You want everything to run smoothly in your building so that everyone using the property can enjoy access to all areas and make full use of all the amenities and facilities.
However, it is almost inevitable that you will encounter a variety of different problems over time, most of them minor irritations, hopefully, which can often be avoided with the help of a regular maintenance program.
The last thing you want to contemplate doing is something major such as repair your foundation, for example, and one way of avoiding such a scenario is to understand what common building problems occur and what action you need to take to put things right.
Here is a look at some of the issues that can affect your commercial building.
Electrical faults
Problems with electrics in your building can be a real source of frustration and could create a dangerous situation if the issues aren’t fixed expediently.
Dead outlets are a sign that something might be wrong with your wiring and it might be an indication of a poor circuit connection or an indication that the circuit breaker has tripped because it got too hot.
Clearly, melting wires or a faulty circuit could create a fire hazard and it is highly advisable that electrical issues are resolved immediately.
Leaks
Uninvited water and leaks in your building are bound to be bad news and if these problems are not resolved quickly they can lead to some significant problems and repair costs could easily spiral out of control in certain scenarios.
All roofs are prone to the impact of water leaking into the building and the main point to consider about this problem is that signs of moisture infiltration are often an indication that there is a problem with your roof or guttering.
If left unchecked, water can cause significant damage inside your building and issues with rotting materials and mold developing are problems that will harm your building.
Regular inspection of your roof and a proactive approach to repairs and maintenance should help you to avoid incurring some heavy repair costs when leaks and moisture are allowed to develop inside the building.
If your building is old
Asbestos was widely used in construction up until about twenty years ago when it was recognized as a material that is detrimental to human health.
If your commercial property has been recently constructed asbestos should not be such as issue but if your building falls within the timeframe when this material was used, you could find that anything from pipework to roof tiles could contain asbestos.
The safe removal of asbestos can prove to be an expensive challenge and it would be wise to get your building checked for the presence of this material so that you can take steps to avoid disturbing the components that can be so damaging to health.
Check any cracks out
Signs of cracking, however small, should always be investigated as they are often providing clues that there is an underlying problem that needs attention.
Movement in the building structure and foundation is bad news but just because a few cracks appear it doesn’t mean that you have a structural problem, as some small cracks can be a perfectly normal occurrence.
There are many different things that can lead to structural movements, such as subsidence or shrinkage, tree root growth causing disturbance to the structure, or a collapsed drain.
Take the guesswork out of this situation and get a professional opinion as to what is causing the cracks to appear.
Maintaining compliance with fire and safety regulations
Although it is not a structural issue it is still very relevant to mention that your building may need to be updated to meet current fire and safety compliance requirements.
If the windows in the property were installed some while ago there is the chance that they don’t comply with current fire regulations because they don’t offer an escape route due to a lack of an opening mechanism.
It would be a good idea to check whether your building passes current fire and safety requirements.
Unwelcome tenants
The sort of tenants we are talking about here are vermin, rather than human occupants in the building, and it should be noted that problems with vermin infestation are a regular issue that building owners have to contend with.
Damage to wiring and pipework can soon become very extensive if rats and other pests are allowed to remain in residence and grow in numbers.
Have a regular program in place for vermin control so that you can keep the infrastructure of your building protected.
Energy consumption costs
It is evident that the cost of heating and lighting a commercial building is highly unlikely to get any cheaper in the future and a more pressing issue is how to make the property as energy-efficient as possible.
Inefficient use of energy is a building problem that needs addressing and it is currently estimated by the EPA that about a third of energy in buildings is either consumed inefficiently or simply wasted unnecessarily.
Your aim should be to keep the building in a good state of repair to help energy consumption and to find ways to improve energy efficiency.
Typical initiatives include the installation of energy-efficient lighting and switching to more environmentally-friendly energy sources such as solar panels.
These are just some of the typical challenges and issues that you have to contend with as a commercial property owner and it is likely that if you adopt a proactive maintenance and modernization strategy this should prove beneficial in identifying problems at an early stage.
Taking this proactive stance should also help to extend the lifespan of such a valuable asset on the balance sheet and ensure that you do not spend more than necessary in repair costs.
Anticipating problems and dealing with minor issues with your building as they come to your attention should prove to be a savvy and cost-effective strategy and this approach will often be kinder on your bank balance too.
