Building Maintenance Checklists: A Comprehensive Guide

Building maintenance is about more than appearance. It ensures facility safety, longevity, and operational efficiency. 

Whether managing a commercial property, a school, or a public facility, a well-structured building maintenance checklist is indispensable. In this guide, we explore everything you need to know about building maintenance checklists, including how to create one, how to leverage them, and their importance in effective building maintenance.

What is a building maintenance checklist?

A building maintenance checklist outlines all necessary upkeep, maintenance, and inspection tasks. It systematically tracks routine inspections and preventive maintenance to ensure buildings are safe, functional, and compliant. 

Depending on your building functionality, your checklist can include task lists for everything, from HVAC systems to safety.

The role of building maintenance checklists

Before we dive into checklist components, let’s touch on effective building maintenance to see why checklists and templates are effective tools. 

What is building maintenance?

Building maintenance is the process of caring for a building’s various systems and components to ensure it is safe, clean, and operable. A building maintenance checklist keeps track of tasks to ensure facility teams meet performance benchmarks.

What types of buildings need maintenance? 

• Commercial properties
• Educational facilities 
• Government affairs buildings
• Public buildings
• Park buildings
• Tenant buildings 

Types of building maintenance checklists

Building maintenance checklists vary by facility and the nature of maintenance required. Checklists are organized by equipment type—such as plumbing, HVAC, external equipment, or by frequency. 

Common types of frequency-based building maintenance checklists include:

• Preventive maintenance checklist: Focuses on regular inspections and maintenance tasks to prevent equipment failure and extend lifespan.
• Routine daily maintenance checklist: Covers frequent, often daily tasks like cleaning, checking lighting, and inspecting safety features.
• Weekly, monthly, and quarterly checklists: Include more detailed inspections and tasks that are performed less frequently, but are essential for long-term maintenance.
• Annual maintenance checklist: Comprehensive inspections and services to care for major systems and prepare for seasonal changes.

By organizing your building maintenance checklists by frequency needed, you can more easily incorporate these checklists into set building maintenance schedules. You might opt to dispatch tasks according to maintenance crews or workers according to their expertise. 

However, you might opt to categorize your checklists first by topic, then break it down according to maintenance type. Typical areas include:

• Boilers and water heaters
• Cleaning and janitorial
• Doors and windows
• Electrical
• HVAC
• Lighting
• Roofing
• Safety 
• Security

Each checklist type serves a specific purpose in maintaining the operational efficiency and safety of the building.

Building maintenance checklists benefits 

Properly structured building maintenance checklists outline routine maintenance and preventive maintenance tasks to maintenance of critical systems and equipment. 

By leveraging these checklists as the tools they are, facility managers can make their jobs more automated and structured. This process will ultimately extend the lifespan of building assets and equipment, minimizing the risk of unexpected failures and allowing effective resource allocation.

Benefits of using a building maintenance checklists include:

• Extend lifespan: Regular upkeep helps prolong the lifespan of building systems and equipment.
• Improve safety: Proactive maintenance ensures critical safety features are consistently monitored and maintained, making for an overall safer work environment.
• Increase efficiency: Clear task outlines and schedules streamline operations, reducing downtime and optimizing resource use.
• Reduce costs: By addressing issues early and preventing major repairs, maintenance costs are minimized over time.

Creating building maintenance checklists

Once you know how to best use a building maintenance checklist, it’s time to get organizational buy-in, find or create checklists that work for you, and follow through with an applicable system. 

Creating an effective building maintenance checklist involves several key steps:

1. Assess specific needs: Evaluate the unique requirements of your building and assets. Consider factors like building size, age, occupancy, and regulatory requirements.

2. Categorize tasks: Organize maintenance tasks by type (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, etc.) and frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually) to ensure comprehensive coverage.

3. Detail each task clearly: Clearly define each maintenance task to avoid ambiguity. Include specific instructions, safety precautions, and materials required.

4. Assign responsibilities: Assign tasks to specific personnel or teams. Clarify who is responsible for each task and establish accountability.

5. Use templates: Utilize pre-designed templates to streamline the checklist creation process. Templates provide a structured framework and ensure consistency in maintenance practices.

6. Consider digital tools: Leverage facilities management software to take advantage of features for planning, tracking, and reporting maintenance activities. Upload checklist data and keep everything in one place for complete oversight.

Using a preventative maintenance building checklist

While any checklist can help boost efficiency and improve oversight, a preventative maintenance building checklist can be especially helpful in long-term maintenance management and asset preservation. It can provide your team with the tools necessary to stop problems before they appear.

A preventive maintenance building checklist is vital for a building’s ongoing efficiency and durability. It involves regular inspections and servicing HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and structural components to preemptively address potential issues and prevent costly repairs. By following a proactive checklist, facility managers can maintain operational reliability and minimize the risk of unexpected breakdowns.

For a detailed guide on creating and implementing an effective preventive maintenance checklist, read through our article: Preventive Maintenance Checklists to Keep Your Facility on Track.

Implementing proactive maintenance practices not only enhances building performance but also supports cost-efficiency by reducing emergency repair needs and downtime. 

Free building maintenance checklist templates

Take advantage of our templates below to get started:

Using FMX to help with building maintenance

FMX’s building maintenance software can help ensure your buildings and grounds are perfectly maintained by providing you with the tools necessary to get the job done right. 

• Leverage work order management tools to route maintenance technicians to the right building at the right time, increasing efficiency and creating complete oversight. 
• Schedule preventive maintenance by time-based or meter-based routine maintenance to stay on top of weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual tasks.
• Schedule recurring groundskeeping or landscaping tasks and track associated labor costs.
• Submit custodial requests and set cleaning schedules for a simpler routine schedule and improved facility cleanliness.