Having an office building maintenance checklist is an easy way to ensure that, even if you are not on-site, the maintenance of the building will continue. There are a lot of working parts that go into maintaining an office building. Giving some thought to what needs to be done, creating an office building maintenance checklist can be the easiest way to ensure nothing gets forgotten.
Staying Organized is Essential
Staying organized is vital to ensuring that the office building is properly maintained. Many things can go wrong in an office building that can be averted with the proper maintenance. An office building maintenance checklist is the perfect tool to keep you organized.
Missing out on maintenance can cause a snowball effect of problems. Most maintenance is also a preventive to unexpected breakdowns. Doing all the maintenance that an office building needs can be impossible to track the activities. A checklist can keep everyone on track and avoid missing critical maintenance activities.
What Is The Worst That Can Happen?
It is a challenge to keep up with all the maintenance needed in an office building. Trying to swing it without a checklist only makes it more challenging. There are far too many repercussions from not ensuring maintenance is carried out promptly to risk maintenance management without a checklist.
Regularly scheduled maintenance is cost-saving. It helps to extend the useful life of equipment, the structure, reduces the risk of serious damage and safety issues. A checklist will keep you in the loop and assure that everything that needs to get done will get done.
Some Things to Consider Before You Start Your List
Pulling together a list can be challenging without preparing for how the list will be formatted. Many maintenance activities are seasonal, weekly, bi-weekly, annual, and monthly. One of the most effective ways to create a list that will address all of the necessary maintenance is to think about how you want to set the list up.
Electronic Checklist
One of the best ways to construct your checklist is to use an electronic spreadsheet. An electronic spreadsheet is easy to adjust if you need to make changes and can provide you with the tracking mechanism you need to check off tasks that have been completed.
Setting up a spreadsheet is easy. Set aside a couple of hours to work on it, and before you know it, you will have a great tracking tool that will keep you focused on what needs to be done. Dedicating a small amount of time now will make building maintenance activities easier in the future.
Separate the List into Categories
Separating the office building maintenance checklist into categories will make it easier to keep up with tasks. For example, you can do a section for cosmetic needs like painting and include the commercial painter that typically provides the services on the list. Other things that you can add to the cosmetic category include
- Asphalt repair for the parking lot.
- Changing signage.
- Replacing lobby furnishings, holiday decorations, and other cosmetic feature tasks..
You can base your categories on the seasons. For example, HVAC maintenance activities, snow and ice removal, leaf removal, and other seasonal maintenance needs. As a matter of fact, you should consider creating an office building maintenance checklist with a header for each season.
Set Your List Up How You Feel Comfortable
Some property managers set their list up in an order of precedence. In other words, they put the most critical maintenance activities at the top of the list. Another option is to set the list up by months of the year with each month focused on different maintenance activities. For example, March may be the month you have the HVAC maintenance done, September may be the month you have fire protection equipment inspections done.
The point is you want to set the checklist up so that it is easy to use and that coincides with how you do business for the building. The semantics of the list is not as important as ensuring you list every activity that needs to be done.
Make Sure to Include This Information
Keeping the building in tip-top condition often requires a team of professionals. Your checklist should include the names of the companies that you use for various services. Remember keeping a checklist is not only a way to remind you of what needs to be done, but it also makes it possible for anyone else to take over the duties and follow through with the necessary maintenance. The more information included on the checklist the better.
The Basic Must Haves On Any List
No matter how you choose the construct the list most every office building will need to include some of the basic maintenance activities. Fire protection inspections are a must. Fire protection equipment like sprinkler systems and fire extinguishers need to be checked at a minimum semi-annually to ensure continued function and safety.
There are several annual maintenance activities that need to be included on your checklist that you should not skip. For example, every year in the spring, make it a habit to call in a commercial roofing company to do an inspection of the roof to ensure it has survived the winter without any damage. A good commercial roofing service can quickly inspect the roof and make recommendations about repairs.
Check for any safety hazards in the tenant’s space. For example, a faulty fire escape, or a blocked emergency exit. Your maintenance schedule should include annual inspections of the leased spaces. A quick evaluation of the space will reveal any necessary repairs that the tenant forgot to report and any violations of the lease agreement.
Have your HVAC maintenance on the list for both the upcoming AC season and the upcoming heating season. It is always best to know what you are dealing with and have commercial HVAC installation done before the season arrives if need be.
