The complexity of managing a building is ever increasing. No longer are buildings looked after by an onsite caretaker or handyman. Building Maintenance has become a complex operation requiring increasing amounts of skills, knowledge and technology in order to manage a building, adhere to compliance requirements as well as make continual improvements to efficiency.
Why is building maintenance important?
There are a number of ways managing Building Maintenance can be done smarter and more effectively. Here is our 6 Point Guide to Building Maintenance Requirements:
1. Take Responsibility & Create a Plan of Action
Each block or building has its own responsibilities which affect Building Maintenance, particularly compliance-based requirements. As a Building Maintenance manager, it is essential to know each and every requirement and have a plan of action to ensure the property is safe and compliant. There are a number of areas to consider, ensuring safety and compliance.
- Electrical Safety – EICR Electrical Inspection and Testing, Electrical Maintenance and Portable Appliance Testing.
- Life Systems including Fire Safety – Fire alarms, logs and wardens all contribute to ensuring fire safety.
- Emergency Lighting – Emergency lighting help site users are able to remain safe, or safely escape a building in the event of normal lighting failure.
- HVAC – Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Gas Safety alongside pressurised systems and Air Conditioning (FGAS) safety are imperative to ensure building compliance and safety for your residents.
- Water Treatment, Testing and Compliance – Water is a large risk factor for which all employers and landlords are obliged to regularly undertake water treatment and to act to limit this risk, particularly for Legionella.
*This list is not exhaustive and a full assessment of all factors contributing to building compliance should be considered.
The management of all responsibilities can be complex. By creating a plan of action which incorporates all responsibilities, compliance requirements in-line with time restraints and schedules and undertaking Building Maintenance will become a simpler operation.
2. Plan in your Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM)
Planned, preventative maintenance (PPM), more commonly referred to as scheduled maintenance is the maintenance to an element or component to a property, whether it forms part of the building fabric or mechanical and electrical components. PPM is a scheduled visit with an overall aim of ensuring the equipment is operating correctly and remove any potential for breakdowns or downtime. Carried out by a relevantly trained and qualified engineer.
3. Record Keeping
Although undertaking the Building Maintenance services is the core task, it is essential to keep records. Records may include risk assessments, reports and certificates. This is the case for all repairs, tests and inspections. Record keeping will allow for easier management of Building Maintenance however it also offers the management company or building owner the security of knowing all legal requirements have been met should something go wrong. At fixx, we are able to consolidate these records for your building using an online system to store both these statutory records alongside your day-to-day repair records.
4. Keep up to date and prepare for change
Being aware of new changes relevant to Building Maintenance is essential. Ensuring an action plan is put in to place ahead of the changes to ensure consistency in Building Maintenance and compliance. Sourcing the relevant updates should not be a difficult, time consuming responsibility, once a reliable source has been identified and established, you should be able to keep up to date and prepare ahead of changes and the key dates involved. Planning ahead is the best way to reduce impact on a business and keep costs to a minimum.
5. Things do come at a Cost
There is a cost to compliance and Building Maintenance. This may include equipment, maintenance of the equipment, staffing or certification fees for a number of services such as water hygiene, security or portable appliance testing. These costs however are generally negotiable with your service provider and often greatly reduced by consolidating services to an outsourced Building Maintenance provider like fixx. The alternative to budgeting for compliance and Building Maintenance is often the receipt of costly fines and potentially serious legal ramifications.
6. Outsource
As mentioned above, there is a cost to compliance and Building Maintenance, however there are significant savings to be made. If you need help with your Building Maintenance fixx have in-house experts who can support in the management of your Building Maintenance. From water testing to grounds maintenance, road gritting to inspection and testing.
Following reading our 6-point guide to Building Maintenance, if you are looking for support for your building maintenance requirements, please contact fixx to arrange a site visit or call to discuss your requirement.
