How to Appoint a Great Property Maintenance Company

Posted on September 29, 2016 in Building Maintenance

property maintenance

Landlords, property managers and managing agents have a serious job on their hands when it comes to choosing a property maintenance company. There are many companies which advertise property maintenance services, but not all are reputable or reliable. From our experience at Protech Property Solutions, we have compiled a list of the top six factors of primary importance when instructing a property maintenance company.

1. Reliability

This means they will do what they say they will do, and in the most efficient way. It’s important for property managers and landlords to trust their property maintenance company will turn up on time with the correct tools, and to complete the job quickly and in a professional manner. A good way to assess a company’s reliability is to look at their website to ascertain their attitude to serving their clients, and to look for case studies and testimonials.

A property maintenance company’s reliability can be contractual and measured by Service Level Agreements and Key Performance Indicators. At Protech we recommend operating under contractual agreements, as it provides enhanced security and service levels are guaranteed.

2. Client and account management

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get hold of your account manager whenever it suited you? Good customer support means not only being able to get in touch, but with the person assigned to your account. Someone who knows about your company and its property maintenance requirements. Nobody wants to give the back story of the guttering outside there property to five different people, when your account manager can get on the case immediately without any fuss.

We would recommend looking for a property maintenance company who provide all their clients with a dedicated account manager who will be your first point of contact at all times.

Account managers should be familiar with their clients’ properties, the historical issues and all legislative requirements.

3. Check their health and safety accreditations

Does your chosen company uphold professional values in the areas in which it undertakes work?
Check to see if they have CHAS accreditation. This is the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme and is the UK’s market-leading health and safety pre-qualification in the UK.

Do they hold Constructionline membership? Constructionline is the UK register of pre-qualified construction services and is used by contractors, material suppliers and consultants in the construction industry.

4. Check their response times

What does the company say about its reactive response times? Will they guarantee a maximum call-out time for urgent and priority works? Will the company bind itself to contractual response times measured via SLAs and KPIs?

5. Do they offer what you need?

It’s a good move to choose a property maintenance company that offers a wide variety of professional trades. This equips them to send a specialist for the job you need without having to spend extra time sourcing and checking unknown tradesmen. Look at their website to see what services they offer and whether they have any specialisms? Check to see if they cover all aspects of commercial property maintenance, with experience in PPM (Planned Preventative Maintenance), Facilities Management and Property Management.

6. Summary

Property managers and landlords who spend time thoroughly researching prospective property maintenance outfits using the guide above will be in a far better position to make an informed decision.

Instructing a property maintenance company is a big deal, and it pays to put time in at the start rather than regret a hasty decision at length. If you make the right choice, you can look forward to a long and fruitful professional relationship with your property maintenance company built on trust and mutual respect.

For more help or advice please call 0845 604 1288.