Introduction
Maintenance charges can represent up to 30 % of a building’s operating costs, yet they are often endured rather than controlled. With a proactive, digital and structured approach, these expenses can be significantly reduced while increasing performance and asset longevity. This article explores the levers for optimising maintenance costs in real estate, the essential tools and the indicators to monitor.
💡 Why optimise maintenance charges?
- Reduce operating costs
Reactive maintenance costs 3–5 × more than preventive or predictive maintenance. - Extend equipment life
Regular servicing postpones costly renewal of HVAC, lifts, lighting, etc. - Improve installation availability
Fewer breakdowns = more service continuity, less disruption for occupants or tenants. - Strengthen regulatory compliance
Well‑maintained equipment makes it easier to meet safety and hygiene standards.
🧰 Levers for cost optimisation
🔍 1. Conduct a technical and budget audit
Identify:
- Under‑performing equipment
- Highest expense items
- Redundant or poorly scheduled interventions
🛠️ 2. Implement a preventive maintenance plan
Adopt a multi‑year maintenance plan based on:
- Equipment life cycles
- Manufacturer recommendations
- Legal obligations
Goal: avoid unforeseen breakdowns while smoothing spending over time.
💻 3. Use a CMMS
A CMMS centralises all maintenance data:
- Intervention history
- Contractor contracts
- Automatic alerts
- Performance reports (MTTR, MTBF)
🌐 4. Integrate IoT sensors & BMS
Connected devices and BMS enable smart monitoring:
- Real‑time consumption tracking
- Automatic fault detection
- Dynamic scheduling of interventions
🤝 5. Pool and renegotiate service contracts
- Review performance clauses in contracts (SLAs)
- Group multiple sites to obtain lower rates
- Include performance‑based objectives (shared savings)
📈 Key indicators
| KPI | Description |
|---|---|
| MTBF | Mean Time Between Failures |
| MTTR | Mean Time To Repair |
| Preventive maintenance rate | Share of planned interventions |
| Total maintenance cost / m² | Benchmark ratio |
| Budget vs actual | Expense variance tracking |
✅ Additional best practices
- Create a digital logbook for each piece of equipment
- Involve internal teams in reporting anomalies
- Schedule interventions during off‑peak periods
- Regularly assess contractor performance
Conclusion
Optimising maintenance charges is a profitable, sustainable and strategic approach. By combining digital tools, anticipation, smart contracting and performance monitoring, real‑estate managers can gain efficiency, cut costs and improve occupant satisfaction.