Did you know the ideal annual budget for commercial property maintenance is between 2 and 4% of the building's replacement cost (according to Coast)? This can be a chunk of change for a commercial property, so you need to put that budget to its most efficient use.
Efficient maintenance means regularly addressing critical maintenance tasks, and commercial properties have additional compliance and reporting requirements. Learn how to stay ahead in the maintenance game with these facility maintenance tips.
1. "Automate" the Most Routine Tasks
First, it's best to have a team that does predictable maintenance tasks (e.g., cleaning, changing lightbulbs, etc.) on a schedule rather than at someone's request. There are several ways to approach this, including:
- Outsourcing to a cleaning service
- Hiring a property manager who will co-ordinate cleaning and maintenance staff
- Supplying your own cleaning and maintenance team
It's possible to do the maintenance yourself if you rent out one small commercial building. However, commercial real estate care demands can stack up rapidly, so choosing an outsourced solution is the better option.
2. Conduct Regular and Thorough Inspections
Build a regular schedule of inspections into your lease agreement so that you can constantly monitor the state of your building. It's not always practical to do a detailed inspection every time; many property managers opt for more general inspections and then one or two detailed inspections per year.
3. Respond Promptly to Maintenance Requests
Inspections help you pick up burgeoning maintenance problems, but it's impossible to catch them all. Ensure that you always have the capacity to respond promptly to maintenance requests your tenants might lodge.
You can build this capacity by:
- Having a prepared list of trusted emergency repairmen or contractors
- Keeping cash or an overdraft facility available for emergency repairs
- Being flexible enough to co-ordinate with an emergency repair team when needed
4. Use Regulations as a Checklist
All commercial real estate in California is regulated. There are many ways you can use your compliance codes as a commercial upkeep guide.
For example, Section 504.1 of the California Fire Code requires that exterior doors to buildings be readily maintained for emergency access. You can then take that law and add an annual exterior door check to one of your inspections or maintenance rounds. This technique lets you cover all your maintenance bases and legal requirements.
5. Keep Tight Commercial Property Maintenance Records
Aside from satisfying compliance requirements, maintenance records and reports let you track the state of your building over time. Referring to detailed records can reveal new building upkeep tips and insights that would be unique to your property. These records can also allow you to predict future maintenance tasks, repairs, and costs.
Staying on Top of Maintenance
Commercial property maintenance is, in many ways, far more complex than its residential counterpart. The lessor is not only responsible for the property's usability but there are plenty of compliance obligations that go with it. Implementing these five practices in concert will help keep you ahead of these maintenance demands:
- Do routine maintenance by schedule or "automatically"
- Have regular inspections
- Respond promptly to maintenance requests
- Incorporate regulations as a maintenance guide
- Keep detailed records
At PMI Antelope Valley, we bring high-end technological solutions and approaches to help out commercial clients in this area and more. Contact us today for the best management service in California.
