9 Commercial Property Problems and How FM Fixes Them

Commercial buildings come with their share of problems — especially when a property is an older one. Facility management services proactively deter common problems found in commercial properties before they become serious, costly issues.

Omnia360 Facility Solutions in Cincinnati, Ohio, covers all facets of building maintenance to help you stay focused on what matters: running your business. 

Here are the nine most common issues faced by commercial property owners…

 

1. Leaks 

Leaks start small but turn into giant costly dilemmas for your commercial building. Whether a leak is coming from bathroom pipes, the roof, or the ceiling, it should be identified and fixed quickly. 

 

A good FM company will inspect your roof fairly regularly to ensure no issues are creeping up that demand repair. If a leak is spotted, it’s sealed immediately or replaced with new materials. 

 

2. Electric Faults 

Electrical faults include any abnormal electrical current. And if you’re experiencing sudden power outages, inconsistent lighting, or dead outlets, there might just be major damage to your electrical system, be it a blown-out fuse or circuit breaker.  

 

It’s critical that you locate the root cause and solve the electric fault immediately. Full-service FM companies can do just that. They also offer emergency, reactive maintenance to handle blackouts at any time, whether it’s 3 p.m. or 3 a.m.

 

Facility maintenance contractors are cross-trained specialists skilled in a variety of trades, from electrical maintenance to plumbing and HVAC repair. Your FM provider can establish the best plan of action for preventing and resolving electrical damage on your commercial property. 

 

3. Cracks

Just like a leak, if a crack is small or situated in an unimportant location, there’s a chance that it’s connected to a larger problem with your building. 

 

An FM company can identify the issue and solve it (caulk the crack) or outsource the job to a specialist. Having an expert eye to watch your building is worth the investment. 

 

For instance, spotting cracks in the foundation could mean your building has structural issues: concrete decay, steel support corrosion, honeycombing, or cold joints. 

 

The decaying concrete should be replaced or repaired immediately to avoid disaster, or you’ll run the risk of the building collapsing. 

 

This is why building inspections should be done annually by qualified, certified experts specializing in certain facets of a building. These should also be documented and photographed to compare changes year over year. 

 

4. Excess Moisture and Mold

Water damage, high humidity, or uneven temperature control are part of “excessive moisture” in a building. Moisture also generates in all sorts of places. An FM company will ensure that moisture from the outside is contained with waterproofing and insulation. 

 

It might mean doing something as simple as removing moisture-generating plants from the office or something as complex as applying waterproof membranes to a below-grade wall to stop condensation from forming. 

 

If moist, dark spaces exist, you can be sure that mold does too. Mold spores impair indoor air quality for you, your employees, and your clients. 

 

Prevention is key. It’s why FM companies work diligently to create an itemized plan of maintenance task priorities uniquely tailored to your building’s needs. 

 

5. Security Issues 

Older properties are notorious for this issue; since the infrastructure wears down over time, there are more security risks concerning the building. 

 

Breaches can be an issue in rooms where expensive equipment is located (computers, printers, office supplies). 

 

It’s important to always have employees or staff members check the locks on all doors and windows before closing the building. 

 

An FM company can identify solutions to certain security issues, like worn-out locks or door hinges, and offer repair and replacement services to fix them. 

 

6. Non-Compliance with Fire & Safety Codes 

This isn’t a structural issue. But it can pose a problem, nonetheless. Laws and guidelines vary by state and can change over the years, so it’s important to stay up-to-date and make the necessary adjustments to your building. 

 

Read about Cincinnati’s Fire Prevention Code

 

Hiring an FM company puts yet another “to-do” off of your shoulders and onto theirs. They dig into regulatory information about your current structures to ensure everything is up-to-date and compliant. 

 

7. Inefficient Energy Consumption 

Approximately 35% of the energy consumed in the U.S. is by commercial buildings. Identifying areas of your building that can be improved to maximize energy conservation is important to keeping your operation budget-friendly.

 

Even without an FM company, you can: 

  • Complete Regular HVAC maintenance & inspection 
  • Add Insulation
  • Turn off electronics & tech not in use 
  • Switch to LED lighting

 

FM companies take a proactive approach to maximizing the energy efficiency of your building, focusing on HVAC performance and operability. Facility managers constantly look for ways to achieve efficient energy consumption and lower monthly energy bills. 

 

8. Pests

If there’s food, there’s a chance they’ll be pests following close by. Prevention is the best course of action. Get rid of rodents or mice immediately; set out traps and use pest repellent. You don’t want critters chewing through your office wiring or drywall. 

 

If you already have pests on your property, call an exterminator. Some facility maintenance companies can take care of the issue so long as it’s part of your service contract. 

 

9. Old Property 

 

Older properties come with their share of problems, sure. But if your property was built between the 1930s to 1970s, asbestos (harmful carcinogen) may have been used during its construction. 

 

It’s important to make note of this and to hire a professional to check to see if asbestos is in ceiling areas, floor tiles, shingles, or anywhere else. 