Staying ahead of the power curve by addressing problems when they are small issues can be a great way to save money, time, and stress. Keeping tenants happy and satisfied starts with ensuring that the building is well maintained.
Include Contract Reviews on Your Office Building Maintenance Checklist
An annual review of the maintenance contracts should be something that every property manager does. For example, a review of your commercial security contract can reveal if you are still getting the best value from the firm.
Annual contract reviews often unveil unexpected savings. Many property management companies make the mistake of staying with providers far longer than they should out of loyalty or laziness. The fact is, there may be some real savings and better value out there. All you have to do is look.
Annual contract reviews can put you in a position to negotiate a better rate. Discounts are often available but only if you ask. When it is time to renew the contract, it can be a great time to talk about loyalty discounts and other savings with the provider. Additionally, reviewing a contract can also provide information about the type of services you are getting compared to the type of services that you were/are promised in the contract.
Weekly Office Building Maintenance
A separate weekly office building maintenance checklist is also a necessity. Weekly maintenance activities are typically focused on cleaning. Here are some suggestions for the weekly office building maintenance checklist:
- Cleaning common areas like the lobby, elevators, and common area bathrooms.
- Removing trash and garbage pickup.
- Visual checks of building systems like plumbing and electrical.
Certain maintenance activities have to be done at least weekly, some buildings require daily attention when it comes to cleaning and removing trash. It all depends on the size of the office building and the number of tenants in the building. You know the best way it takes to keep your building in the best condition. If need be, you can create a daily checklist for specific maintenance activities.
Staying on top of maintenance using a weekly list is the best way to ensure that the building operations are highly functional and not in need of repair. As weekly maintenance is performed, weekly inspections can also be done. Addressing issues with early interventions ensures that problems do not get out of control.
A good example of why it is important to do these weekly checks is plumbing problems. Let’s say during a weekly sweep of the building a small leak was detected. Calling in the commercial plumbing services when a small leak is detected can be a move that saves the building thousands of dollars in repairs and damage. The fact is a small leak will not stay small for long, and the water damage that can result can be tremendous.
Early intervention hinges on discovering a problem early on. It is always best to call in the professionals early on before the cost of the problem rises and the risk of serious damage rises. For example, a light that keeps flickering should get the attention of a commercial electrician that can trace the problem. A flickering light can mean a faulty connection which can increase the risk of an electrical fire. An electrical fire in an office building can be devastating. The problem can be avoided by taking action early on.
A commercial electrical service can easily repair a wide range of electrical problems, both large and small. Of course, it is always best to call in a professional when the problem is still small. Small problems cost less to repair and can help to reduce the risk of very serious damage.
Deep Cleaning Maintenance
Setting up a weekly maintenance list to address all the regular cleaning is important, but you also will have to remember to add the deep cleaning activities that are done less frequently. For example, exterior window cleaning, pressure washing of the building and sidewalks, and other deep cleaning activities that are done annually will also need a space on your checklist.
Springtime is associated with sprucing things up and is a great time to schedule all the deep cleaning tasks that need to be done. If you follow the monthly model of setting up your checklist, you can schedule the tasks during the spring months.
Every task should be detailed on the checklist to include the type of contractor that is needed for the specific task and reminder dates to get quotes for the services.
Share Copies of the Office Building Maintenance Checklist
Make the checklist, then share copies with everyone that plays a role in the building’s maintenance. This is a simple tool that can be very valuable in the event maintenance is needed and cannot wait until management is available.
For example, a window was broken overnight and glass replacement is needed first thing in the morning but the agent is not available but the janitorial team is. Someone from the maintenance team should have a copy of the office building maintenance checklist that is outfitted with the contractors that the building has a relationship with.
It will make it easy to ensure that the work gets done whether the management team is available or not. Allowing multiple people access to the office building maintenance checklist. Sharing information makes everyone responsible for building maintenance.
This Can Be One of the Best Changes You Make
Getting your team organized and keeping them organized when it comes to maintenance can positively change how you do business in your building. A well-kept building attracts highly qualified tenants and keeps tenants happy.
A well-maintained building not only attracts highly qualified tenants, but it can command a higher lease price. The fewer problems tenants experience in the building the better it is for driving revenue for the building.
With a checklist you are setting your building up for success, cost savings, and a lot less stress for the management team. It is a simple way to improve how you manage your office building.