If you own commercial property, you know the value of keeping it in good condition. To do this, you have to regularly maintain your property. Fixing things or cleaning them only when you need to will not help. Your property will just get shabbier and shabbier over time, leading to lost tenants and expensive renovations or repairs.
The fact is that your property should be treated like your car. Make small repairs and keep everything running smoothly so it doesn’t devolve into a bigger problem later. Most likely, your property gets a lot of traffic from many different types of people, which can lead to damage and other issues. Plus, if something that’s not maintained causes an accident, such as a burnt-out lightbulb or a damaged carpet, you will be held liable. Here are maintenance tips and strategies for commercial property owners.
Have a Checklist and Follow It
There’s no point in maintenance if you’re not doing it regularly. Not only that, but you have to be thorough. Create a checklist for everything that you think needs regular attention. This includes your plumbing, electrical, HVAC system, roof, and fire safety system. It should also include spaces that are specific to your property. Then you, or someone you’ve contracted, and go through the building and check everything off. They can either mark it as fine or they can mark it for repairs. Never skip an item on the checklist. Damage can happen anytime; the sooner you locate it, the better.
You must also have a schedule for your inspections and maintenance. If you don’t, it’ll end up getting pushed off into the future and be left undone for too long. Set calendar alerts for your daily, monthly, and even yearly tasks on your checklist, and make sure that you can do it that day.
Make Repairs Immediately
It’s important you make any fixes that you need to do immediately. It might be tempting or easier to put it off if it’s a minor repair, but you will only be making more potential problems for yourself. For example, you might not think it’s a big deal to have a single dead bulb in the bathroom, but at any time, you may end up with them all being out, and someone could get hurt. Your HVAC system might have a minor issue, but usually, those minor problems cause your system to work harder to air through, which can add to your bills. Nothing is worth waiting on, and you’ll be happy you took care of something immediately.
Don’t Forget The Exterior
There are other parts to any commercial property than what is inside the building. For example, there could be sheds, garages, fences, irrigation systems, parking lots, and gates. These also need regular inspections and maintenance. You also should inspect your roof and the roofs of any outbuildings. Those can get damaged, and missing small issues can lead to problems with water damage or more.
Your pavement is important because if it is unmaintained, it represents a serious safety hazard. Potholes and blocks out of place can cause people coming to your property to trip and fall. If there are problems, contact a commercial paving company to come to help you with the repairs. You don’t want to make a mistake and leave behind a safety issue.
Prevent Pest Infestations
There’s nothing that will turn away tenants faster than a pest infestation that has gotten out of control. Just like with maintenance issues, the longer it goes on, the worse it will get. They can get into any crack or access point, so ensure you regularly check for gaps underneath doors and windows and in joints. You should also keep any landscaping trimmed back from buildings. Finally, always pick up food and put trash in a dumpster set back from the buildings.
Getting a pest control service to monitor for bugs and rodents is often a good idea. They will know of any problem areas and how to get rid of them. They will come on a scheduled basis and make sure that you have no infestations.
Maintenance For The Season
It’s important that you plan for each season as part of your maintenance schedule. That means preparing your building for the extreme weather that you could get. For instance, you should winterize your room to protect it from ice and moisture. Also, check the flashings and drains for any damage. Finally, properly sealing it can lower your heating costs and extend the roof’s life.
In the spring, lots of debris can be on your roof and around your property. Leaves and dirt can all look shabby. Make sure that you remove them and reseed your lawn in places that it’s patchy. There may be faucets that have been damaged during the winter as well. In the summer, do what you can to reduce your cooling costs. This could mean adding a tint to your windows and using a roof coating that reflects the sun.
Hire Help
If this sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it is. It’s also a lot to coordinate and schedule. Sometimes the best thing to do is to let professionals handle the jobs. You can hire contractors that will do the inspection and the maintenance for you. You may not want to because of the cost, but it will help in the long run if it prevents a disaster you might have missed.
Your commercial property is an important investment. As such, you want to keep it valuable at all times. That means providing it with regular maintenance and care. In addition, you never know when a potential tenant or buyer might come to see your property. Use these tips to make sure that you keep on top of everything so that your building is looking great and running well at all times.
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