The Importance of TLC in Building Maintenance

by

Brandon Vincent

When it comes to building maintenance, TLC, or \”tender loving care,\” can play a role in the building\’s long-term condition. Unlike scheduled maintenance and repairs, you\’ll rarely see TLC specified on a service order. However, taking care of minor issues promptly can prevent major issues from breaking out. With regular TLC, the life of a building and its equipment, fixtures, and building materials can be extended.

Though TLC may not be mandated or scheduled, it should be encouraged. This means training and empowering your building maintenance staff to pay attention to the details. For example, when a plumber who has been called to work on a broken water heater notices another issue, minor as it may be, is that plumber empowered to take care of the problem? If it\’s a matter of tightening a screw or replacing a five cent washer, by all means, the plumber should take a few minutes to take care of it. A little TLC now could prevent a major blowout and extensive damage tomorrow.

As with any building maintenance task, any required authorization and documentation should be obtained, especially if the repair is beyond the scope of the service order.

Building TLC into Building Maintenance

While impromptu repairs can be encouraged, you can take TLC even further by building it into your building maintenance service orders. For example, as part of a standard window washing service order, you could build in a visual inspection for leaks and cracks with minor caulking if warranted.

In addition to training maintenance workers to be on the lookout for minor, addressable issues and adding related inspections to service orders, consider educating the building\’s occupants about how to inform you of issues large and small. For example, it\’s not uncommon to hear comments such as \”Oh yeah, I meant to call you about that drip, but didn\’t think it was worth bothering you about.\” Meanwhile, that drip may have continued unabated, causing all kinds of mold and water damage.

Ideas for helping tenants know when to call include:

Be approachable Make sure you communicate that it\’s not a bother, that this is what you\’re here for. Let your tenants know that they can call or email you with questions or concerns at any time.

Make it easy for tenants to report issues or create a service order For example, you could create a service request form that tenants can fill out online or provide tenants with stickers with your contact information to stick near their phones.

Create an annual do-it-yourself \”What needs TLC\” visual inspection form Send your tenants a form each year outlining various areas to inspect for signs of wear and tear and encourage them to note any areas of concern or in need of a little TLC. To encourage participation, you could include some sort of an incentive, such as a drawing for a prize, for each completed form. Depending on the severity of the issues, you could either generate a service order immediately or arrange to make the preventative repairs at during your next scheduled service call.

Take building maintenance to the next level by blending a little TLC into your existing preventative, routine, and corrective maintenance processes.

Brandon J Vincent is the author of this article about how most types of building maintenance require TLC. This fact is true all over the world. Even in Brazil, where Brandon spent some time the terms for

manutencao preventiva

&

manutencao predial preventiva

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com