Over the course of time, all buildings will naturally degrade without maintenance. Having a Planned Preventative Maintenance report in place will enable a client to look after an asset (inclusive of serviced equipment) and ensure that the property will last longer, look better and retain its value. This in turn would make it more attractive to leaseholders.

Planned Preventative Maintenance (also known in the industry as PPM) survey reports are an essential tool that can enable building owners and occupiers to maintain, manage and improve their assets in a proactive way, as opposed to reactive.

As a surveyor, preparing a PPM report involves a very detailed survey inspection of an asset in the first instance, in order to assess the general condition and record defects. Following the capture of data on site, a detailed report is then prepared, which typically includes a schedule of recommended works in coming years. These can also be split into immediate, short, medium and long term timeframes, to give a client a decent snapshot of what is likely to be coming up in the future.

Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) systems and plant are essential within most assets and such systems can vary in type, design, frequency of use and age. Moreover, M&E can be costly to repair or replace. Here at Ridge, we work with our in-house M&E team, in order to give a prompt, full and comprehensive overview of the building, inclusive of all its components (including M&E).

From the PPM report, a surveyor is then able to advise in regard to any necessary remedial works along with indicative timeframes and estimated budget costs, so that a property owner can budget accordingly. For us this means that we work closely with our clients, or their property managers, in a collaborative way in order to work out what the best strategy would be going forward.

PPMs are not just a useful tool for realising maintenance and repair works, they will also consider health and safety issues, matters of statutory compliance, thermal performance issues and suitability/fitness for purpose, etc.

Another key objective of PPMs is to provide some foresight of any unexpected or costly repairs based on the detailed information that we collect on site (de-risking if you will). We find that clients benefit from PPMs regardless of pandemics, economic or political climate. For example, we know that when an economic downturn occurs, this can give rise to increased due diligence within the industry.

Essentially, our expert advice and reports can enable our clients to maintain and optimise the value of their portfolios over any particular timeframe, which ultimately means that they can be assured that their assets are in good repair and well looked after.

Whatever the situation, Ridge will make sure that our client maintenance plan is tailored to their own needs and requirements.

If you are looking for PPM, building surveying or property advice then please do get in touch with the team here at Ridge on +44 (0)207 593 3400 or email Matt McGettigan at mattmcgettigan@ridge.co.uk

Article by Matt McGettigan BSc (Hons) MRICS MCIOB