Property maintenance is a key part of owning a property. Be it a house, an office building, or a shop complex, you need to maintain it.
For starters, a good maintenance culture ensures the property retains its value.
But also, it helps improve – or at least maintain – the comfort and safety of users. A well-maintained property will be more appealing to buyers. It also commands a higher selling price.
Maintaining a property has immense benefits. But it doesn’t always come cheap.
With the spiraling costs of services and goods in Ghana (often blamed on the ever-worsening cedi-to-dollar exchange rate), maintaining a property is becoming more expensive.
The costs can be huge if you’re not strategic about it. The alternative is equally costly, especially in the long term. To counter that, you must have maintenance at the back of your mind. Except some buildings will require more maintenance than others.
How often have you seen a building or visited a property where you saw it was sorely in need of maintenance? And how many times have you rolled your eyes at the high cost of maintaining a building?
Some buildings are high maintenance, requiring all the TCL to keep them at their best. If you’re not prepared for that, make sure you don’t go in for a property that will force you to spend too much on repairs and maintenance.
Here are a few telltale signs a building will require expensive maintenance.
The age of the property
A property’s age may indicate how much maintenance it requires and how often you must do it.
Older buildings that may have suffered a lot of wear and tear may be more susceptible to far more frequent maintenance needs than newer ones.
An older building may also have some fixtures and finishes that may be harder to maintain – or at least replace – in the modern era.
While there are always exceptions, the age and type of building often hint at how much maintenance works you may have to carry out with time.
Physical condition
Of course. The physical condition of any building will show you how much maintenance you have to carry out, sometimes immediately.
Even though there’s more to building maintenance needs than meets the eye, a good look at many buildings will reveal some immediate maintenance needs.
Of course, you don’t have to back out of the deal just because of that.
And it could also be that you might only require a heavy upfront maintenance cost.
But you also want to remember you might require more maintenance for a rundown property than one in good condition.
A very complex design
Every property is unique, special. Even two similar properties have a few differences when you dig deeper.
However, some properties are unique based on their one-of-a-kind design.
Some designs are complex, even too elaborate. And in some cases, maintaining them when the time comes poses a huge headache.
Some buildings might be more challenging to maintain. Sometimes, you might not find the professionals to handle those complex designs. And that could lead to further problems. Or even if you could, they might want to charge more, given the work required.
All these little factors make many uniquely complex buildings a bit harder and pricier to maintain. And those costs and inconveniences add up over time.
If that’s a challenge for you, it’s time to consider the design of a building carefully before you buy it.
Type of landscaping
Landscaping adds some touch and class to many buildings. But it also adds more work and certainly piles on the maintenance costs. Consider that before you shell out for that property.
For example, some people find it expensive to keep a lawn and gardens in good shape. Others are willing to handle those costs, given the aesthetic benefits.
Also, maintaining some swimming pools comes with unique difficulties and extra costs.
The property’s drainage system may also come in when dealing with how much maintenance work is required. Poor drainage on site could give you an idea of how much you can expect to expend on maintenance.
Some households might want a basketball court for their kids. But maintaining that could set you back some serious cash from time to time.
Yes, an elaborate landscaping may be good. But you also have to remember that maintaining those finishes costs money.
Maintaining a building is always a crucial part of owning a building. If it’s a commercial property, you might pass on some of those costs to tenants, included in the rent or service charges.
But if you’re an owner-occupier, these costs eat into your pocket.
You must plan for maintenance when you buy a new property, as some properties might require more maintenance than others.
Photo credits: Cover image: Photo by Milivoj Kuhar on Unsplash
Photo by Point3D Commercial Imaging Ltd. on Unsplash
