Vacant Space

Responsible Executive	Vice Chancellor-Administration & Finance
Responsible Office	Space Management and Capital Programs
Contact

Issued	9/21/2009
Effective	9/21/2009
Revised	May 5, 2011 – see end for revisions
Supersedes	None, New Policy
Next Review

Policy Summary

Space Management and Capital Programs (SMCP) is responsible for the overall management of vacant campus spaces. SMCP works with Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S), Campus Police (UCPD), Capital Projects (CP), and Physical Plant-Campus Services (PPCS) to develop and implement plans for the proper security and maintenance of vacant space. Former occupants must develop and implement a plan for the removal of all moveable items and waste (including hazardous waste) to ensure the spaces they vacate are in broom clean condition. Vacating units should be prepared to fund the cost of their move, although a campus contribution for some moves may be appropriate and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Units that fail to adhere to approved vacancy plans will be moved by the campus and charged a 25% premium.

Who Is Affected by This Policy

Campus academic, administrative, or self-supporting units that occupy space.

Who Administers This Policy

Space Management and Capital Programs (SMCP)
Space Assignments and Capital Improvements (SACI)
Vice Provost-Academic Planning (VP-AP)
Capital Projects (CP)
Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S)
Physical Plant-Campus Services (PPCS)
University of California Police Department (UCPD)
Budget and Resource Planning (BRP)

Why We Have This Policy

The purpose of this policy is to establish roles and responsibilities for the oversight of vacated space, and to outline procedures for securing and maintaining vacant space in an effort to minimize liabilities and problems associated with re-occupancy.

Changing programmatic needs, academic priorities, and standing agreements with the surrounding community may require that certain campus spaces go unoccupied for periods of time. Care must be exercised to ensure that these spaces are adequately secured and maintained to minimize liability and allow an expeditious return to service.

Unsecured and unmaintained vacant spaces can become a public nuisance, and even spaces vacated for a short time can affect the University’s ability to operate effectively. Surge spaces, for example, have a continuous change of occupancy and therefore must be kept in a condition that will allow for swift re-occupancy. Costly impacts to construction, teaching, or research may result from failure to maintain vacant spaces in appropriate condition.

Responsibilities

Space Management and Capital Programs (SMCP):

Provides management and oversight of vacated space and serves as contact for all work associated with vacating and maintaining such space.
Develops a list of fixed assets for transmission to Risk Management.
Coordinates requests for funds to secure and/or maintain vacated space.
Updates campus space inventory to reflect the vacancy.

Space Assignments and Capital Improvements Committee (SACI):

Reviews space needs from a central campus perspective and recommends changes in space assignments.

Chancellor:

At the recommendation of SACI, approves spaces to be vacated.

Budget and Resource Planning (BRP):

Identifies fund sources for securing and maintaining vacant space.

Facilities Services-Capital Programs (CP):

Prepares cost estimates for and manages the work associated with securing or reconfiguring space.

Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S):

Establishes fire and life safety requirements for vacancy plans.
Provides action items, cost estimates, and oversight regarding removal of hazardous materials from vacated space.

Physical Plant-Campus Services (PPCS):

Provides maintenance requirements and cost estimates for vacancy plans.
Provides ongoing maintenance of vacant space.

UC Police Department (UCPD):

Provides security requirements and cost estimates for vacancy plans.
Provides ongoing security of vacant space.

Risk Management

Reviews fixed assets for insurance purposes.

Real Estate Services (RESO)

Provides management and oversight of vacated space for newly acquired space or campus space managed by a property management company.

Occupants:

Develop, implement, and fund a disposition plan for all moveable items, including hazardous waste.
Leave vacated space in broom clean condition.
Return keys to UCPD (http://police.berkeley.edu/programsandservices/).

Procedures

Campus space can be divided into six broad categories:

Active space that is formally assigned to a responsible department or unit and recorded as such in the campus’s Facility Database (FDX). This can include space used for storage.
Inactive space that is formally assigned to a responsible department or unit but is temporarily unoccupied due to renovations or reassignment within the department or unit.
Vacant space that is not formally assigned to any responsible department or unit and is recorded as inactive in FDX. This space can be taken out of service or have restricted access.
Transition space that is temporarily taken out of service or is between formal departmental assignments (e.g., surge space).
Acquired space that is newly acquired but not yet assigned to a responsible department or unit or is managed by a property management company.
Rental space that is owned and operated by a third party in which campus units or activities are housed and for which rent is paid.

