Owning commercial properties is a great way to make a side income. If you’re thinking about buying a building, but you don’t know where to start with commercial property maintenance, not to worry. In this guide, we’ll go over how to keep your building in top shape.
Why Is Maintenance Important?
As a commercial property owner, you’ll want to preserve the value of your building. To keep generating revenue, you need to keep the building well-maintained.
Stay on top of maintenance. You don’t want to face claims of negligence or have high insurance premiums. Avoid getting any negative reviews or bad press.
As a commercial property owner, make maintenance a top priority.
Now that you understand the importance of maintenance, let’s take a look at what you should do.
Finish Repairs Around the Building
One aspect of maintenance is to make sure you keep up with the small jobs. You’ll want to check your light fixtures. Damaged fixtures won’t lead to accidents, but they can make your building look shabby.
Keep an eye out for loose door handles or broken windows. Look into getting new commercial windows and doors.
Replace these small problems so you keep your building in pristine shape. By not delaying these repairs, you won’t have a backlog of maintenance work. Your tenants will also be happy with your quick action.
Run a Safety Audit Every Month
The safety mechanisms in your commercial property need to be your top priorities. In an emergency, these safety fixtures have to work. Otherwise, you could face a potential lawsuit and a tragic accident.
Emergency signs, emergency doors, and fire detector systems should get checked often. You also want to examine the emergency lighting system.
Run an audit to check these safety mechanisms. See that they operate well.
Replace them right away or call in a professional if they aren’t working. Don’t ever delay with these maintenance tasks.
Make a List of Remodeling Tasks
Keep your commercial property looking modern by staying up-to-date with remodeling. Use the same perspective you have for your home. If something breaks down or work needs to get done, don’t delay.
Repaint peeling ceilings or walls. Replace stained or ripped carpets.
Once a year, paint your building’s exterior with new paint. Freshen up the landscaping every season.
Don’t Forget Pest Control
One difficult issue to deal with in commercial properties is pest infestations. A pest infestation can cost thousands of dollars. The building will need to get exterminated and tenants will need to leave.
Even if your tenants haven’t mentioned pests, you should still investigate. Conduct a pest audit with a local professional every year. A pest control specialist will keep those pesky pests away.
Get Rid of Fire Hazards
Walk around your building and identify fire hazards. Go on routine checks every month to check your smoke detectors. Replace the batteries every year.
Check the fire exit doors and make sure the passageways are clear. Every floor in your building will need functional fire extinguishers.
What About Backup Generators?
Stagnant pieces in a generator can cause a disaster. Check your emergency generators and let them start up for five minutes every week.
This way, they will still work for you during an emergency when you need them.
Maintenance That’s Preventative
Create a preventative maintenance schedule. You can ensure that your commercial building will last. You can also lower the amount of expensive and emergency maintenance jobs.
Go on a periodic inspection. You’ll want to check on pest control, landscaping, and inspect your HVAC systems.
Make it clear what the tenant is responsible for in their lease. This way, you can protect your investment.
Make sure they complete the tasks. If not, you will need to have a conversation with them.
Maintenance Tasks to Complete Every Week and Month
Check on the landscaping, exterior of the building, and lawn every week. Once a month, change the air filters. Every season, you’ll want to get the air conditioning and heating units serviced.
Check your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors on your property. Make sure the batteries get replaced.
Schedule Different Repair Jobs
When something isn’t working or breaks, make sure you get them repaired right away. You’ll also want to have someone come in and inspect your roof often. Schedule repairs for missing shingles or a leaking roof.
You’ll want to examine the foundation of the property as well.
Safety and Commercial Building Fire Code
Make sure your building is up-to-date with regulations for commercial construction. Look for environmental hazards like asbestos, lead paint, or chemical contaminants.
The commercial building must meet state and local requirements for commercial construction. Watch out for environmental hazards like lead paint, lead-contaminated dust, asbestos, and chemical contaminants.
Facilities and Utilities
Maintain bathroom areas, break rooms, elevators, escalators, air conditioning units, and water heaters. These areas play a vital role in the operation of the property.
By keeping everything maintained, tenants will remain happy. You will get a good reputation as a building owner and more people will want to rent from you.
Emergency Situations and Maintenance
Emergencies happen all the time. To prepare for a disaster, make sure you have a plan in place so it doesn’t become a crisis.
You can plan for fires, severe weather, or water damage. Know how to respond and address emergencies. Provide information to the shop owners or tenants, so they know the protocol as well.
Now You Know More About Commercial Property Maintenance
We hope this guide on property maintenance and repair was helpful. Take the time to create a list of commercial property maintenance tasks to complete. Stay on top of maintenance tasks and keep your building in good shape.
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