 

To safely remove asbestos from a building can get expensive. Some FM companies can offer this service as part of a customized package, though most do not. 

 

Why FM Matters for Commercial Properties (Key Takeaways):

  • Proactive Building Maintenance 
  • Lower Energy Costs 
  • Long-Term Sustainable Facility Performance 

Hiring a reputable facility management company ensures that your building is maintained all year long: emergency HVAC, plumbing or electrical repairs, janitorial services, landscaping, and regulatory compliance requirements are all covered (depending on your contract). 

Hire Omnia360 in Cincinnati, Ohio, For 24/7 Commercial Property Repairs

Call us at 833.360.6642 or request a FREE assessment.

What is Facilities Asset Management?

Asset management is a fundamental part of getting results as a facilities management company. It falls under the broad service of facilities maintenance, which involves the day-to-day tasks of running a building or workplace. 

In today’s post, Omnia360, a leading facility management company in Cincinnati, Ohio, breaks down what facilities asset management is and why your business needs it! 

What is facilities asset management? 

Also referred to as lifecycle planning, facilities asset management serves to create a framework for how to operate, maintain, renew, and retire high-value assets at a company. 

These assets can include a building’s HVAC unit, company vehicles, and even proprietary software licenses. 

 

Personnel-related assets: items that are related to employees’ personal use (vehicles, mobile devices, uniforms, protective gear, etc.).

IT-related assets: software and computer equipment utilized by your facility (copiers, printers, software licenses, data infrastructure, etc.).

Facility-related assets: anything in your building’s infrastructure (HVAC, electrical system, break room appliances, plumbing, and more).

 

A facility’s assets are defined in several ways: 

  1. Cost in relation to budget — anything over X thousand dollars is an asset. 
  2. Life cycle investments — any substantial investment over time. 
  3. Life cycle investments + leased assets, 12-month liabilities, FASB-reported capital investments, and depreciating assets. 

 

Three observable traits in a facility’s assets

High value: they’re a considerable monetary investment.

Depreciating: their value decreases from the initial investment cost.

Essential: they’re required for your facility to perform at full capacity.

 

How FM Companies Track Facility Assets

Asset management lives and dies by the facility management software a company uses. 

 

The software is what helps to establish a recurring preventative maintenance schedule, accurately allocate the budget of your maintenance plan, and track an asset’s performance, improvements, depreciation, and more. 

 

Managing a facility’s assets starts with one thing…

 

  • Facility Data Collection 

Collecting the right performance data on your assets, as well as making notes on the asset name, category, model number, etc., is part of establishing an accurate, long-term asset management plan. 

 

  • Maintaining the Asset

Maintenance and asset management work closely with one another to ensure your facility is being maintained in a cost-effective manner. Working with an inventory list that establishes deferred maintenance and scheduled replacement of all assets. 

 

  • Strategic Facility Planning 

After collecting data and establishing a maintenance list for your asset inventory, a strategic plan is established that prioritizes particular assets over others. This is determined by a building’s goals, their budget, and information gleaned from the data. 

 

Great FM companies are adaptable and can adjust the strategy based on a building’s evolving needs. 

 

Core benefits of facilities asset management

Life cycle planning allows for facility managers to forecast operational costs, plan for maintenance and system upgrades, and minimize the total cost of ownership at the asset level. 

 

Asset management also applies to companies that license software. It gives one the ability to plan the upgrade process to the latest software update in the future and determine if demand for licenses has grown or shrunk within the organization. 

 

FM Industry Terminology: What You Need to Know

  • Capital improvement: dollar cost to preserve a building function
  • Capitalized asset: an asset that has reached a break-even point from investment
  • Depreciation: how much the value of an asset has decreased since the initial investment 
  • End-of-life date: the planned date of eliminating an asset based on its operable life
  • Asset class: groups of similar assets tracked for purposes of accounting
  • Ghost asset: an asset on the company’s books but no longer in use 
  • Life cycle management: a comprehensive plan for an asset, from acquisition to use and disposal
  • Planned obsolescence: getting rid of an asset early, before it’s no longer usable
  • Total cost of ownership: total cost to own, maintain, and use an asset 

 

The Value of Facilities Management & Asset Maintenance

Facilities work to serve the unique needs of their clients, depending on the industry vertical they’re in, as well as their facility’s usable assets. 

 

FM companies work to monitor, manage, and maintain all manner of building assets, from copy machines to commercial HVAC systems, which ultimately works to save your business money in the long run in a few critical ways: 

 

  • No breaks in production from blackouts or outages (due to a well-maintained facility) 
  • Better consumer appeal from landscaping and parking lot cleaning (impressing customers with a great-looking external facility) 
  • All-in-one work order payments (no more juggling contracts between various trades services) 

 

Get 24/7 Facility Maintenance from a Premier FM Company in Cincinnati, OH.

