Maintenance Management Flashcards
Talk me through your understanding of planned maintenance / reactive maintenance.
Planned maintenance is the repair and replacement of elements of a building on a scheduled basis, reactive is undertaking the repairs and maintenance at the time when they have been reported or once they become apparent
What is a maintenance / statutory inspection? How do they differ?
A maintenance inspection is undertaken to establish the condition of the property and see if repairs are needed. A statutory inspection is completed at a legally mandated interval to check condition and operation, such as inspecting a lift every 6 months
Talk me through compliance requirements you are aware of.
The gas system and appliances has to be checked a minimum of every 12 months
Why is it important to prioritise forward maintenance?
Because the work will usually be easier and less expensive if you are able to undertake it before it either breaks of worsens, plus you can budget for it, access arrangements are easier, resource scheduling is easier
What is forward maintenance?
a ‘forward maintenance plan’ (FMP) (or programme) is: ‘…a document setting out the specific maintenance activities (actions or tasks), resources and sequence of activities relevant for maintaining a building.
How can you integrate maintenance activity with the occupational requirements of a property?
By discussion with the resident, planning works appropraitely to ensure that they still have access to necessary facilities and taking any medical needs into account
How can maintenance impact upon the sustainability of a property?
By either improving things like energy performance when maintenance is done well, or when it is done badly by using inappropriate materials which may be cheaper but can be harmful and it can generate waste as well
Talk me through your understanding of life cycle and whole life costing.
Broadly, life cycle costs are those associated directly with constructing and operating the building; while whole life costs include other costs such as land, income from the building and support costs associated with the activity within the building.
Are you aware of any RICS guidance relating to life cycle costing?
RICS Guidance Note, Life Cycle Costing 2016
How can you benchmark maintenance costs?
By comparison with either a similar organisation or internally with another team
Talk me through maintenance procurement routes.
LCC uses a website to publish information on procurement opportunities, these are then put out to competitive tender. Other routes available are traditional (tender), design and build, management contracting
Talk me through common building defects you are aware of.
Bridged DPC’s, roof issues, gutters out of alignment, poor pointing
How would you diagnose a building defect?
Follow the trail of suspicion to find the route cause and also rule out other potential causations
How does age / construction affect maintenance requirements?
Weathering will affect the external face over time, increasing the need for maintenance upkeep. Time also opens up opportunities for poor quality and unsympathetic repairs which can hasten decline in elements. Elements will also have some obsalecance so they will degrade over time
Talk me through how you would carry out a maintenance inspection.
It would depend on the need, but for a full property I usually start externally, working top down, then move into the inside, starting in the loft, then working my way down, inspecting the condition of each element as I go
What issues or factors would you be looking for on a maintenance inspection?
It depends, there are lots but signs of damp/water ingress, poor repairs, materials failing or incorrectly used etc
Talk me through your understanding of S11 of the L&T Act 1985.
It places an obligation on landlords to undertake basic repairs to the structure and exterior of the dwelling house, the drainage, water supply, gas and electric, space heating and hot water and maintain them in good order
What obligations does S11 of the LL&T Act 1985 place on a landlord?
They must undertake maintenance tasks and keep the dwelling in an acceptable state of repair
How do you comply with the CDM Regulations 2015?
repairs to the structure and exterior of the property, heating and hot water systems, basins, sinks, baths and other sanitaryware. the safety of gas and electrical appliances. the fire safety of furniture and furnishings provided under the tenancy.
What is BIM?
Building Information Modelling, is a process supported by various tools, technologies and contracts involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of places
How does BIM affect building maintenance?
Because it can be used as a reliable basis for decisions based on life-cycle, it can also inform you where things are such as pipes to help find the source of defects and information on components to make ordering correct replacements easier
Why is it important to maintain buildings?
To ensure that they are fit for occupation and their purpose as components are likely to fail at some point, and to prevent futher damage and maintain the lifecycle of the building
How does this impact upon asset value?
Because the condition of a building will have a big impact on its desiribility for purchase, those in a poor condition are likely to have a lower value due to the costs needed to bring it back up into a good state of repair
What are the reasons for maintaining buildings?
