Benefits of a planned maintenance programme

Posted on March 19, 2019 in Building Maintenance

The benefits of a planned maintenance programme are it could save you time and money. With the vagaries of the English weather together with day-to-day wear and tear mean that all buildings deteriorate over time.

Changes to legislation/statutory requirements also affect the standards by which properties are judged. For leaseholders, it is vital that these changes are effectively managed and their block kept safe and sound, while avoiding major disruption and financial cost. If they are neglected, even the most beautiful buildings can – quite literally – fall apart, as demonstrated by the sad demise of Brighton’s West Pier.

The best way to avoid significant deterioration in the state of your building is to not wait to correct and repair serious faults, but to organise planned maintenance. That doesn’t just mean keeping the property clean, but setting out a clear, long-term set of measures to keep it in prime condition.

Plan ahead

A Planned Maintenance Programme (PMP) should cover everything from structural checks to re-decorating and gutter clearing. And although not dramatic, its effects can be hugely beneficial. Also, when there are a group of leaseholders collectively responsible for repairs, a comprehensive PMP can avoid disputes, which often require expensive resolutions. The key to getting planned maintenance right is to develop a programme of maintenance work that is comprehensive, well-organised and affordable. A PMP is a vital tool to help managing agents or property owners set reliable levels of service charge expenditure or reserve funds for the cost of future repair and maintenance of a building.

Who can help?

To put an effective PMP in place for your block, you should commission a professional – preferably a Chartered Building Surveyor – to draw up a costed schedule of works for you that will identify any work that needs to be done urgently and pinpoint future maintenance issues.

The first step is for the surveyor to produce a detailed survey of your building so that any necessary work on the building can be prioritised and to ensure that any initial structural work is carried out at the same time to create economies of scale in terms of fixed costs like scaffolding.

What will it cost?

Once this work has been carried out, the surveyor should be able to put in place a plan to demonstrate the best way to maintain the building in that condition, avoiding any spikes in expenditure. Depending on the size of the property, the detailed plan and cost schedule should only cost between £500-£2000. This is a small price to pay for the reassurance and issue-avoidance that it creates. Once this framework is in place, RMC directors will be able to monitor and update the PMP regularly and a review by a surveyor should only be necessary once every two or three years.

Ultimately, a properly implemented and managed PMP will protect the underlying value of the building, it will reduce unnecessary expense and reactive costs. It will help reduce service charge demands over time and ultimately reduce costs and expense to leaseholders. BUT…… there is a BUT. You need to start the plan as soon as possible and the compounding benefits will take time to see/deliver.

What are the benefits?

• Ongoing compliance with statutory obligations
• Greater control over expenditure and reduced risk of future spikes
• Maintaining the underlying value of the property
• Maintaining the standard and presentation of the block
• Minimising the need for emergency and reactive maintenance
• Avoiding disputes, since all parties can contribute to the plan

For information on our planned maintenance services please call one of our friendly team on 0845 604 1288 or visit Protech Planned Solutions.