Building maintenance is imperative for health, safety, cost reduction, and sustainability. Our experienced team at FSG highlights the top 6 reasons why building maintenance is crucial for your organisation.
Have you ever left something unattended, just to find that it costs more to fix than if you had addressed it in the beginning?
This is even more applicable when referring to buildings – as they inherently function less effectively over time. Daily occupational use of a building will contribute to wear and tear. Natural causes such as rain or the accumulation of leaves can quickly deteriorate a structure. Unwanted creatures like ants or rats take no time to become an infestation. Mechanical operations of lifts, air conditioners, and security systems are also bound to give trouble at some point.
If these things are left unchecked, it can ultimately result in an unexpected, expensive and frustrating exercise. Whether you lease premises or own a building, there are many benefits to maintaining the property.
For owners, a building is a substantial financial investment. As with any investment, a property owner would like to see the value maintained and, preferably, increased over time. One of the crucial ways to ensure this is through proper and consistent building maintenance.
As a tenant, you would want to deliver a pleasant user experience and have a safe and healthy environment for the people who use the space.
Unfortunately, for many, building maintenance can seem daunting or costly. It may even seem superfluous especially when building functions appear to be running smoothly. Astute business owners, however, often budget for regular building maintenance. They understand that the upkeep of their asset is a necessary expense that more than pays for itself in the long term.
After all, maintaining the internal and external integrity of the property preserves the assets. It also protects the building occupants. It ensures that the building and the environment remain healthy, clean and safe for workers, visitors and residents.
All of the above accounted for, the aesthetics certainly contribute to the increased value of the building, too.
FSG has been helping businesses with the upkeep of their properties for over 21 years. If you are weighing up your options and considering the value of consistent building maintenance, we have created a list of the top reasons our clients have given us.
1. Building maintenance keeps occupants safe
A poorly maintained building can become hazardous for anyone working or living there. An uneven walkway, for instance, could not only be unsightly, but someone could fall and hurt themselves badly. It may even result in litigation if it is proved that it was due to neglecting maintenance. If you are a large business, you are legally bound to adhere to certain inspections and keep your property in a basic safe condition. Smaller businesses should make a checklist and personally inspect their property every couple of weeks or months. As soon as potential safety hazards are observed, these should be addressed as quickly as possible. This, in turn, creates a culture of prevention and offensive action.
Ongoing safety maintenance practices can prevent major health issues, too.
Gas safety, air and water quality, and elevator and fire system checks, for example, could potentially save lives.
2. Easier to budget for
Precaution is much more cost-effective than a cure.
An urgent repair or replacement can incur substantially higher costs than ongoing preventative maintenance. This is especially true for major systems, building integrity factors or large areas that may have been neglected.
It is certainly easier to budget around the regular upkeep of the entire property than to find the extra funds for an unpredictable emergency repair or replacement.
In the long term, building maintenance can save everyone time, frustration and money.
Specialist maintenance companies buy materials such as paint or cleaning products in bulk. They also have access to stronger chemicals than are available directly to the public. This, in turn, can be interpreted as a better job being done at the outset, and again, to overall cost savings.
The outlay for specialised equipment is also reduced.
It is also surprising how easily small paint jobs, trimming of overgrown shrubs, regrouting of tiles etc. can extend the need for big aesthetic projects. Just keeping the environment in constant tip-top condition can bring a lot of peace of mind and has a positive psychological effect on all who use the space.
3. Building Maintenance contributes to increased property value
Would you like to contribute to your overall property value? A maintenance service team can do that! Some functions, like washing windows or a good paint job, may seem inconsequential. It can, however, have an influence on presentability. A well-maintained, up-to-code building has a higher perceived worth and can increase income potential from selling, renting or leasing the spaces.
4. Makes it easier to manage
There is an effort involved if you maintain your property yourself. A building, by its nature, has a myriad of maintenance points that should be seen. You may have to do checks, source staff, equipment and material; delegate, train or supervise workers and ensure that it has been done correctly. Because buildings require continual maintenance, this inevitably becomes a headache.
Having a team visit and inspect the place regularly means that they can pick up any potential problems quickly. They can also attend to small jobs before they worsen. They can make recommendations and can work on projects while you focus on matters that are more worth your personal attention and time.
5. Building Maintenance requires specialised knowledge and equipment
Perhaps you require accessibility to difficult-to-reach places. Or you require specialised equipment or technical help. Maintenance teams have experience from working in different buildings over many years and are trained to deal with specific issues.
Maintenance teams also use specialised equipment. They have not only been trained in using the equipment safely, the responsibility of the technician’s safety and the insurance of the equipment does not lie on your shoulders, but on those of the outsourced building maintenance company.
The equipment and specialised staff can be an expensive outlay for any business owner, especially if it is a once-off issue that needs to be addressed. Outsourcing these requirements makes good business sense.
6. The scope is huge
Building maintenance can range from minute details to the most essential functions.
It also entails preventative measures, regular upkeep as well as effectively addressing emergencies as they occur.
Realistically, having an outsourced team that can be at hand for any of these can be one of the best ways to cover all your bases at all times.
If you have any questions or would like someone from FSG to quote you on your building maintenance, please feel free to contact our offices.
