Commercial property landlords are often kept busy with their tenanted portfolios. However, vacant buildings are regularly overlooked when it comes to commercial property maintenance and management. Knowing your vacant building maintenance responsibilities reduces risks that can amount to expensive costs. These risks include:

• Dereliction and irreparable or very expensive structural damage. The appearance of this may also affect property values in the area.
• Health and safety hazards in the form of fire risks, vermin, and the risk to pedestrians and trespassers in the case of structurally unsound buildings.
• Criminal activity, whether from squatters and vagrants or in the form of vandalism and arson.
• Slow uptake of new rentals.
• Insurance premium increases.

In this blog, we create a checklist of things to consider when addressing your vacant  buildings maintenance.
 

Commercial Property Management and Maintenance of Your Vacant Building – A Maintenance Checklist For Vacant Buildings

• Create a security and fire safety plan – and back this up with any required structural upgrades. Unoccupied buildings attract behaviour and undetected issues that exacerbate crime and fire risks. CCTV, alarms, fire doors, extinguishers, sprinkler systems, and carbon monoxide monitors remain important, but IoT sensors provide alerts around things like motion, door and window openings, smoke, humidity and inspection timings to optimise these processes.
• Speak to your insurance company. Different insurers have different approaches to cover, premium increases, and inspection and maintenance requirements.
• Checks, inspections, and scheduled maintenance. If these are for compliance, this may be required even if the building is unoccupied. At Voltix, our client portal lets you know what needs to be done and when for full compliance control.

Address the Issues and Create A Commercial Property Maintenance Priority List

• Windows, doors, walls, and fences. If any windows, doors, walls, or frames are damaged, ensure repairs are conducted or these areas are secured. Check insulation.
• Roofs and water leaks. Damp and leaks from damage or pipe leaks can lead to dangerous and hard-to-remove mould. Ensure the integrity of structures and implement simple IoT sensors to alert you to the presence of moisture, damp, and water. This means you can take early action to prevent extensive issues.
• Grounds Maintenance and management. Keeping grounds looking neat means it is less easy to detect that a building is unoccupied. It also keeps an area looking neat, which is better for maintaining the status of the local area – and values. Keeping branches trimmed also reduces the risk of damage, for example.
• Floodlighting, timing switches, and motion detector lighting. This improves security and ensures you don’t spend more than you need to on lighting a vacant property.
• Disconnect utilities unless otherwise advised by your insurer. Low level heating may also be recommended during winter months. Speak to a facilities maintenance expert to find out best practices.

Work With Voltix, the Problem-Solvers, for Streamlined Vacant Building Maintenance

Our team of directly-employed engineers devise the best strategies for vacant commercial property maintenance and management. Combining compliance and maintenance expertise with smart IoT innovations, we work with you to reduce risk, cut costs, and optimise maintenance.

Contact us for a tailored maintenance strategy to suit your unique budget and needs.