Building maintenance services
Building maintenance is focused on enhancing each workplace. This could include maintenance for external grounds right through to lighting, as well as commercial cleaning services and water treatment. This outsourcing solution reduces the requirements for the in-house management of a facility. However, offers a business the ability to maintain control and management of their own premises.
A building maintenance company takes on the responsibility for an element of or all of the upkeep and facilities management of a block premises or residential portfolio. The main objective of the building maintenance company is to manage a building and its grounds, as well as be reactive to the needs of the facility. Requirements will vary from building to building and this includes everything from minor repairs to major installations.
Building maintenance may include the following services:
Planned, Preventative Maintenance
Planned, preventative maintenance is utilised to minimise breakdowns. A building maintenance company such as fixx will look to discover any potential issues before any negative impact is caused to the business. Breakdowns do happen. It can be very costly for a business to fix an unexpected breakdown. With the help of a building maintenance company, the business will likely be able to prevent loss in productivity, in addition to significantly lessening the financial impact caused by some breakdowns.
The building will be able to lower the risk of reduced productivity due to equipment failure when it is under a scheduled planned, preventative maintenance programme. Building maintenance under this service could significantly extend the life of the majority of the building equipment and components.
Mechanical and Electrical Maintenance
A mechanical and electrical maintenance team is in place to deliver maintenance services for the mechanical and electrical components of a building. This service may vary from building to building with some larger properties requiring full-time on-site support whilst others would opt for periodic inspections and maintenance. The mechanical and electrical maintenance may focus its services on air conditioning, heating, ventilation amongst other M&E components.
Emergency and Reactive Maintenance
Having reliable engineers available to take care of emergency and reactive maintenance ensures a business will remain as operational as possible in cases of emergencies and unplanned breakdowns. Service levels are maintained and dealt with effectively as part of this building maintenance service.
Building Fabric Maintenance
A building maintenance company will ensure that a building is kept in the best condition possible. With the most common building fabric maintenance issues to watch out for include drainage and gutter issues, however each building is different and faces different building fabric challenges. A building maintenance company offer maintenance services to take control of gutters and downpipes or whichever challenge a building faces with planned building fabric maintenance regimes.
Property Compliance Services
The property compliance services available from a building maintenance company are aimed at maximising adherence to regulations and requirements as set out by law. Fixx is able to provide a cradle to grave property compliance risk and management solution. The key areas of property compliance services are (but not limited to):
- Health and Safety
- Water Treatment
- Electrical Inspection and Testing
- Fire Safety
- HVAC
- Additional property compliance services may be required for different buildings
The Benefits of Outsourcing Building Maintenance:
Enhanced Flexibility
Change is often vital for building owners to adapt quickly to changes within a business or portfolio. Ensuring that any change in an organisation is supported by a building maintenance programmes is often necessary to support that change. A business will have the flexibility to utilise the services required to suit the nature and growth of their business as opposed to a static service.
Saving on Cost
A key consideration when looking to see how a building maintenance company can help a business is the cost of outsourcing to a single building maintenance company such as fixx. Adopting an outsourced building maintenance solution may be considered an expense to a business, however the ability to outsource to a professional in the industry will not only save a business time but the long-term cost of operating, training and delivery of planned, preventative maintenance can incur significant savings for a business.
Improved Service Quality
When outsourcing building maintenance, the best service and outcomes are expected as standard. Fixx ensures delivery of the highest quality service on an ongoing basis as opposed to what could be an inconsistent steam of different teams and tradesmen attending onsite.
Mobile Workforce
The ability to tap into our network of engineers at the time a business is facing any challenges, breakdowns or emergencies has a value that is almost unquantifiable; however, companies are receiving emergency and reactive maintenance in less that 4 hours of reporting a breakdown, booking planned, preventative maintenance for times that do not affect their working day and ensuring they have the right engineers for the job on all occasions by outsourcing building maintenance.
Outsourcing building maintenance is an effective practice for your business that carries many of the benefits mentioned above and more. If you are looking in to outsourcing building maintenance for your block or residential portfolio, contact Fixx for a friendly and honest partner.