Prevent building decay, maintain structural stability, prevent damage from weather, optimise performance, help inform plans for renovation, protect the health of occupants etc
How can planned and corrective maintenance be balanced?
Keeping effective data on performance lifecycle of components can indicate when then may be likely to fail, so replacement can be effectively planned and budgeted for. Corrective maintenance can extend the lifespan and timescales between planned maintenance
What strategic / technical / managerial issues relate to maintenance management?
There can be access issues, labour scheduling and availability issues, costings, availability of materials, record keeping
How do you establish who has liability to maintain a building?
It will be in the legal documents such as a tenancy agreement or leasehold contract
What legislation / RICS guidance affects maintenance management?
Planned Preventative Maintenance of Residential and Commercial Property Guidance Note 2022, legislation includes things like the HHSRS, Landlord and Tenancy Act 1985, Homes Fitness for Human Habitation Act 2018, Gas Safety, Installation and Use
How can maintenance activity be funded?
Through rental income or through charging leaseholders for their contribution, based on the content of the contract
What Government policy might affect maintenance?
Landlord and Tenant Act, Homes Fitness for Human Habitation Act, Gas Safety Regs etc
What is best value?
Best Value is aboutensuring that there is good governance and effective management of resources, with a focus on improvement, to deliver the best possible outcomes for the public.
How can maintenance be procured?
It will depend on the requirements, however it is often through competitive tendering, through SOR’s with approved contractors, use of internal service providers
Talk me through component deterioration and failure.
Components will have some form of obsolescence and will begin to fail over time, some conditions can hasten this decline, or external influences or damage can cause premature failure
Is there a model to explain component deterioration and failure - can you describe the 3 phases?
The Bathtub Curve, has 3 main stages, used to determine the likihood of a component failing, Infant Failure, Constant Failure, Wear out Failure
What phases might a maintenance strategy to deal with the bathtub curve follow?
You may set aside some budget for the early life of a component, but potentially less than expected due to warrenties etc, then have budget available for random failure with increasing amounts set aside as the component is expected to age in the Wear Out Failure Zone
How do you establish the condition standard when intervention is required?
Through a physical survey to assertain the current condition, if it is currently causing issues, will in the near future or could be deemed a hazard, to decide urgent works, then ascertain likely lifespan for other elements based on past experience
How can you assess condition standard?
The best way to establish condition is through a physical survey. Setting the standards for the acceptable condition can be through legislation requirements, user requirements etc
What is asset hierarchy?
An asset hierarchy isa logical index of all your maintenance equipment, machines, and components, and how they work together. Building and understanding your facility’s asset hierarchy is critical to efficiently tracking, scheduling, and identifying the root causes of failure in your equipment.
How does building type influence maintenance management?
Certain types of building will have a higher usage, so will need more regular maintenance, others will have different components which may have differing lifespans
What building components need to be maintained?
All really, they all preform a function and need to be maintained if the building as a whole is to be kept in a usable condition
Tell me about a maintenance activity you have experience of.
I am aware passenger lifts in buildings must be serviced and maintained a minimum of once every 6 months
When might maintenance become an improvement or betterment?
It adds to the value of then property or improves the performance in some way, so it could be by replacing the roof cover but adding some additional insulation at the same time will improve the energy performance. Betterment is if the repair works are carried out to a higher standard than was necessary, the betterment will be deducted from any damages claimed. IE replacing a carpet at the end of a tenancy when it could have been cleaned
What legislation might relate to improvement or betterment?
Town & Country Planning Act
When would you not want an improvement to take place?
It could be as a freeholder you would be unable to claim back the cost of works which are classed as improvements, therefore you would works to be restricted to repairs
How can you prioritise/manage planned maintenance activities?
It can be looking at the probability and impact of a failure, legislation requirements, condition ratings and reports, do you want to improve aesthetics
What alternative/complimentary strategies to planned maintenance exist?
Reactive, run to fail, corrective, routine, preventative, condition based
What is condition-based maintenance / responsive maintenance / improvement in relation to strategy?
