How to choose the best maintenance company for your commercial property

Hire your next contractor with confidence

If you own and run a commercial business centre that houses numerous enterprises and corporate operations, you will be fully aware than maintaining the premises from inside and out is a full time job. We forget that for the most part, we spend a large part of our lives away from our homes and and at work so in reality, a larger proportion of our days is actually spent at work – not at home. So is it any wonder that commercial buildings suffer from continued wear and tear that demands a full time maintenance team? With hundreds of people all using the same space hour after hour, it doesn’t take long for deterioration to set in.

When you factor in the number of areas that need to be taken care of such as cleaning, internal and external repairs, electrics, plumbing, drainage, landscaping and not to mention health and safety regulation, it soon becomes clear that a maintenance team with an extensive and broad skill set is required to handle the multitude of jobs.

If you are in this position and have a building that requires extensive maintenance, spanning a broad spectrum of skills and requirements, here’s a few things you should consider carefully before selecting a commercial property maintenance contractor.

General Cleaning

Day-to-day cleanliness is a must which will set the correct foundations for a healthy and well maintained premises. Good cleaning should prevent damage longer term and naturally, ensure that any tenants are not put at unnecessary risk from illness due to an unhealthy working environment or injury due to a deteriorating work place.

Specialist Cleaning

Some workplaces require more extensive and specialist cleaning that do not necessarily fall under the general day-to-day remit of general office cleaners. Many organisations such as research and pharmaceutical companies demand cleanliness to painstakingly high standards to maintain an immaculate, sterilised environment whilst others like hospitals need to ensure patient safety where cleanliness is paramount to prevent transmitting diseases.

Other buildings may sadly suffer from neglect or abuse where graffiti, gum or vandalism has played a part and cleaning demands specialist equipment to get the job done. Others may have unfortunately been victim to fire or flood which again, requires a completely different approach.

These demands are rare but there are cases where the property owners do need to select the maintenance contractors carefully to ensure they have the know-how and capability to act accordingly when these demands arise.

Repairs & Renewals

Every building no matter how old or new will require repairs and renewals at regular intervals. If several hundred people share the same space in excess of 8-10 hours per days, the building will start to show signs of wear and tear pretty fast. So anything from simple repairs such as plaster work, painting, decorating or simple handyman fixes to fixtures and fittings are all jobs that crop up at regular intervals.

Emergency Call-Outs

All too often, problems occur outside of regular office hours and this is the time when you need a team that can be on call right there, especially if the issue is critical. Burst pipework during winter months is very common, as are heating and electrical issues. These types of problems never give you advanced warning so you need a company you can count on to be there when you need them and fast, no matter what hour of the day.

Responsiveness

Relating to the above point, being at the end of the phone is one thing, but actual response time and efficiency is also just as vital. There’s no point in hiring a maintenance company local to you if they do not have a sufficient number of team members ready on call for nighttime and out of hours calls. The best types of maintenance companies are those who have a team of contractors placed strategically in various areas that can cover a broad geographical range that are on call when required and can reach the required destination, quickly and without delay.

Licensed & Insured

Any potential contractor you select must have all necessary licences, accreditation and insurance without fail. In a world where there are unfortunately a lot of unscrupulous rogue traders who are operating outside of the law, it is essential to ensure anyone you hire has the necessary track record to give you absolute confidence that they can carry out all the necessary maintenance work without compromising quality, safety or long term cost.

Competitive Rates

And finally, if all of the above boxes are confidently checked, there’s no harm in trying to get the best deal you can. There’s a wide choice of contractors out there ranging from the small start-ups to longer established, reputable maintenance experts. So during your selection phase, once you’re happy you have found a suitable shortlist of potential suitors, there’s no disgrace in trying to get the best deal you possibly can to keep overheads in check. After all, it’s just business!