance history decides deals. George Herlth III, FMP: if it isn’t in the record, it doesn’t exist.
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The second visit tax
A ticket marked Fixed with no part, photo or history costs a second visit, then hundreds of hours at sale. George Herlth III, FMP, on the second visit tax.
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It’s your data. Why can’t you use it?
Operators pay to store their maintenance data, then pay again to connect it. George Herlth III, FMP, on gated integrations and who the data belongs to.
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Why I Built FixGrid
George Herlth III, FMP, on the road from plumbing apprentice to airline maintenance to multifamily, and why he built FixGrid around one connected record.
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Best Apartment Maintenance Software 2026: An Honest Comparison
Eight leading platforms compared honestly — FixGrid, Property Meld, AppFolio, Buildium, Yardi Breeze, HappyCo, MaintainX, DoorLoop. Real pricing, real strengths and weaknesses, and a decision framework that picks by portfolio shape rather than brand recognition. Includes pricing reality tables at common operator sizes.
Read the comparisonDid you know? “Only suggested” expired in January 2023
NFPA 70B’s 2023 edition took effect in January 2023, turning a recommended practice into a standard that names large multifamily complexes: what it requires, what a failure costs, what to budget.
Read the guideProperty Condition, Due Diligence and Takeover Software (2026): An Honest Comparison
PCA, due diligence, new-development acceptance and takeover tools compared honestly — Grid Auriga Projects, Layer, HappyCo, FinishLine, TransitionTrack and Procore. Where each one wins, what it costs, and the question most comparisons skip: what happens to the data after the report is delivered.
Read the comparisonHUD NSPIRE Scoring on October 1, 2026: A Field Guide for Multifamily Operators
HUD began deducting points for six NSPIRE affirmative requirements on October 1, 2026 (Public Housing + Multifamily). Those defects were already cited before that; they just had not been costing score points. This field guide covers who NSPIRE applies to, the 24-hour clock, what Oct 1 actually changes, common operational failures, and how to treat the rounds you already run as year-round inspection prep.
Read the field guideEPA Section 608 Refrigerant Compliance for Multifamily: What Changed in 2026 and What Operators Actually Have to Track
EPA’s AIM Act leak-repair rule took effect January 1, 2026. It brought HFC equipment holding 15 lb or more under the same leak-rate triggers (10% for comfort cooling) that already applied to ozone-depleting refrigerants at 50 lb or more, and made automatic leak detection mandatory for the largest commercial and industrial refrigeration systems. Most multifamily operators haven’t re-inventoried since the rule changed — this field guide covers which equipment is now covered, how leak inspections are triggered, recordkeeping requirements, common compliance failures, and EPA enforcement reality.
Read the field guideNFPA 25 Fire Pump Compliance for Multifamily: A Field Guide for Operators
What NFPA 25 actually requires for multifamily fire pumps, written by an FMP-credentialed 20-year maintenance professional. Test cadences (weekly churn for diesel pumps and monthly for electric, with weekly for some electric pumps; annual flow, annual partial-flow dry-pipe trip, 3-year full-flow dry-pipe trip, 5-year internal pipe assessment), documentation AHJs look for, common compliance failures, AHJ inspection prep, and how to build a system that doesn’t leave compliance to memory.
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