Securing the future of municipal buildings requires a change of starting strategy

Challenges in the maintenance of municipal buildings

A key challenge for municipalities in real estate management is to obtain an accurate picture of the state of their property portfolio. Without this insight, prioritizing and scheduling necessary maintenance tasks becomes a challenge. In addition, many municipal buildings have significant historical and cultural value, which must be preserved while remaining functional and safe for users.

Structural constraints such as annual budgets and construction ceilings make it difficult to allocate funds for long-term maintenance and improvement of buildings. The result is a reactive approach in which maintenance and necessary improvements are postponed until they become acute and potentially more costly.

Strategies for long-term maintenance

To address these challenges, it is crucial for municipalities to design and implement a long-term strategy for building maintenance. Such a strategy could include the following actions:

1. Turn on the light in the dark room

It will eat up budgets to carry out regular and thorough assessments of the state of affairs. Therefore, we need to invest in artificial intelligence that gives municipalities an accurate picture of the state of their buildings. This makes it possible to prioritize maintenance work more efficiently and prevent minor problems from developing into larger and more expensive repairs. For the same money, they will be able to prevent, indeed perhaps minimize a maintenance backlog.

2. Method switching: From activity-based vision to condition assessments

The current method focuses on 'accumulating maintenance tasks', which is not problematic in itself. However, it shifts the focus from a real assessment of the condition and consequences of the building part, to an assessment of immediate repair needs. A shift in mindset is needed to focus on the current and future health of the building.

3. Turn the maintenance plan into an action plan

Maintenance plans should be the basis of property maintenance, not only to satisfy the finance department, but as tactical, operational plans to ensure responsible and long-term ownership. It is about clearly prioritising according to maintenance plans and ensuring that these priorities are followed.

4. Establish new partnerships and collaborations

Municipalities may also consider partnerships with private companies, other municipalities, or government institutions to share knowledge, resources, and best practices. This can create more innovative solutions and enable larger maintenance projects.

Let's just summarize

As property owners, municipalities bear a great responsibility to ensure that their buildings remain safe, functional and support the well-being of the local community. By shedding light on problem areas and developing a concrete plan, the problems of urgent maintenance are not solved immediately, but the basis for informed decisions is created that prioritizes preventive maintenance over urgent maintenance. An analysis by KAB shows that four times the added value can be achieved for every percentage point moved from emergency to preventive maintenance.