Building maintenance and refurbishment
All buildings require periodic maintenance. It is often a relatively simple matter for owners and occupiers of small houses who may have a good relationship with a local builder or handyman.
Larger buildings require professional input to ensure that maintenance and repairs are properly planned, specified and implemented.
It is of importance where buildings are large and where a number of flat leaseholders or commercial property leaseholders contribute to maintenance costs.
Owners and managers of small, medium and large businesses are often not experts in property repair and benefit from outsourcing this function to a professional in the field allowing them to devote their time to business management. Similarly, busy people with demanding jobs may benefit from professional help, particularly if they own a large house.
Buy to let investors also often do not have the time and expertise to deal with buildings maintenance and may live many miles away from their investment property.
Our maintenance and repair service
Our service includes:
- Survey and report on outstanding repairs.
- Advice on methods of repair and time-programme.
- Specification of works.
- Obtaining contractors’ price tenders.
- Appointing contractors.
- Contract administration.
- Site inspections and certificates for stage payments.
- Contract variation.
- Final certificates.
Timing of external works
Many building works relate to external maintenance and repair. Building owners often consider starting the process in the Spring and Summer, unaware that the inspection, specification and tender process is lengthy. Most good building contractors are not available at short notice and second tier ones are often appointed at short notice and produce a rushed, second tier job. This may cause problems for the contractor, the building owner and the surveyor. Our advice is to commence the planning process six to twelve months prior to the required start date, which should be programmed for the Spring or early Summer.
Dilapidations
Many commercial leases provide for the leaseholder to carry out repairs and to redecorate at specified intervals. Others provide for freeholders to arrange repairs at the leaseholder’s expense.
Business managers often place the planning of such work low on their priority list. This may culminate in the landlord serving a Schedule of Dilapidations on the leaseholder. This may be costly because most leases provide for the leaseholder to pay surveyors and solicitors fees for preparation and service of schedules.
The repairs and maintenance require early planning to ensure that the terms of the lease are fully complied with. In the case of Dilapidations works at the end of a lease it is prudent to complete the works prior to termination to ensure that the leaseholders interests are protected.
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