Maintaining your commercial building premises is important to protect the building and the individuals inside. Your building is a financial investment that has the potential to provide you comfort and safety for years to come if the building is well maintained. Buildings that are not maintained well are likely to experience serious problems.
There are three primary reasons why building maintenance is vital to businesses:
- Health and Safety of Employees
- Cost Effective
- Improves the Appearance
Health and Safety of Employees
The primary reason to ensure that your commercial building is well looked after is that it is the law. The law is designed to protect the health and safety of employees in the workplace. Buildings that are damaged or poorly maintained inevitably increase the risk of injuries taking place. Good maintenance of buildings is codified into law, and the law stipulates that employers are responsible for the health and safety of their employees, according to the Health and Safety Executive.
This law clearly states: “it is the employer’s duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and other people who might be affected by their business.” It is recommended that you outsource the maintenance of your building to a facilities management company to ensure the job is done well. There could be significant potential health and safety risks that a lay person might not notice.
Cost Effective
Regularly scheduled maintenance on your building equals a cost savings as it is cheaper to implement precautionary measures than to pay for repairs. In essence, emergency repairs are more expensive to address than regular maintenance. Routine and proper maintenance prevents repair bills and the need for urgent repairs.
Improves Appearance
How do you want your tenants to view your property? First impressions are key to forming successful business relationships. If your tenants enter a poorly maintained building that will leave a negative impression. In contrast, a well maintained building conveys that the property is well managed, professional, and has a positive attitude toward the premises.
5 Types of Building Maintenance
- Routine Maintenance
This involves maintenance crews conducting regularly scheduled cleaning and landscaping jobs, typically on a daily or weekly basis.
- Preventive Maintenance
Although these tasks are often neglected, changing air filters and servicing hot water heaters will result in significant savings by identifying problems early so they do not become emergency repairs or replacements.
- Corrective Maintenance
This involves potentially costly fixes after something breaks or is in disrepair. These types of repair jobs typically deplete a manager’s time and money to tend to these emergency issues. Again, they can easily be avoided by performing routine and preventive maintenance.
- Cosmetic Maintenance
These jobs are designed to beautify the building during the “make-ready” period, often when a new tenant is arriving.
- Deferred Maintenance
Deferred maintenance consists of postponing maintenance tasks to a later date if the funds are not available to perform specific repairs. When the money is available, these deferred maintenance tasks should be a priority in your building maintenance regimen.
Commonly Neglected Building Maintenance Jobs
Roofs: Your roof is a vital part of your building and it is worth the time and expense to perform annual roof inspections instead of waiting for a leak to happen. If a trouble area is identified on the roof, be thankful you are just paying for a repair instead of a costly replacement.
Hot Water Heaters: Hot water is one of those necessary things in a building. An inspection of your hot water heater takes very little time but saves an enormous amount of money by preventing a costly replacement.
Balconies: The balcony takes a beating with the elements that include the sun, salt, and heavy rains. Even concrete will get worn fast with years of exposure. Keep in mind that balcony repairs and maintenance are regulated by the city. As a result, you must secure a permit for any work on the balcony, and clean-ups and repairs must be performed by a licensed contractor. Be aware that balcony refurbishments can be an expensive endeavor.
Light Fixtures: Proper lighting is one of those essential aspects of a building. Adequate lighting provides safety to building tenants – preventing accidents in dimly lit areas – and it can also discourage criminal activity.
Look to Property Care Inc. as the Experts in Property Maintenance!
Property Care, Inc. provides a variety of janitorial services, building maintenance, and landscape maintenance services for commercial, single-family, and multi-family residential properties throughout the greater Tri-Cities area.
Our staff at Property Care Inc. has the training, knowledge, and experience to expertly perform building maintenance jobs for your building. Our routine building maintenance will help enhance the health and safety of your tenants.
We are the one to call for all of your needs. One call does it all!
