True Costs of Property Maintenance

Have you thought about the true costs of maintenance as a whole?

We recently ran a roundtable discussion with a tradeshow which discussed what kind of preventative maintenance should be completed to reduce reactive works and how this helps you save money.

Preventative maintenance works seem minor and some are simply checking to ensure there is no probable damage. But that check can save you a lot of time and a tonne of money. For example:

1. Scheduled Maintenance – the true cost of scheduled maintenance isn’t the cost of the service it’s the cost of not having it or not have it run effectively. A set scope will ensure regular checks are in place and help you to mitigate safety issues like uplifted nails, splinted wood, or gate and door issues which could potentially cost you time in paperwork, emergency tradie hours, insurance costs or worst. It would mean your staff can focus on their core role while your maintenance technician replaces fingerguards, puts up shelves or adds safety locks to cupboard doors, checking gas struts are fully operational, cleaning aircon filters or being onsite for additional Adhoc items that may arise. Saving you money and time during the day.
2. Scheduled gardening helps with the upkeep of your property and ensures a stressless time for your staff while your gardener removes weeds, mow lawns, does your edging, cuts your hedges and more. The scope, time and reoccurrence are up to you but 4-6 hours a month or split fortnightly can do wonders for your property upkeep. The true cost isn’t just in the time spent or cost of the service it’s in the brand equity of your company, the negative impact of appearances and the cost to re-landscape if it isn’t maintained regularly.
3. Floor Maintenance –which is generally your strip & seal for hard floors and carpet cleaning is a minor actual cost in the scheme of things. By paying the $1-2K every 6/12 months for a strip & seal and carpet clean it will save you the cost of replacement which can add up to tens of thousands of dollars more, which would be the true cost of floor maintenance.
4. TMV Checks – your TMV check may cost you 15-minutes of a qualified plumbers time but the true cost will literally save your skin or the skin of others from burning by uncontrolled water temperatures.
5. Backflow Checks – your backflow is what ensures the sewer mains and floodwaters don’t contaminate your drinking water and is a requirement to have it checked annually. To look at the true cost of a backflow test would be to the impact it would have on the facility in the event of contamination of the water.
6. Gutter cleaning – with the tumultuous weather patterns switching between fire and floods this is beyond important to clean and keep clear every 6 months. The impact a clogged drain with floods or fire amber catching onto rooftops is too costly to not schedule in regularly, with the right team you could have your roof inspected simultaneously.
7. Air conditioner servicing – the last thing you need in hot or cold weather is your internal air conditioner to slow you down or risk downtime for your facility which is the true cost of not having the maintenance/ service done regularly.  There are two types of servicing for an Air Conditioners:
   • Standard Filter clean – a air conditioner filter clean is a standard service which cleans your existing filter or replaces it depending on it’s condition. This prevents a clog in the system and circulating bad particles in the room which is important if you have someone who is asthmatic or has hay fever
   • Chemical Air conditioner Clean – When you do a filter clean this simply gets rid of the particles you can see. A chemical clean takes all the parts and soaks them in a chemical solution that complete removes any lingering bacteria & germs that have been collected over time.
8. Flexi hose check and replacement – A flexi hose is the small flexible pipe that happens to connect your running water to every sink or toilet in your property. The cost is as low as $10 to replace (plus labour) but the true cost (when damaged, rusted or cracked) can be detrimental to a property and is known to be the cause of many flooding events if left unchecked.
9. Grease Traps – Your grease trap is the device that sperate the oils, grease and food scraps from entering the sewer lines.  QLD guidance for trade waste recommends that you clean them every month or quarterly It needs to be emptied every 12 months(minimum) depending on the size and usage. Not cleaning it will cause the grease to solidify and will clog your drains causing a lot of costly and smelly plumbing issues.
10. Pest Control – General – Your general pest control is required regardless of the industry and is recommended to be done every 12 months(maximum)If you were to add up the costs of the services above as whole, you would be looking at approx. 30-40K p/a at each site (depending on the size), compared to the cost of not having the services in place you will find the true costs of maintenance is too high not to have a full programme in place.

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