Condition based maintenance is basing your activities based on the current condition of an element, prioritising the worst ones first, Responsive maintenance is undertaking repairs once it is known to have failed, improvement is improving the performance or function of an element, either to improve a performance characteristic or lifespan
What might be included in a maintenance plan?
Identify the property, the problem or item to be maintained, how often and how it will be maintained, who will maintain it, how often it will be inspected, likely costs
How would you assess a timeframe for maintenance works?
You could look at data you hold for repairs, for example if you are reactive repairing certain elements more often, you may want to look at replacement or more regular maintenance
What information would you need to collate a maintenance plan?
The maintenance plan’s contents, which include the actual work, instructions, schedule, workers, spare parts, and contractors, guide all the maintenance work activities.
What are the benefits of a maintenance plan?
Reduced maintenance costs, extended asset lifespan, improved safety, less maintenance downtime, better forcast and cost planning
How can benchmarking be used?
To see how well an element is performing against another comparable one
What is a maintenance manual / log book?
It is an archive of all maintenance activities undertaken on an asset, tracks maintenance tasks and who might have done them and when
How do Building Regulations relate to maintenance?
Part L of the Building Regulations (conservation of fuel and power) requires that the building owner is issued with information about the building services to help them operate the building properly and efficiently. It is suggested that this is done by issuing a building log book to the building’s facilities manager.
What are the requirements of Part L around log books?
Part L of the Building Regulations (conservation of fuel and power) requires that the building owner is issued with information about the building services to help them operate the building properly and efficiently. It is suggested that this is done by issuing a building log book to the building’s facilities manager.
What is a maintenance system?
A planned maintenance system isa software system that allows maintenance teams and operators to plan maintenance tasks. They’re able to request and schedule tasks in set intervals based on each asset’s requirements. Once the work is done, the task is recorded as complete.
What types do you have experience of?
I have used systems that log and store repairs and maintenance information but I have not used one to pre-plan maintenance activities.
How can you minimise disruption during maintenance?
Have proper planning in place, working with skilled and knowledgable staff and pre-organising works, rather than waiting to react
How might maintenance relate to a SC?
The Service charge certainly mandates the need to maintian, given that occupants are paying for it as part of the SC, therefore there is an obligation to maintain the building in good order
How would you deal with maintenance works within a SC?
You would need to estimate the forward costs for the year for the expected maintenance, then base the charge on that estimate, you may also need to see if there is a sinking fund to account for some aspects of the maintenance work. Any costs must be reasonably incurred if they are to be passed back to the residents
How would you consult with stakeholders?
It will depend on the situation, his can include in writing with description of the works, whose doing it, likely charges. It can also include a site visit
What legislation relates to this?
Section 19 of the Landlord & Act 1985
Talk me through procurement and contracts.
It will depend on the contract, but it could be competitive tendering, selection from approved suppliers, traditional procurement
What types of contract exist?
JCT & NEC4 term service are the most common ones
What RICS guidance applies to planned maintenance?
Planned Preventative Maintenance of Residential and Commercial Property Guidance Note 2022
Tell me about an instance of where you have provided reasoned advice on maintenance management.
Working for Connect Housing I was tasked with an exercise of listing condition and expected remaining lifespan of elements on an estate so this information could be used to set planned replacement programs for things such as kitchens, bathrooms, roofs etc
How have you provided advice and recommendations on issues relating to the management of a maintenance policy?
I have provided advice on criteria and a process for post inspecting works undertaken by sub-contractors and the need for information to be provided on on-going works
How have you dealt with the costs associated with property maintenance?
I would be sent invoices for checking and confirmation, worked with the finance team to look at budgets and have developed schedules for works
What do you include in your planned preventative maintenance schedules?
Description of the works, list of codes to be used, key contacts, access arrangements, scope of the service, suppliers
How do you assess the lifespan of a material and that is due for replacement, use examples of your recent schedules?
Lifespan can be listed in the manufacturers guidelines, you can also use data for real world analysis, it can also be by site inspections. By inspecting many kitchens on an estate I could see that there expected lifespan did not meet the reality of conditions on site, using analysis of repairs, expected repairs and photos I was able to have them included in a program to be replaced in the next financial year
When and why is PAT testing required?
