The Three Essential Factors of Building Maintenance

Building maintenance is not just a matter of keeping your place of business neat and tidy. It is a matter of guarding against loss of business due to property disrepair and inconvenient closures. You must plan for maintenance before something breaks. That is sound business management.

There are three major factors to bear in mind when it comes to building maintenance:

The Lease

Know the parameters of your lease. If you sign a triple net lease, you are likely responsible for all of the costs associated with maintenance. This is in contrast to renting property, where a landlord has to conduct regular inspections and complete most repairs.

Think of the unexpected cost of maintenance caused by a leak in your air conditioning system. You have the cost of maintenance on the system. Then, you might have to replace any stained ceiling tiles or remove any marks on the wall. That is not a surprise you are going to enjoy. Understand the need to set aside resources for building maintenance or suffer the blow to your profit and loss for at least a month.

The Budget

The lease will determine who is responsible for building maintenance. If it is you, then it is your budget that will determine whether you are prepared for the cost. Preventative maintenance may seem like a luxury only larger companies can afford. Yet, when you consider the difference in cost between consistent servicing of equipment and fixing it after the fact, you will realize that you cannot afford to do the latter.

You want to be cost-effective. Seek out a reliable service provider that can perform routine maintenance and respond immediately to urgent issues. They will be more willing to work with you if you have a contract or set up a regular routine schedule. This type of long-term relationship will also give you peace of mind.

The Assets

Which assets are essential to running your company? If you sell ice cream, refrigeration units are essential assets. If your business is located in an area that is always hot, air conditioning is at the top of your list. If there is snow and ice on your property over the course of the year, then you need to prevent customers from slipping and falling. The essential asset would be whichever company or resource you can depend on to remove that snow and ice.

In the first year, you will probably be very hands-on. Just do not lose sight of the above factors because you never want to take your focus off the bottom line. Without money coming in, you will not have a building to maintain. Know your lease, your budget and your assets. With the right service providers, you end up helping their business as well as your own.