This policy applies to vacant, transition, and rental space only. Active, inactive, and acquired space is governed by existing campus policies and practices.

Procedures for vacating and occupying vacant, transition, or rental space is as follows:

Through SACI or other campus authority, SMCP notifies the occupying department(s), EH&S, UCPD, PPCS, CP, and Risk Management of a vacancy decision and provides a timeline for exiting.
EH&S, UCPD, PPCS, CP, and SMCP evaluate the space within 30 days of the notification and produce reviews complete with required actions, estimated costs, and a timeline for implementation. The reviews include one-time costs as well as ongoing costs for security, maintenance, operations, and disposal of hazardous waste. SMCP inventories fixed assets such as permanent art installations for transmittal to Risk Management.
The vacating unit develops and implements a vacancy plan in accordance with the reviews described in (2) above. The vacating department communicates its plan to occupants and is responsible for timely return of keys to UCPD. The vacating department identifies a fund source for general clean-up and disposition costs related to moveable items, including hazardous materials.
The department’s vacancy plan is presented to campus officials (e.g., VCAC) for funding consideration.
Once a vacancy plan is approved and funded, Capital Projects coordinates required work, including security system installation and continuation of life and fire safety systems identified in PPCS and EH&S reviews.
Once the vacating department leaves, SMCP reviews the vacated space to ensure compliance with the vacancy plan. If the vacating department has not complied with its vacancy plan, SMCP asks the vacating department to fulfill all outstanding obligations within 30 days. If the vacating department does not fulfill its obligations within 30 days, SMCP completes the vacancy plan and charges the department for SMCP’s costs plus 25%.
Upon vacancy, SMCP becomes the manager of the space, working with EH&S and PPCS to detect problems and to ensure compliance with this policy. SMCP is also the campus contact should others detect problems with the vacant space.
SMCP records the vacancy in the campus’s space database (FDX).
PPCS maintains and operates the space in accordance with vacancy standards as described by the department’s vacancy plan.
UCPD provides security services in accordance with vacancy standards as described by the department’s vacancy plan.
The Real Estate Services Office coordinates issues related to vacant acquired space or vacant space managed by a third party.
For rental space, terms of the rental agreement usually apply. Procedures 1 through 6 above generally apply, with the exception of Procedure 3. In these cases, the renting unit is responsible for all costs related to vacating the space.

Glossary

Acquired Space: space acquired by the campus but not yet assigned to a responsible department or unit, or campus space managed by a property management company.
Active Space: space formally assigned to a responsible department or unit and recorded as such in the campus’s Facility Database (FDX). Can include space used for storage.
Broom Clean: space free from all moveable objects and waste, including hazardous waste, and reasonably clean (floors swept, restrooms washed). Also includes the removal or disconnection of unnecessary services, including utilities.
Campus Unit: A department, office, program, institute, center, project, or other academic or administrative entity that is part of the University of California, Berkeley.
FDX: the campus’s Facility Database, a space inventory system managed by SMCP and used to capture and report space-related data.
Fixed Asset: an item permanently attached to a building or structure, such as a mechanical system or work of art.
Hazardous Waste: refuse composed of substances or materials capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property.
Hazardous Materials Employee: A person
Inactive space: space formally assigned to a responsible department or unit but temporarily unoccupied due to renovations or reassignment within the department or unit.
Rental space: space owned and operated by a third party in which campus units or activities are housed and for which rent is paid.
Surge space: space used for the temporary relocation of units or activities, usually due to construction.
Transition space: space temporarily taken out of service or between formal departmental assignment (e.g., surge space).
Vacant space: space not formally assigned to any responsible department or unit.

Revision History

May 5, 2011:

On page 1, the Responsible Executive was changed from Nathan Brostrom, Vice Chancellor-Administration to Vice Chancellor-Administration & Finance. On page 6, the link for University of California, Berkeley Physical Plant-Campus Services was changed from http://physicalplant.berkeley.edu/home.asp to http://physicalplant.berkeley.edu.