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Planned vs Reactive Maintenance for Blocks of Flats

Why block and property managers who plan heating and plumbing maintenance spend less time firefighting, and how to build a simple plan.

Property Management21 Sept 2026 · 4 min read

By , Gas Safe registered heating engineer

Most building managers know the pattern: the first cold week of the year brings a wave of heating calls, emergency rates and unhappy residents. Planned maintenance doesn't stop every fault, but it moves most of the work to a time that suits you.

What reactive-only maintenance costs you

  • Emergency callouts at the busiest time of year, when engineers are hardest to book.
  • Small faults left long enough to become leaks that affect neighbouring flats.
  • More complaints and more time spent by your team relaying messages between residents and contractors.

A simple planned maintenance schedule

  • Annual boiler servicing for landlord-supplied and communal boilers, booked before the heating season.
  • Gas safety checks lined up with servicing where possible, so one visit covers both.
  • A pre-winter check of communal heating, pumps and controls.
  • Periodic checks of visible pipework, stopcocks and isolation valves so they work when you need them.
  • A record of every visit, so you can show residents and freeholders what has been done.

Making reactive jobs easier

Some faults will always come out of the blue. Agree in advance how jobs are raised, who arranges access with residents and what information comes back to you afterwards, and reactive work becomes a routine process rather than a scramble.

We build planned maintenance around your buildings and handle reactive jobs under the same account, at agreed rates, with a report after every visit.

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