What is a PAT test? A PAT test is a routine inspection of some types of electrical appliance to check they are safe to use. Its purpose isto prevent electrical accidents in the workplace.
How have you carried out condition surveys of buildings?
I have used portable equipment to enter details of the element and a condition rating, then taking and storing relevant photos of the element
How have you received, prioritised and actioned repair notifications from occupiers?
At LCC they could be received over the phone or through a colleague, they are logged on the repairs system to generate an order number, using SOR codes and descriptions to describe the work. The timescale is set by the nature of the work and the risk to the residents and property, based on emergency, priority or standards
How have you formulated maintenance management policies?
I haven’t formulated them myself but have taken part in excercises to look at current priorities and see if adjustments need to be made for estates of properties
How have you produced planned maintenance programmes?
I have used information, gathered during inspections to give an overall assesment of the condition of elements in the property on an estate to give an indication of a timeline for replacement, putting this into a spreadsheet so mu colleagues could set a planned maintenance program
Explain your experience of planning and monitoring maintenance expenditure and budgets.
I would have regular meetings with colleagues in finance to look at current spend, past spend and forecasted spend, this could then assist in looking at priorities or areas where expenditure may need to be reduced. I would also receive a weekly spreadsheet with invoices for the past week, so high expenditure jobs or suspicious activities could be flagged
Explain your experience of setting up and running procurement contracts and orders for maintenance and servicing works.
I have not set up and run a procurement contract. However in previous roles I would use a company ordering system to log repair requests, entering SOR codes to act as a specification for the work to take place, I would then track any variations and approve the final order so it could be processed for payment
Explain your experience of inspecting completed maintenance works.
I have done this for a wide range of works, prioritising common, higher cost works or high profile jobs, checking of the work using the agreed schedule, seeing where variations may have been over billed or work has not be completed to the agreed standard
Tell me about how you have consulted with owners and occupiers about the quality of the maintenance service and maintenance works.
I have done this, usually through site inspections and discussing it with them whilst I have been on site, however I’ve also done this over the telephone and by using technology to inspect it using the tenants camera phone
How have you integrated maintenance policies with environmental and conservation requirements and policies?
We have ensured that suppliers use materials from sustainable sources and used information from EPC’s to target estates with improvements to insulation. Where properties are listed or in conservation areas I have ensured that this is included in the descripton and the schedule of works to ensure standards are adhered to
How do you keep appropriate records of buildings and works carried out?
It is logged on a central repairs system so any works and notes can be reviewed by colleagues. It also ensures that the data is kept secure
How have you provided assessments of condition and wants of repair for individual buildings or portfolios of properties?
I have done this through site inspections, looking at areas of concern in the property or a whole house survey if needed. Then the reporting format has been determined by the reason for the survey. Creating a report for a full estate or simply adding my findings and a schedule of works for individual properties
Explain your experience of formulating and presenting a Maintenance Policy for an organisation.
So I have discussed and presented policy with stakeholders such as electred members or tenancy groups. I have not taken an active role is formulating a policy, other than providing advice over expected timescales for repairs/failures
How have you drafted and presented a planned maintenance programme?
I haven’t done this, but I have provided information to colleagues which has then in turn been used to set a planned maintenance program
Tell me about how you have prepared and presented proposals for maintenance and improvement programmes to clients, tenants and occupiers.
I have discussed it with tenants whilst on site, usually going through the work that will take place one element at a time
Tell me about how you have prepared budget and expenditure reports and predictions for building maintenance.
This has normally been completed by our finance teams but I have been asked to provide advice on likely expenditure and if an increase or decrease is expected to be likely
Tell me about how you have prepared and negotiated partnership agreements with contractors and providers of maintenance and servicing works.
I have not done this per-se as usually the contracts have been already in place. However I have worked with a new contractor, talking through the void lettable standard, undertaking site meetings and checking their reports
Tell me about your experience of preparing and implementing maintenance and servicing contracts and measured term agreements.
I have done this with some contracts, however the documents have already been in place, however I did produce the OCM with LBS
West Park Close, Leeds, talk me through the schedule of work you drew up.
