What to Put in a Building Maintenance Contract Before You Sign It

Signing a maintenance contract for a commercial property often feels like the easy part. The proposal arrives, the price looks fair, and everyone wants to get started. The trouble usually shows up six months later, when a blocked drain or a failed light fitting turns out to sit outside the agreed scope.

A well-written contract prevents most of those arguments before they start. It sets out who does what, how quickly, and what happens when something goes wrong. Here is what building owners, facilities managers and managing agents should check before putting pen to paper.

Start With a Clear Scope of Work

The scope is the heart of any agreement for property maintenance services. Vague phrases such as "general upkeep" or "routine repairs" leave too much room for interpretation, and that room tends to cost the client money.

Walk the building first and list every system and area that needs attention. That means the roof and gutters, drainage, communal areas, external grounds, heating ventilation and air conditioning, lifts, fire doors and emergency lighting. If an item is excluded, the contract should say so plainly, so nobody assumes it is covered.

It also helps to understand what commercial property maintenance usually covers, before you write your own list. Comparing the two quickly shows any gaps.

Separate Planned Work From Reactive Call-Outs

Most contracts mix two very different types of work. Planned tasks happen on a schedule, such as quarterly gutter clearance or an annual roof inspection. Reactive work covers the unexpected: a leak, a broken door closer, or storm damage.

Price and describe them separately. Planned work is usually a fixed fee, while reactive jobs are often charged hourly plus materials. Keeping them apart makes cost control far easier, because you can see whether spending is creeping up and why.

Ask for a planned maintenance calendar as part of the contract. A simple monthly schedule gives you something concrete to hold the supplier to.

Agree Response Times That Match the Risk

Not every fault is equally urgent. A leak above an electrical cupboard needs attention within hours, while a scuffed wall can wait. A good contract reflects that difference.

Many agreements use a tiered system along these lines:

• Emergency: attendance within a few hours, around the clock
• Urgent: attendance within one or two working days
• Routine: completed within an agreed number of working days

The exact timings are a matter for negotiation, but they should be written down. Without them, "as soon as possible" can mean very different things to you and your contractor.

Be Specific About Compliance Responsibilities

Commercial buildings carry legal duties around fire safety, water hygiene, electrical safety and asbestos management. Responsibility for these is often shared between the owner, the tenant and any contractor, which is exactly where compliance issues tend to arise.

The contract should state which checks the supplier will carry out, how often, and how the results will be recorded. If they test emergency lighting or carry out access inspections on fire doors, you need copies of the records. If a task needs a specialist, such as a Legionella risk assessment, the contract should say whether the supplier arranges it or simply flags it to you.

Handing a task to a contractor does not usually hand over the legal duty, so ask for evidence after every visit.

Build in Reporting and Communication

One of the most common complaints about outsourced maintenance is a lack of visibility. Work happens, or does not happen, and the client only finds out when a tenant complains.

Ask for a written report after each visit, ideally with photographs taken before and after. Agree how defects will be reported, who your single point of contact is, and how quickly they will reply to emails or calls. Short quarterly review meetings help both sides raise concerns early.

Customer satisfaction should be measurable too. A simple feedback step for occupiers gives early warning if quality slips.

Check the Commercial Terms Carefully

The small print matters as much as the scope. Before signing, look closely at:

• Contract length, notice periods and any automatic renewal clause
• How price increases are calculated and when they can be applied
• Insurance levels, including public liability and employer's liability

Check minimum call-out charges and out-of-hours rates too. A low headline fee looks less attractive once those extras pile up over a busy winter.

Consider One Supplier or Several

Some companies outsourcing their maintenance prefer a single, fully integrated contract covering cleaning, repairs, grounds maintenance management and compliance. Others use separate specialists for each area. Both approaches can work well.

A single supplier offers one invoice, one contact and fewer gaps between trades. It can also bring economies of scale across several sites. Multiple suppliers may give you deeper expertise in specific areas, but they need more coordination and clearer boundaries between contracts.

Either way, the contract should reflect how the commercial property is actually used. Retail units with offices above have very different needs from a single-occupier warehouse.

Final Thoughts

A maintenance contract is only as good as the detail inside it. Taking the time to define the scope, separate planned and reactive work, set response times and pin down compliance duties will save money and frustration over the life of the agreement.

Treat the first draft as a starting point. A reputable contractor will welcome a clear brief, because it protects them as much as you.

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