In facilities management for commercial property, Active Workplace Group has seen that a preventative (planned) approach almost always outperforms a purely reactive one on cost, compliance and occupant experience. Reactive work will always exist, and we have engineers ready to help, but making it your default strategy tends to increase total spend and risk.
What Each Approach Means
Preventative (planned preventative maintenance, PPM): Scheduled inspections, servicing and minor repairs carried out before failure, based on manufacturer guidance, risk and usage. Examples include quarterly HVAC servicing, annual boiler checks, five‑year fixed‑wire electrical inspections and regular fire‑alarm testing.
Reactive maintenance: Work undertaken only after a fault or breakdown is reported, such as fixing a burst pipe, restoring a failed heating plant in winter, or repairing storm‑damaged roofing. Some reactive work is unavoidable, but relying on it as the main strategy removes control.
Cost and Budgeting
Although reactive maintenance can look cheaper at first glance (no scheduled visits or servicing fees), the true cost is higher once you include emergency call‑out premiums, out‑of‑hours labour, secondary damage and downtime. Whist at Active we do all we can to be a low cost option, Industry sources suggest reactive repairs can cost three to five times more than equivalent planned work when all direct and indirect costs are counted.
By contrast, PPM delivers predictable, planned rates and lets you programme works around occupants. Benchmarks indicate lifecycle savings of 30–50% versus mainly reactive regimes, and a common rule of thumb is that every £1 spent on preventative maintenance saves £3–£5 in emergency repairs. For a building with a £250,000 annual maintenance budget, a well‑run PPM programme might save £30,000–£45,000 a year compared with reactive‑only.
Risk, Compliance and Safety
A preventative programme reduces unplanned breakdowns and provides clear evidence of due diligence, which matters for statutory duties (for example fire safety, electrical safety and gas). Running assets to failure increases safety risks, can trigger legal repercussions for the FM or property owner, and raises the chance of cascading damage from small faults that go undetected.
Reactive‑led estates also face higher health‑and‑safety exposure: slips, trips and falls from neglected surfaces, unsafe access routes, or failed systems can lead to claims, insurance costs and reputational damage.
Asset Life, Performance and Carbon
Regular servicing keeps equipment running efficiently, lowers energy use and extends asset life, delaying costly capital replacement. Poorly maintained plant has been shown to consume more energy and deteriorate faster; replacing assets more often also increases embodied carbon from manufacturing and installation.
PPM therefore supports both operational savings and sustainability goals by reducing failure‑driven replacements and improving energy performance.
Occupier Experience and Operations
Our Active engineers understand that planned works can be scheduled at quiet times, minimising disruption to tenants and business‑critical operations. Reactive failures, by contrast, often occur at the worst moment (mid‑winter heating loss, summer cooling failure), causing downtime, complaints and lost productivity. Research highlights that winter weather disruptions alone cost UK businesses over £1 billion annually, much of it tied to unplanned building issues.
A Balanced Approach in Practice
Best practice in UK FM now recommends around 70–80% of maintenance activity being planned (preventive) and 20–30% reactive, acknowledging that some breakdowns are inevitable. The aim is to catch faults early, keep statutory compliance tight and reserve reactive capacity for genuine emergencies. If you would like to discuss your FM needs the please get in touch.
Want to make your facilities work harder for your business?
Get in touch with Active Workplace Group to discuss a smarter, more proactive approach to Facilities Management.
✉️ hello@activeworkplacegroup.co.uk
📞 0118 944 2903