If you own or manage a shopping center, you understand how important it is to keep your building in good shape to attract and retain tenants, ensure safety, and increase its value in the U.S. market. For many commercial property owners, scheduling regular outside building care activities might be difficult because they do not know a reputable property maintenance Tampa firm.
Pressure washing and repairs can keep the property in pristine condition regardless of weather, wear and tear, or other issues. With the Consolidated Service Group, help is at hand. Services include:
- Window Washing
- General Building Repair
- Graffiti Removal
- Painting
CSG provides a range of trade contracting services to meet specific demands. Skilled contractors have experience in a variety of trades, ensuring that all aspects of the shopping centers are well-maintained.
Shopping Center Management Maintenance Routines And Strategies
When you manage a shopping center it is critical that a process of inspection occurs within the property on a regular and perhaps even a daily basis (depending on property size and operations). In doing that you should be looking for issues of potential property damage, danger, failure, or personal injury. The property should be safe and functional in all respects. To do otherwise can see a variety of asset challenges arising including the following:
- Injury to customers
- Injury to tenants
- Loss of rent
- Loss of trade
- Less customers coming to the property
- A rise in operational costs due to uncontrolled failure of plant and machinery
The expenditure budget for a shopping center should be established to allow for expected and unexpected maintenance issues. You can incorporate preventative maintenance routines into the property to help with property function and occupation.
Take the advice of your maintenance contractors, and also allow for the history of the property; understand how tenants, customers, and visitors to the property use it and move through it. Establish your maintenance routines around those things.
A retail property is generally more active on a physical basis than that of an office or industrial investment property; it stands to reason that pressures will occur on maintenance and operations of a shopping center. So you do need a property inspection process and routine. Here are some ideas to merge into that plan and system:
- Look at the design of the property to understand how people come to it and move through it. Doorways, car parking, transport drop off points, walk ways, taxi ranks and surrounding roads are some of the bigger factors to consider. Use door counters to understand the busiest points of entry and times of day. In reviewing these issues, look at the differences in days of the week and the hours in the day.
- Consider the experience that a person or customer will get when they visit the property. Signage, cleanliness, safety, tenant mix, and convenience are all very important factors to consider. If a shopper is inconvenienced in any way, they are likely to look for another property where they can satisfy their shopping needs. That then creates a decline in trade.
- Understand the pressures that a tenant and their business could apply to any Tampa property maintenance and cleaning routine. If a tenant is highly active in marketing or if they sell a very popular product or service, the impact on the property from customers should be catered for. You can also apply a levy on a tenant through the lease if they create unusual demands on property functionality. That levy should be a factor of lease negotiation.
Indicators that It’s Time for Maintenance
- If you spot signs of wear and tear like cracked sidewalks, faded paint or lights not working properly it’s a signal that maintenance should be scheduled. These issues do not impact the appearance of your shopping center. Can also present safety risks.
- Take note of tenant complaints related to heating or cooling issues, plumbing leaks or pest problems. Addressing these promptly demonstrates your dedication to tenant satisfaction and property maintenance.
- Certain maintenance tasks are most effective when done seasonally. For example, preparing HVAC systems before summer and winter can help prevent breakdowns during usage periods.
Regular Maintenance Schedule
Establishing a maintenance schedule plays a role in proactive property management. This schedule should involve inspections and maintenance checks to detect problems early on.
Monthly Inspections – Conduct inspections of common areas parking lots and landscaping.
Quarterly Maintenance – Schedule maintenance for HVAC systems, plumbing and electrical systems.
Annual Upgrades – Plan upgrades or renovations to tackle issues or enhance energy efficiency.
Emergencies and Immediate Repairs
With upkeep emergencies may still arise. It’s really important to have a maintenance service, on standby for any repairs especially when businesses are bustling during weekends or holidays. Emergencies like burst pipes, electrical issues or HVAC malfunctions can pop up unexpectedly. Having a maintenance team ready to go ensures fixes. Keeps disruptions to a minimum for your tenants.
When you’re choosing a maintenance service for your shopping center in Tampa it’s key to look at their experience, reliability and the range of services they provide. Opt for a company with experience in maintaining properties ideally one that specializes in shopping centers. Take a peek at reviews and feedback from property managers to get an idea of their standing in the industry.
Conclusion
Unlike office or industrial properties, retail properties require a higher level of maintenance. This means that expenses per square foot are higher for retail properties. This affects gross and net rental income for both landlords and tenants. It is common knowledge among shopping center and leasing managers to keep property operating expenses below the “average. Keep up with scheduled maintenance. Shopping center and leasing managers are well aware of the need to stay within the “averages” when it comes to property operating costs. Structure your maintenance programs accordingly. To keep your property in excellent condition, contact a reputable Tampa shopping center maintenance company.
