Maintenance
Maintenance is an optional module. An administrator switches it on under Manage data, Module settings, by ticking Maintenance. It then appears under Buildings in the menu, with an Overview of emergencies, jobs past target, overdue statutory tasks, contracts to re-tender and contractors whose insurance is running out.
What sets PHAEMA apart is that maintenance is linked to the lease: who pays for a repair is worked out from the lease repairing terms, and the cost can go straight to the tenant's rent account or the service charge.
Reporting a repair
Select Report a repair, or Report a repair on a property's maintenance page. Choose the property, say what needs doing, pick a category (roof, heating, electrical and so on) and a priority:
The overview: emergencies, jobs past target and what is due.
| Priority | Target |
|---|---|
| Emergency | Make safe the same day |
| Urgent | Within 5 working days |
| Routine | Within 20 working days |
| Planned | The planned task's due date |
Weekends and England and Wales bank holidays are not counted. Each job gets a number such as JOB-2026-0042, which is also the works order number.
Who pays
PHAEMA suggests who pays from the current lease of the property:
A job shows who pays, and the hazards before anyone visits.
| Lease | Repairs to the inside | Structure, roof and exterior |
|---|---|---|
| Full repairing | Tenant | Tenant |
| Internal repairing, or limited by a schedule of condition | Tenant | Council, through the service charge if the lease has one |
| Landlord repairs | Council (service charge if there is one) | Council (service charge if there is one) |
| Not let | Council | Council |
Common parts of a building with let units go to the service charge when the leases have one. A property's maintenance page shows the whole table for that property. The suggestion is a starting point: change it on the job, with a reason, for example Council, recharged to the tenant for damage they caused. Always check the lease itself for anything unusual.
Works orders and approval
On the job, choose the contractor, enter the estimate and any purchase order number from the finance system, then Issue the works order. PHAEMA can email the order to the contractor, and Print the works order gives a printable copy. PHAEMA warns if the contractor's insurance has expired or is not recorded.
Orders estimated above the approval limit (£5,000 unless an administrator changes it in Module settings) need approval first. Select Ask your supervisor to approve the order: your supervisor is emailed and sees it on their dashboard. Nobody approves their own order; administrators can approve any. If the estimate changes after approval, it needs approving again. Supervisors are set on each user record (see Users and roles).
Completing and paying
Record the completion date, the work done, the final cost and the contractor's invoice number. Add photos and certificates as documents. Then, depending on who pays:
- Recharged to the tenant: select Recharge the cost to add a charge to the tenant's rent account, with VAT if the lease is opted.
- Service charge: choose the service charge year and heading to add the cost to that year's spending.
Close the job when everything is settled.
Planned maintenance
On a property's maintenance page, Add tasks from the library lists common planned and statutory tasks, such as gas safety checks, fixed electrical inspections (EICR), fire alarm servicing, emergency lighting tests, legionella risk assessments, asbestos re-inspections and lift thorough examinations, each with its usual frequency and the law or standard behind it. Tick the ones that apply, set the first due date and the contractor. Change any task's frequency or dates under Manage data. The library is PHAEMA's own; check frequencies against your risk assessments, written schemes and the manufacturers' instructions.
Planned and statutory tasks, overdue first.
PHAEMA raises a job for each task 28 days before it is due (change this per task, or leave it blank to raise jobs by hand). Completing the job records the task as done and sets the next due date. You can also select Done on the task itself. Overdue statutory tasks show red on the dashboard and the overview.
Components and the lifecycle forecast
The component register records the parts of each building that wear out: roofs, boilers, lifts, windows, fire alarms. Add them under Add a component on a property's maintenance page. For each, record the category, Uniclass 2015 code and NRM3 element if you use them, the year installed and expected life, the condition grade (A good, B satisfactory, C poor, D bad) and the replacement cost.
Components with condition and replacement cost.
Lifecycle forecast shows when components fall due for replacement over 5 to 30 years, and the cost each year, split between capital and revenue. Download it to Excel for the capital programme.
Contractors
Administrators add contractors under Manage data, with contact details, out of hours number, insurer, public liability cover, insurance expiry date and accreditations. A contractor's page shows their jobs, contracts and spend in the last 12 months.
Contracts
The contracts register records service contracts, such as fire alarm servicing or water hygiene, with their term, annual value and the properties they cover. The RICS professional standard on service charges in commercial property expects contracts to be re-tendered or benchmarked at least every three years, so PHAEMA shows when each is due and lists those due within six months on the overview. Record the date a contract was last tendered or benchmarked to move the date on.
Filtering by building or surveyor
The repair jobs, planned maintenance, components, lifecycle forecast and contracts pages can be filtered by building or estate (including every unit and part within it) and by managing surveyor (or "Mine"). The same filters are on the cases, lease events, leases, compliance and asset valuation pages. Downloads to Excel follow the filters.
Reports
The Maintenance ready-made reports include repairs past target, statutory maintenance overdue, planned maintenance due in 90 days, repair spending in the last 12 months, components in poor or bad condition, contracts due for re-tender and contractor insurance expiring.
Worked example
At DM-N04 Northfield Leisure Centre a ceiling tile has fallen near the learner pool. The job is reported as an emergency, so its target is the same day, and the works order goes to the building contractor straight away. Who pays shows PHAEMA's suggestion from the leisure trust's lease (DL-0520), which keeps structural repairs with the council: check the lease and change it with a reason if needed. The job page's Before you visit panel warns about the pool plant room.
At DM-N09 Northfield Market Hall, replacing cracked panes in the roof lantern is estimated at £14,800, above the £5,000 approval limit, so the order waits for Sam Hughes to approve it. At Unit 6 of the business park, graffiti on the shutter was removed for £180 and marked Council, recharged to the tenant: select Recharge the cost to add it to the tenant's rent account.