Our cross-trained trades specialist can deliver exceptional results for your facility. We’ll give you a custom-tailored maintenance plan based on your goals and budget. Get a free assessment from one of our representatives today at: 833.360.6642

Omnia360 Discusses The Power of Collaboration In Project Management

Reliable team members are the key to meeting deadlines. In the world of project management, projects can stall if proper communication isn’t maintained to keep the project moving forward. 

 

We understand this and integrating project management to your business needs is a specialty of ours here at Omnia360 Facility Solutions. Our mobile and collaborative nature as a company is the reason we are so streamlined, successful, and focused in our pursuits of providing integrated project management to each of our clients. In today’s blog, we’ll explore the positive power of collaboration in project management.

 

What Is Collaboration? 

Working in tandem with another person or a community to create something or execute a service is the universally accepted idea behind collaboration. 

In the field of project management, this means communicating with multiple stakeholders, operations departments, and internal teams in order to meet the needs of the client and finish the project. 

 

When Does My Business Need Project Management? 

Project Management applies to any current or future project that will require a large amount of focused attention from multiple stakeholders. 

This could include an office move, restructuring your HVAC system needs across all locations, updating your software as a company, navigating a company restructuring, and more. All of these common business situations would benefit from the use of effective project management

 

Where Does Omnia360 Come Into Play?

Omnia360 Facility Solutions specializes in project management services, offered in our integrated, mobile, or on-site business solutions packages or as a standalone solution. 

We have a team of industry experts, as well as a multitude of third-party contracted resources that we can bring to the table to expedite your project timeline. Our team is mobile and on-site, which speaks to the collaborative approach we offer within our organization.

 

Omnia360 Understands Your Project Management Needs

Omnia360 integrates facility management with efficient operations for project management. If you’re interested in receiving a collaborative solution, project management, mobile, or site-based solutions, we’d love to hear from you!

To learn more about our products and services, please get in touch with us online, or give us a call at 833.360.6642. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

How Omnias360’s Approach Connects With Integrated Facility Solutions

Outsourcing is becoming more popular by the day because of the efficiency involved with paying money to a company for a job that the primary service provider might not specialize in. In the world of facility management, outsourcing is crucial, especially for our team at Omnia360. In today’s blog, we’ll explain how we embrace integrated facility solutions for our clients. 

 

We are the Integrated Facility Solution

As a company, we specialize in being the company our clients outsource their facility management needs to. We focus on providing a one-stop service solution experience for all of our clients so that they can focus on day-to-day operations. 

 

Project Management

Our team that focuses on project management will consult your company to execute onsite projects or find the best service solution for you. If you’re facing a staffing shortage or transition, we have your facility management solutions in mind and will work with you. Our team is full of industry experts who are data and results-driven in their decision-making. 

 

Site-Based Solutions

If you require a team of highly skilled service technicians, HVAC techs, or groundskeeping team members, we can have them there quickly. Our team can stay on-site for as long or as little as your contract requires. We also offer a service line so that we can be there anytime. 

 

Mobile Solutions

If you’re not quite settled on an onsite team, we’re happy to provide our mobile solutions line to your business. Our team of mobile technicians provides onsite staff expertise with the convenience of a mobile solution. We are available and just a call away.

 

Omnia360 Integrates Facility Management With Efficient Operations

Our data-driven team of industry experts focuses on the most efficient pathway to helping your business achieve the most optimal facility solutions possible. 

 

If you’re interested in receiving a collaborative solution, project management, mobile, or site-based solutions, we’d love to hear from you! To learn more about our products and services, please get in touch with us online, or give us a call at 833.360.6642. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Outsourcing is becoming more popular by the day because of the efficiency involved with paying a company money to do a job that the primary service provider might not specialize in. In the world of facility management, outsourcing is crucial, especially for our team at Omnia360. In today’s blog, we’ll explain how we embrace integrated facility solutions for our clients. 

 

We are the Integrated Facility Solution

As a company, we specialize in being the company our clients outsource their facility management needs to. We focus on providing a one-stop service solution experience for all of our clients so that they can focus on day-to-day operations. 

 

Project Management

Our team that focuses on project management will consult your company to execute onsite projects or find the best service solution for you. If you’re facing a staffing shortage or transition, we have your facility management solutions in mind and will work with you. Our team is full of industry experts who are data and results-driven in their decision-making. 

 

Site-Based Solutions

If you require a team of highly skilled service technicians, HVAC techs, or groundskeeping team members, we can have them there quickly. Our team can stay on-site for as long or as little as your contract requires. We also offer a service line so that we can be there anytime. 

 

Mobile Solutions

If you’re not quite settled on an onsite team, we’re happy to provide our mobile solutions line to your business. Our team of mobile technicians provides onsite staff expertise with the convenience of a mobile solution. We are available and just a call away.

 

Omnia360 Integrates Facility Management With Efficient Operations

Our data-driven team of industry experts focuses on the most efficient pathway to helping your business achieve the most optimal facility solutions possible. 

 

If you’re interested in receiving a collaborative solution, project management, mobile, or site-based solutions, we’d love to hear from you! To learn more about our products and services, please get in touch with us online, or give us a call at 833.360.6642. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.