A planned preventative maintenance report costs from £435 at Fixed Fee Plans, including a visit. We walk the building, record the condition of each element and give you a dated schedule of what needs doing and when, with the safety checks a landlord must keep up on the same calendar.
It is for landlords and managing agents who want repairs planned rather than reported. A cleared gutter in autumn is cheaper than a damp wall in spring, and a schedule makes it someone's job.
What does a PPM report cover?
The fabric and the services. The visit covers the roof, chimneys, gutters and downpipes, walls and pointing, windows and doors, drainage, and the common parts of an HMO or block. Each element gets a condition and a recommended action with a year, so the schedule shows what is due now, next year and later.
Why does a landlord need a maintenance plan?
Because the law expects repair, not reaction. In most residential tenancies the landlord must keep the structure and exterior in repair, including drains, gutters and external pipes, and the water, gas, electricity and heating installations in repair and working order, under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. The home must also be fit for human habitation throughout the tenancy, and councils assess hazards such as damp, falls and fire under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
Which safety checks go on the schedule?
The recurring ones, with their intervals. Landlords must have the electrics checked at least every 5 years by a properly qualified person, and must keep a smoke alarm on each storey with living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in any such room with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker. Gas appliances need their own annual safety check by a registered engineer. The report puts these dates beside the building work so nothing falls between them.
What does the report not include?
It is not a structural survey, a damp survey or an electrical inspection, and we do not test installations. Where the visit finds something that needs a specialist, such as cracking, damp or a failing roof, the report says so and what to commission. Our fee is from £435 for a house or small HMO; a larger block is quoted in writing before the visit.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a PPM report be updated?
Usually each year, after the work on the schedule is done, so the next year's list reflects what has changed.
Does the report replace the electrical and gas certificates?
No. Those are separate inspections by qualified engineers. The report puts their due dates on the same schedule.
Can you do a PPM report for an HMO?
Yes. It includes the common parts and the fire safety items an HMO licence asks the landlord to maintain.
