Having a maintenance program is essential for your roof. Many roofing warranties require one, so without it, you could forfeit your warranty. Sometimes, you can even get a warranty extension if your company has a good enough maintenance program. You have different options for a roof maintenance program, so choose one based on the needs and resources of your business.
Have Your Staff Check the Roof
If you’re a facility manager with a maintenance staff, you could have a roofing consultant teach your staff the problems to check for on a commercial building’s roof. The staff can then check it on a regular basis, and your company can bring in a contractor when your staff finds a problem. This type of maintenance program can save your company money on contractor inspections, and is often a smart choice for new roofs. However, it might not be enough to satisfy your warranty’s maintenance requirement.
Bring in Outside Help
Instead, you could contract a roofing consultant or a reputable roofing company to inspect the roof two times per year. During that time, ask the professional to provide documentation of any problems that need to be fixed, with estimates. You can use that list to prioritize the jobs. This type of program will generally satisfy a warranty’s requirements, as long as you keep documentation.
Making the Case for the Cost of a Roof Maintenance Program
The best argument for hiring a professional for roof maintenance is that your company will generally pay much less of its budget on maintenance costs than on emergency repair costs. In addition to the cost of fixing or replacing the roof when there’s a problem – which includes higher emergency rates – you and higher management need to think about how a leaking roof could damage the interior of the building, creating the need for internal repairs and cutting into the company’s productivity. The leak could also damage equipment, merchandise and other goods. In addition, you can end up with an unsafe space for employees, customers and clients. The cost of maintenance is much cheaper than that.