This was for a rodent infested property, I used a code for a re-wire on a separate order, the built up the rest of the codes to fill the holes, replaster the kitchen ceiling, replace the kitchen units, logging it onto the system and then issuing it to the contractors
How did you rectify the plaster defects in West Park Close?
Hacked off the plaster and replaced, after commisioning an Asbestos survey
Embleton Road, Leeds, what permissions were required under the tenancy agreement?
(Patio and fence), under the terms of the tenancy agreement the tenants are required to obtain written permision for alterations to the property, it wouldn’t normally be denied unless it was to the structure of the building
How was the patio and fencing defective at Embleton Road?
The looked to be insuffient sub-base under the patio, but mainly nothing to retain any sub-base from the slope to the end of the patio, this meant what was under it was slipping down the slope, undermining the patio and causing the end slabs to lift. The tenant had also fitted their own heavy panels to the existing fence, which was not strong enough to take the extra load, causing it to lean
Outline your response regarding responsibility to maintain the patio and fence at Embleton Road
I copied sections of the tenancy agreement, with the writing confirming that they were required to obtain permission, where they could obtain a copy of this and the policy regarding improvement works
What actions did you take regarding breach of the tenancy agreement?
I notified the Housing Manager who discussed it with the residents
Monkswood Bank, Leeds, how did you take the roof dimensions?
I stood in a fixed spot in the garden, made a drawing of the roof and a disto to take triangular readings of the roof. I then used these to work out the dimensions
How did you calculate the area of the roof at Monkswood Bank?
By using triangles to calculate the distance between two points
How did the contractor respond to your rejection of the invoice at Monkswood Bank?
They were not particularly happy and tried to respond by saying the additional areas were due to the hip of the roof and they’d simply squared it off, however that wasn’t the case and it was responded to them in writing with the rules around the SOR codes
Tell me about an instance of where you have provided reasoned advice on maintenance management.
I have been approached by my team asking for advice and guidance in relation to my employers maintenance policy and what they should do in a situation. For example when the tenant had ripped out most of the property they wanted to know what the next steps were so I took them through the policy, who we need to speak to and what records need to be checked
How have you provided advice and recommendations on issues relating to the management of a maintenance policy?
Yes, at Connect I was responsible for the voids service, working with the Lettings team over timings and what we could include in the specification to meet local market demands so what we could do, how long it might delay things, additional costs etc
How have you dealt with the costs associated with residential property maintenance?
I have checked invoices, worked with finance teams and reported back on where we are with the budget
Gipton Approach, Leeds, what health and safety risks did you identify?
Immediately there was concern over asbestos, so I spoke to the Asbestos team straight away, there was also concern over airborn particles but mainly living conditions and if gas and electric had been tampered with so I advised the team member who to speak to in those teams to arrange urgent checks
What advice did you give regarding replacement of the kitchen at Gipton Approach?
That we could do it, but that they needed to discuss options with the resident over timescales and options, likely costs and if she wanted to replace it herself
Why did you advise on changing your policy by bringing forward larger scale works?
Because the work needed doing at some point, we had the budget available so it made sense to spend it at a time when it was available and get it done now, freeing up spend for other financial years
How did you ensure the budget was used sensibly?
By checking spend with the team, discussing things with them, keeping an eye on contractors and sub-contractors
How will the almost full shut-down of your repairs service during the pandemic affect future budgets/repairing policies?
It had been noted as a (hopefully) one off event, so discussions with the finance department took place and the decision was taken to look at future forcasting slightly diferently and not base it on current spend levels. Policies changed in how the H&S was managed to reduce contact on site and PPE as well as working arrangements, plus how expenses were calculated
Explain the Schedule of Rate code.
They are a set of agreed codes, listing a description of the work to take place, with a unit and an agreed price which and then be uplifted or not to reflect tendered prices
Talk me through your advice on training surveyors following the spate of leaks.
So we had a teammember who was a former installer so he put together a presentation on wet floor shower systems, then attended some visits with the rest of the team, giving them an understanding of what to look out for and common flaws like too many bends in the pipes etc
