Premises Management Document
Preventative Maintenance Policy
The policy and procedures by which London Retail Services plans, schedules and manages the preventative maintenance of a client company's premises, fixtures, fittings and equipment — keeping them compliant with building and safety regulations, and the public and employees comfortable and safe.
1. Purpose and scope
This document sets out how London Retail Services plans and manages the preventative maintenance of a client company's premises on its behalf. Its aim is to keep premises, fixtures, fittings and equipment in safe, compliant and serviceable condition by addressing wear, faults and statutory obligations before they cause failure, injury or disruption to trade.
It applies to all premises occupied or operated by the client company, and to the building fabric, services, fixtures, fittings and equipment within them — including shopfronts, flooring, lighting, electrical and gas installations, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, fire and security systems, and trading and back-of-house equipment. It is designed to satisfy the company's obligations under building and safety regulations, lease and insurance conditions, and its general duty of care to employees and the public.
2. Policy statement
The company is committed to maintaining its premises and equipment to a standard that protects the health and safety of employees and the public, preserves the value and condition of its assets, and supports uninterrupted trading. It recognises that planned preventative maintenance is more effective and less costly than reactive repair, and that neglected maintenance creates legal, financial and reputational risk.
To that end the company maintains an asset register, a planned maintenance schedule and an online system through which all maintenance — preventative, statutory and reactive — is recorded and tracked. London Retail Services acts as the company's maintenance manager, coordinating a network of trusted specialists to deliver a 24/7 service that is managed with the company's commercial needs and cost-effectiveness in mind.
3. Responsibilities
Responsibility for premises maintenance is allocated as follows:
- 1.
Directors
Hold ultimate responsibility for the condition and safety of the premises. They approve this policy, allocate adequate budget for planned and statutory maintenance, and review maintenance performance and outstanding works.
- 2.
Managers and supervisors
Oversee the premises day to day: complete routine condition checks, report faults promptly, provide access for scheduled works and contractors, and ensure maintenance activity does not compromise the safety of employees or the public.
- 3.
All employees
Use premises and equipment correctly, follow safe operating procedures, and report defects, damage and faults as soon as they are noticed through the online reporting process.
- 4.
London Retail Services (maintenance manager)
Maintains the asset register, planned maintenance schedule and online system; arranges and supervises preventative, statutory and reactive works; manages contractors; and advises the directors on the condition of the premises and on cost-effective maintenance decisions.
- 5.
Contractors and specialists
Carry out maintenance works to the agreed specification, regulations and timescales, work safely on site, and provide certification and reports for the online system.
4. Asset register
The asset register is the foundation of the maintenance programme. It records every item of building fabric, service, fixture, fitting and piece of equipment that requires maintenance, so that nothing is overlooked and each item's obligations and history are known.
For each asset the register records:
- 1.
Identification and location
A description, unique reference and the premises and area in which the asset is located.
- 2.
Maintenance requirements
The preventative tasks the asset requires and their frequency, together with any statutory inspection or servicing obligation.
- 3.
Status and history
Installation or last-replacement date, expected life, and a record of all maintenance, inspections and repairs carried out.
- 4.
Responsible parties
The contractor or specialist who services the asset and any relevant warranty, lease or insurance conditions.
The register is kept up to date as assets are added, replaced or removed, and is reviewed when premises are taken on or given up so that maintenance obligations transfer correctly.
5. Planned preventative maintenance
Each asset on the register is assigned a schedule of preventative tasks at defined intervals, drawn from manufacturer recommendations, regulatory requirements and operating experience. The schedule is held in the online system, which generates work in advance of its due date so that it can be planned around trading.
The planned maintenance procedure is:
- 1.
Scheduling
Preventative tasks are scheduled by the system from the asset register, with notifications issued before each task falls due so that access and contractors can be arranged.
- 2.
Execution
Works are carried out by the company's own staff or by approved contractors at the scheduled time, with disruption to trading minimised by timing works appropriately.
- 3.
Sign-off and records
Completed tasks, findings and any certificates are logged against the asset in the online system, building a complete maintenance history.
- 4.
Follow-on works
Where a preventative task identifies a defect or a need for repair or replacement, follow-on work is raised, assigned an owner and deadline, and tracked to completion.
6. Statutory and compliance inspections
Certain installations and equipment must be inspected, tested or serviced at intervals fixed by law or by insurance and lease conditions. These obligations are non-negotiable: failure to meet them can invalidate insurance, breach the lease and expose the directors to enforcement action.
Statutory and compliance obligations are managed as follows:
- 1.
Identification
Each obligation — fire safety systems, fixed electrical installations and portable appliances, gas appliances, heating and ventilation, lifting and pressure equipment, water hygiene and similar — is recorded against the relevant asset with its required frequency.
- 2.
Scheduling and notification
Inspections and tests are scheduled in the online system with advance notifications, and overdue items are escalated so that no statutory deadline is missed.
- 3.
Certification
Certificates, test results and inspection reports are retained in the system as evidence of compliance and made available to insurers, landlords and authorities on request.
- 4.
Remedial action
Defects or failures identified during a statutory inspection are treated as a priority, raised as remedial works and tracked until the installation is returned to a compliant condition.
7. Reactive maintenance and fault reporting
However thorough the planned programme, faults and breakdowns will still occur. A clear reactive process ensures they are dealt with quickly and safely, and that recurring problems are fed back into the planned schedule.
The reactive maintenance procedure is:
- 1.
Reporting
Employees report faults, damage and defects through the online reporting process as soon as they are noticed; anything presenting an immediate safety risk is also raised under the hazard-reporting procedure.
- 2.
Prioritisation
Each report is assessed and given a priority based on its impact on safety, compliance and trading, with a target response and completion time appropriate to that priority.
- 3.
Make safe and repair
Anything presenting an immediate risk is made safe first; repairs are then carried out by the company's staff or by an approved contractor through the 24/7 service.
- 4.
Recording and analysis
All reactive works are logged against the asset. Recurring faults are analysed and, where appropriate, the planned schedule or the asset's replacement plan is adjusted to address the underlying cause.
8. Contractor management
Maintenance often relies on external specialists, who are managed to protect quality, safety and value:
- 1.
Approval
Contractors are selected from a network of trusted specialists and checked for competence, accreditation and insurance before being engaged.
- 2.
Specification
Works are instructed against a clear specification, regulations and timescales, so that the standard and scope of each job are agreed in advance.
- 3.
Site safety
Contractors work in accordance with the premises' health and safety procedures; their activities are risk-assessed and supervised, and access is controlled to protect employees and the public.
- 4.
Documentation
Contractors provide certificates, test results and reports on completion, which are recorded in the online system against the relevant assets.
9. Records and reporting
The online maintenance system is the single record of the programme. It holds the asset register, the planned schedule, statutory obligations and the full history of preventative, statutory and reactive works, together with all supporting certificates and reports.
London Retail Services provides the directors with regular reports on maintenance performance — works completed, items outstanding, statutory compliance status and emerging asset-replacement needs — so that the condition of the premises and the cost of maintaining them are always visible, and budget decisions can be made on sound information.
10. Monitoring and review
The maintenance programme is monitored continuously through the online system and reviewed regularly by London Retail Services with the company's directors. The asset register and planned schedule are kept current as premises and equipment change, and this policy is reviewed annually — and sooner where legislation, premises, activities or lease and insurance conditions change, or where a failure or audit identifies a weakness.
Well-planned preventative maintenance protects the company, its employees and the public, preserves the value of its premises and equipment, and avoids the wasted time, disruption and excessive cost that follow from neglect — demonstrating that the company manages its premises responsibly.