Ensuring regular and timely building maintenance is important for preserving and increasing your property value, ensuring the safety of all occupants and reducing costly disruptions.
However, there are two key types of building maintenance: reactive and preventive.
What is preventive building maintenance?
Preventive building maintenance is a very proactive approach that involves everything from regular structural checks and servicing, to minor, non-urgent repairs. Preventive maintenance, as its name suggests, aims to stop problems from escalating or occurring.
The key is to identify and then resolve issues early whilst they are affordable, simple and non-destructive. In many ways, preventive building maintenance can be thought of in the same way as regular health check-ups. It is about catching little problems while they are still simple to treat.
What is reactive building maintenance?
Reactive maintenance, such as building repairs, is completed after a problem has been identified. This corrective form of ongoing building maintenance concentrates on addressing problems when and if they arise.
In most scenarios, reactive maintenance is the go-to technique for non-critical assets, but it can also be a practical approach when operating on tight budgets.
Key differences between proactive and reactive maintenance
Here are some of the key differences between reactive and proactive maintenance:
Timing
Proactive maintenance
Proactive maintenance is all about planning ahead. It involves regular check-ups and preventive actions to stop equipment from breaking down. By doing this, it helps avoid unexpected issues and keeps things running smoothly.
Reactive maintenance
Reactive maintenance occurs after equipment breaks down, which means it is done as a reaction to an issue that has already occurred.
Asset performance
Reactive maintenance
Reactive maintenance generally diminishes performance due to unresolved problems or delayed repairs. This lack of prompt attention can lead to exacerbated issues resulting in reduced operational efficiency and possibly increased risk of breakdown.
Proactive maintenance
Proactive maintenance makes sure equipment operates at its highest level, ensuring efficiency and maintaining consistent output through timely checks, preventive actions and addressing potential problems before they escalate.
Safety
Reactive maintenance
Unexpected equipment failures can pose serious safety problems, potentially leading to injuries or accidents for workers or any person in the vicinity.
Proactive maintenance
Proactive maintenance identifies and addresses possible risks before they escalate into major hazards, creating a safer working environment for both employees and those around the equipment.
Which building maintenance technique saves more?
Which technique saves more money, time and hassle?
It should be clear by now that both techniques offer pros and cons. It is all about the trade-off.
Preventive maintenance, despite a bigger upfront investment, generally results in less total maintenance over time, fewer disruptions and better asset reliability and longevity.
Reactive maintenance may seem affordable in the short term, but it can generally lead to significantly higher costs over time due to emergency repairs, asset replacements and unplanned downtime.
Get in touch with preventive and reactive services
The team at Proactive FM specialises in a broad range of remedial building services for multi-residential, commercial and residential properties in Australia, with particular expertise in big commercial projects.
Our highly skilled in-house team delivers leak repair, waterproofing, façade restoration and concrete cancer repair services, helping to reduce future disruption, extend the life and value of your property and deliver affordable repair solutions.