What is Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) and Why Does It Matter?

When it comes to managing buildings, there’s a choice to be made: wait until things break, or stop them from breaking in the first place.

Comparison chart of reactive maintenance and planned preventative maintenance strategies.

That’s where Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) comes in; a structured, proactive approach to building maintenance that helps avoid disruption, reduce costs, and ensure compliance.

What is PPM?

Planned Preventative Maintenance refers to a scheduled approach to maintaining equipment and systems before faults occur. It’s a long-term strategy designed to keep everything running smoothly, from fire alarms and emergency lighting to HVAC systems and water hygiene. Rather than reacting to breakdowns or compliance issues, PPM helps you stay one step ahead.

Technician conducting routine maintenance as part of a planned preventative maintenance schedule.

Why It Matters

1. Avoid Disruptions

Unplanned outages can be expensive and disruptive, especially in high-traffic buildings like schools, offices, or care facilities. PPM helps you spot potential issues before they become major problems.

2. Maintain Compliance

From fire safety regulations to water testing and electrical inspections, PPM ensures you’re always meeting your legal obligations. This protects your organisation and the people inside your building.

3. Improve Budget Control

Emergency repairs are often more expensive than planned servicing. By spreading costs throughout the year, PPM helps you manage budgets more predictably.

4. Extend Asset Lifespan

Systems that are regularly maintained tend to last longer. That means fewer replacements, less waste, and better return on investment for your assets.

Examples of PPM Services

At Heb Facilities Management, our PPM offering covers all major building systems, including:

  • Fire Alarm Testing & Maintenance

  • Emergency Lighting Inspections

  • Fixed Wire Testing (EICR)

  • Water Hygiene & Legionella Control

  • HVAC Servicing (Heating, Ventilation & AC)

  • Lift & Escalator Servicing

  • Security Systems Maintenance

We tailor each maintenance schedule based on your building’s usage, size, sector, and compliance requirements.

How Heb Facilities Management Delivers PPM

With Heb, PPM isn’t just a checklist. It’s a bespoke maintenance regime built around your operational needs.

  • Delivered by qualified, multi-skilled engineers

  • Scheduled at times that minimise disruption

  • Tracked and reported via our digital CAFM system

  • Backed by 24/7 support and emergency call-out

We work with clients across education, commercial, healthcare, and public sectors to help them keep buildings safe, legal, and fully operational.

Ready to Take a Proactive Approach?

If your current maintenance setup is reactive or inconsistent, we’d love to talk. Our team can review your needs and build a preventative maintenance plan that works for your building, budget, and compliance requirements.

Let’s make maintenance easy and proactive.