Owning a commercial property is a hands-on job. One of your top priorities should be its maintenance in order to preserve the building’s value.
The wear and tear of your commercial property is only natural.
But in order to generate some form of profit, there are routine maintenance steps which should be carried out year-after-year.
Commercial building maintenance is generally quite routine. This way, you can also avoid costly renovations which could only hurt your profits down the line.
Here are some of the top 10 commercial building maintenance steps to take in order to keep your property in tip-top shape.
Commercial Building Maintenance Tips To Keep in Mind
When it comes to owning commercial property, there are two primary objectives:
1. To maintain its value
2. To generate revenue in order to earn a profit on your investment
Maintaining its value goes hand-in-hand with the condition of the building. The more maintenance is neglected, the greater decrease in value.
Generating revenue is related to the tenants who may use your building as a business premises. The better the state of your building, the higher the caliber of tenants and rent they are likely to pay.
To add to this, regular commercial building maintenance is a great way to prevent huge, unforeseen costs.
A collapsed roof, fire damage, pest infestation or flooding could spell disaster for your profits.
Here are 10 steps to take each year for your commercial building maintenance:
1. Audit Your Energy Consumption
An energy audit of your commercial building is important in establishing where you can lower your overall costs, year-to-year.
As a commercial building owner, you may find that energy costs are one of your biggest overheads. Doing an energy audit is a great way to determine what is chewing into your budget.
An energy professional will conduct an overview of your building and will determine how you can lower your costs, such as:
• Swapping out old light-bulbs for energy-saving alternatives
• Repairing insulation around doors and windows
• Replacing window glass
• Replacing roof insulation and more
An energy audit also allows you to determine whether your tenants are happy with and comfortable within your building.
2. Fix Your Fixtures
Another important aspect of commercial building maintenance is the upkeep of simple things, such as fixtures.
Leaving these damaged fixtures to sit for prolonged periods of time can only lead to further accidents or damage to your building.
Damaged fixtures such as broken lights, door handles, small windows or damaged doors can also leave your building looking shabby.
Make sure to replace damaged fixtures as and when they happen to avoid a backlog of maintenance work and unhappy tenants!
3. Conduct a Monthly Safety Audit
The safety mechanisms and fixtures throughout your commercial property should also be one of your top maintenance priorities.
When it comes to an emergency, these safety fixtures must be in full working order to avoid accidents and any potential lawsuits.
Emergency lighting systems, emergency exit signs, emergency doors and fire detector systems are just some of these safety fixtures.
Make sure to do a monthly audit of these safety mechanisms to ensure they are all operating as they should.
4. Prioritize Remodelling Projects
The remodeling of your commercial property goes a long way in keeping it looking modern and well-kept. After all, this is what your tenants pay for.
The general rule-of-thumb is to keep your commercial property in the same state as you would your own home. If you notice remodeling work is needed, don’t neglect it.
Replace ripped carpets, repaint chipped and peeling walls or ceilings, and refresh the building’s exterior with fresh paint at least once a year.
These are just some of the basic maintenance and remodeling requirements for any commercial building.
5. Stay-On-Top of Pest Control
Undoubtedly, one of the worst issues to deal with when it comes to any commercial property is a rampant pest infestation.
This can end up costing you thousands of Dollars in building extermination, as well as the temporary removal of your tenants.
Keep in mind that even if your tenants haven’t complained about pests, doesn’t mean there isn’t an issue.
Stay-on-top of pest control by conducting a pest audit with a professional at least once a year. Maintenance is the key to keeping pests at bay!
6. Eliminate All Fire Hazards
One of the most devastating hazards which faces any property owner is the potential for a fire to break out.
The only way to avoid a fire breaking out is to identify and eliminate all fire hazards throughout your property.
You will also need to do routine checks on smoke detectors throughout your building at least once a month. Batteries will need to be replaced once a year as well.
Make sure all fire exit doors are fully operational and passageways are kept clear. Ensure each floor of your building is equipped with fire extinguishers.
7. Keep Your Backup Generator Firing
Stagnant parts in a backup generator can spell disaster. As these parts remain motionless, air can creep into the unit injector solenoid and render your generator useless.
All emergency generators need to be started up for at least 5 minutes, once a week to rev up the moving parts and keep things alive.
Transfer load testing should generally be done once a month, while a scheduled full load test should be carried out annually.
8. Prioritize Maintenance of Facilities and Utilities
Staying on track with the full function of your building’s facilities is paramount to keeping tenants happy.
These facilities include the likes of elevators, escalators, public bathrooms, staff rooms and HVAC units.
It’s vital that you conduct a monthly inspection of the operation of these facilities to prevent accidents and maintain the quality of your building.
9. Inspect HVAC Systems Annually
In the summer and winter months, air-conditioning and heating systems are paramount to the comfort of your building’s tenants.
As a result, the HVAC system of your building could be working overtime and close to burn out. This is where monthly inspection is so important.
Filter inspection and replacement will ensure your HVAC system works at its optimum.
If the system seems to be taking strain, call in a technician who can assess where to take some pressure off with re-balancing.
Don’t forget to check the function of HVAC thermostats too!
10. Inspect Electrical and Alarm Systems
Electrical faults play a huge role in the cause of fires breaking out in many commercial buildings – 24.5% of all fires to be precise.
Professional inspection of your wiring, breakers, and appliances throughout your building must be made a priority at least once a year.
While these systems are being inspected, it’s also a good time to double check smoke alarms and fire retardant systems.
Keep Your HVAC Systems In Top Condition With M&E Management
At M&E, our specialty lies in the expert maintenance of commercial property HVAC systems.
Established in 2007, our years of experience put us a cut above the rest, delivering an unrivalled maintenance and repair service.
If your commercial building is in need of HVAC maintenance, don’t hesitate to contact us for all your needs!