Planned Preventative Maintenance for Residential Blocks

What a planned maintenance plan covers

A PPM plan lists every part of the building that will wear out. It shows when each part is likely to need work and what that should cost. The RICS residential management code says all buildings should have one, costed and long-term, reflecting the age and condition of the building.

The code was approved by the Secretary of State in 2026, so it is the standard a tribunal will look to. A good plan covers four groups of items.

Planned maintenance is not the same as the servicing contracts the block already holds. Servicing keeps the lift running this year. The plan says when the lift will need modernising and how much should be put aside for it.

Building the 10-year schedule

The schedule starts with a condition survey by a building surveyor. Each element gets a description, its condition, a remaining life and a cost for the work. Those lines are then set out year by year, usually over ten years or more.

On larger or mixed developments the RICS code goes further. It points to a full stock condition survey and a life cycle costing exercise, both by appropriate professionals.

Statutory checks belong in the schedule too, because they often trigger the work. Under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, communal fire doors in blocks above 11 metres are checked at least every three months. Flat entrance doors are checked, on best endeavours, every twelve months. A failed check today can mean a fire door replacement programme next year.

Group items that share access. Roof, gutter and chimney work all need the same scaffold, so plan them for the same year. Doing so cuts one of the largest preliminary costs on any external scheme.

Reserve fund and service charge budget

The plan sets the reserve fund. The RICS code says the level of reserve fund collections should be informed by the PPM plan. Its purpose is to spread the cost of major work evenly over the life of the lease.

That protects the leaseholder who happens to own a flat in the year the roof is replaced. It also protects the board from a sudden demand that leaseholders cannot pay.

Three rules from the code and the law shape the budget:

1. Reserve funds are for major works. The code says they should not subsidise day-to-day spending, routine repairs or arrears, except in exceptional circumstances.
2. The money is held on trust. Under section 42 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, service charge contributions are trust funds for the leaseholders.
3. Demands have a time limit. Under section 20B of the 1985 Act, costs incurred over 18 months before a demand cannot be recovered. The exception is where leaseholders were told in writing within that time.

The code also says the plan and the projected contributions should be available to all leaseholders on request, and to buyers on resale. A clear plan helps flat sales as well as the works.

Some leases do not allow a reserve fund. The code then says leaseholders should be told the future costs so they can save for them. Some boards then apply to the tribunal to vary the leases.

From the plan to a Section 20 programme

When a line on the plan comes due, it becomes a scheme of qualifying works. Once any one leaseholder's share is more than £250, the landlord must run a Section 20 consultation before the work can be charged in full.

The handover from plan to programme decides whether the estimate holds. Four steps keep it on track:

1. Update the survey. The plan's cost may be years old. Re-inspect the element before you write the scope.
2. Write one specification. Every contractor prices the same scope, so leaseholders compare like with like.
3. Price the access once. Scaffold, hoists and protection for common parts are priced as one package.
4. Plan for residents. Working hours, deliveries and who answers questions go into the tender.

We price from the surveyor's report and the plan, so the figures can go straight into the statement of estimates. Send us the plan or the report and we reply the same working day.

A maintenance contract that runs for more than twelve months is a qualifying long-term agreement. It has its own consultation route and a trigger of £100 per leaseholder in an accounting period.

Mansion and period blocks: what to plan for

Mansion blocks in Kensington, Marylebone, Maida Vale and St John's Wood need a plan written for period fabric. Brick, stone, timber sash windows, lead and slate roofs and cast-iron rainwater pipes last for generations when repaired in time. They become very costly when they are left.

Plan these items with care:

1. Stone and brick. Repointing and stone repair in a matching lime mortar, not a hard cement.
2. Sash windows. Restoring and draught-proofing the original sashes is often possible instead of replacing them.
3. Roofs and rainwater goods. Slates, lead flashings, valley gutters and cast-iron downpipes, checked from the same scaffold.
4. Lifts. Older cage lifts need specialist modernising that keeps the character of the lobby.
5. Entrance halls and stairs. Marble, mosaic, panelling and the runner are what buyers see first.

Some of these blocks are listed, and many sit in a conservation area. Works that affect the character of a listed building need listed building consent, so allow the time in the plan.

Where a block has roof space, a new storey can sometimes fund the works: see airspace development. For roofs and facades on mixed or commercial blocks, see our commercial roofing and facade work.

Reviewing the plan after the works

A plan is only useful while it matches the building. After each scheme, update it with what was done, what was found once the scaffold went up, and the new remaining lives.

Review the plan every year when the service charge budget is set. Redo the condition survey every few years, or sooner after a major scheme or a change in the law.