Advice & Guidance
Making a Plan
The best way to identify maintenance problems is to carry out an annual inspection of the fabric of your place of worship. This should help you to spot potential issues at an early stage and allow you to take action before any problems escalate.
It is also wise to check your building for
damage after storms or severe weather as roof coverings and protective
flashings may become dislodged.
In addition to inspecting your building on a regular basis it is a good idea to plan for the cyclical maintenance activities and minor running repairs that you expect to carry out on a regular basis.
The following major items are likely to be necessary for most places of worship:
| Item | Frequency |
| Cleaning gutters and downpipes etc. | 6 monthly |
| Building inspection | Annually |
| Servicing the boiler | Annually |
| Lightning protection system testing | Annually |
| Fire extinguisher servicing | Annually |
| Fire detection/alarm servicing | Annually |
| Tuning the organ | Annually |
| Servicing the clock |
Annually |
| Portable appliance testing | Varies |
| Electrical testing | Every 5 years |
| Inspection of high level areas | Every 5
- 10 years |
You may also wish to include other tasks that are undertaken by volunteers such as grounds maintenance, oiling locks and hinges; spring cleaning; bird-proofing the tower; removing plant growth from the base of the walls; repainting timber or metalwork etc.
Setting out your maintenance plan is a matter of personal choice as you can document it in a number ways depending on what works best for you. The key point is to find a system that is simple to use but still includes all the necessary information.
Some volunteers use a spreadsheet
(example). This may take time to set up but can also be used as a
permanent record of what has been done and is easy to update. Others prefer to use a calendar or a wall
planner which can be kept in the church office. This can work quite well as it
can be a highly visible reminder. You might also like to refer to the Faith in
Maintenance calendar or the Calendar
of Care produced by the Church of England.
Further information
Guidance on setting up a maintenance plan is available from a number of organisations. Some of the most useful sources of advice are set out below but don't forget that you can also ask your professional adviser for assistance.
- English Heritage guidance on writing 'Maintenance Plans'
- Methodist Church -Technical and Conservation Guidance
- Plato Property Handbook (URC)
Lastly, you might find it helpful to think about setting an annual budget for maintenance tasks at the same time as writing your maintenance plan.
© SPAB 2010
