What Does Property Maintenance Include – 4 Important Details

What does property maintenance include?  One of the prime responsibilities of a facility manager is to ensure that the facility they’re managing is in prime condition. For this, facility managers tend to outsource various maintenance contracts for the upkeep of the facility. A property maintenance contract is where you pay an organization or vendor for proper care and maintenance of the property. Property maintenance is crucial, and every part of the facility requires all year-round care. A well-maintained property can prevent unforeseen accidents for patrons as well. Safety goes hand in hand with the excellent well-being of the property, and it is imperative that as the facility manager, you take its maintenance seriously. Here are some of the must-haves in your next property maintenance contract:

What Does Property Maintenance Include: Building Maintenance Is Step One

What does property maintenance include?  Whether you are a facility manager of a singular office building or a large commercial centre, you must ensure that building maintenance includes the property’s exterior and interior. If you have a contract, any foundational damages to the building can be spotted during inspections and fixed immediately, containing the risk of the damage getting worse. You must also ensure that the contract includes unscheduled or out-of-scope work for building maintenance. A vague contract would result in providers underbidding due to a lack of understanding of your needs, thereby leading to unsatisfactory work. Ensure you mention the entire scope of work in thorough detail and include RFQs for each service.

Landscape Maintenance

Landscapes make the property look beautiful from the outside. They add a touch of warmth and a welcoming feeling to the property for employees, customers, clients and visitors. However, landscape maintenance requires constant work, whether outside a commercial building or within the premises. This work must be a part of your property maintenance service contract, along with maintaining your property’s driveway and dishevelling snow during the winter. Include site maps, which can prove valuable in highlighting the size of areas, the time needed for a job, and even planning routes and snow pile locations to ensure proper traffic flow and drainage for melting. Site maps can also highlight problem areas so they aren’t overlooked.

Four-season Maintenance Agreement

Having a four-season contract will protect you from missing out on crucial maintenance tasks as the weather turns. When it comes to exterior maintenance and the ever-changing climate of Canada, it becomes essential to have a service provider on a contract that offers 12-month coverage. This would keep you covered even if you are suddenly faced with snowfall in June, as it is known to happen in some regions of Alberta. That being said, ensure you set response times for such services.

An emergency requirement would include after-hours fees, whereas a non-critical task would fall under a regular contractual rate. Clarify these details with your vendor and include them in your contract.

Longer Terms and Extension Options

If you are certain about your service provider’s work and response time, it is recommended that you sign a contract for a term of three to five years. This would allow you to budget for property maintenance for several years and reduce the hours needed to source a new contract every year. Similarly, an extension may be offered either at a fixed price or with incremental increases to cover inflation and rising costs. This could also be planned and included in your contract for years in advance. Much like an employee, having a long-term contractor for property maintenance can allow the benefit of their expertise and efficiencies on your site.

Maintenance contracts are profoundly advantageous and save you both time and money, especially while managing a commercial property. Having the property maintained by professionals will get the job done right, and you won’t have to worry about outsourcing to multiple service providers. GRM Inc. is the expert you are looking for. We specialize in 4-season maintenance contracts, offering both pre and post-season inspections to ensure all details of the required services are available for your site. GRM also offers site mapping services to ensure that all details are mapped out and understood by all parties. Reach out to us to know more.