The Importance of Maintenance Planning

You get your car inspected every year, schedule annual physicals, and take your pets for regular check-ups. There are actions taken with each of these – changing your oil, getting recommended medical treatment, etc. – that aim to extend the life of what you value. This preventative maintenance is important because it protects what matters most to you.

So why should our buildings be any different?

Protecting what matters most to you should include not only the building, but the people that interact with it every day. We don’t ever want to see headlines like the Champlain Towers South Condominiums, which collapsed in 2020 as the result of deferred maintenance.

So what can we do about it now?

Preventative maintenance should be a high priority because it is essential for safety and saves money in the long run.

A building maintenance plan is the first step to improving building safety and functionality, and make sure your building is ready for the decades ahead. The strategy developed in a maintenance plan looks at what repairs need to be done when to maintain or improve building performance and occupant comfort.

If you let your maintenance plan lapse, you could not only be risking the accumulation of problems and eventual repair costs, but also the safety and wellbeing of occupants, visitors, or passersby.

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Benefits of a Building Maintenance Plan

There are a lot of good reasons to create a building maintenance plan and keep it updated. Here are a few.

Prevent Costly Repairs

Being proactive about the “health” of your building can help to prevent minor issues from growing into larger problems that require costly repairs. For instance, a regular inspection may find a minor leak in the building. Addressing this promptly by replacing deteriorated sealant or treating localized cracks can help the owner to avoid much more costly repairs such as structural repairs or mold growth down the road.

The cost to repair damage due to building envelope defects tends to increase exponentially over time. What was once a minor repair can quickly escalate into an invasive, disruptive, and extremely costly structural repair.

Improve Safety

Routine inspections and maintenance can prevent accidents from happening. By identifying problems early, corrections can be made before any harm is done to occupants, the public, or the property. In many cases routine safety inspections are required by local authorities, such as with Boston’s facade inspection ordinance.

Protect Property Value

A well-maintained property is not only more aesthetically pleasing but safer and more comfortable, which can appeal more to potential tenants, customers, or buyers—keeping demand high.

Additionally, with greater appeal these properties can command higher rental or resale prices. Therefore, by investing in creating and maintaining a building maintenance plan, property owners and managers can safeguard their own investment and enhance their property’s value.

Ensure Regulatory Compliance

Your building maintenance plan can help maintain regulatory compliance.

Take, for instance, the Boston Facade Ordinance Inspections which require buildings over 70 feet in the City of Boston to have their facades inspected every 5 years. Other large cities like New York have similar regulations, and even some smaller municipalities like Bookline, MA have facade inspection requirements. These regular facade inspections can be incorporated into your maintenance plan.

Newer requirement’s like Boston’s BERDO 2.0 also need to be incorporated into your maintenance plan. Complying with the requirements of these programs may also require repairs or upgrades—which can also be built into the plan.

Regular maintenance can help buildings stay up to code and meet the regulatory requirements, which helps owners and property managers in avoiding the financial or legal penalties of non-compliance.

Promote Long-Term Sustainability

Routine inspections and maintenance repairs provide an opportunity for identifying where efficiency gains can be made. For instance, planning for replacement of deteriorated sealants to make the building more airtight or upgrading to a more energy-efficient heating and cooling system can directly contribute to increased building efficiency and promote long-term sustainability. 

Overwhelmed? Hire an expert to help.

CopelandBEC has extensive experience working with building owners including condominium associations, property management organizations, facility managers, and higher-education institutions to assess existing conditions and develop long-term maintenance plans with prioritized repairs for capital planning purposes.