Roof emergency?
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CHAS Advanced · NFRC · Reset ComplianceThe cheapest roof repair is the one you don't need.
Planned preventive maintenance — PPM — is the discipline of scheduled roof inspection and pre-emptive remedial work, recorded in writing. A roof that is inspected each year is a roof whose defects are caught before they become water ingress, before they reach the insulation, and long before they reach the ceiling tiles in a clinical area, classroom or office.
The procurement case for PPM is straightforward: scheduled visits cost a known sum each year; emergency repairs cost an unknown sum, usually at a worse moment, often with secondary damage to suspended ceilings, finishes, IT equipment, stock, plant or tenants. PPM converts an unpredictable risk into a predictable cost line.
For NHS estates teams, school business managers, housing association property officers, local authority property leads and commercial facilities managers, PPM is also a documentation discipline — a paper trail that demonstrates the building is being maintained to a defined standard.
02 — What a PPM visit coversThe scope of a typical PPM attendance.
Each PPM visit follows the same documented inspection routine. The scope is sized to the building — a school building, a multi-block housing estate and a single-storey industrial unit each need different cadences and different inspection points.
Roof surface inspection
Visible condition of the roof covering — slate, tile, felt, single-ply, EPDM, metal sheet. Identifies slipped or missing tiles, blistered membrane, split laps, ponding water, weathered surface, plant or vegetation damage.
All roof types · annualGutter & outlet clearance
Inspection and clearance of valley gutters, parapet gutters, hopper heads, downpipes and rainwater outlets. The most common cause of water ingress is a blocked or partially blocked drainage path.
Drainage · debris · moss · leavesFlashing & leadwork
Step flashings, chimney aprons, parapet cover flashings, abutments and secret gutters. Lead can lift, mortar can fail, and these are usually the first sources of localised leaks.
Lead · flashings · abutmentsRoof penetrations
Soil vent pipes, flue terminals, satellite mounts, plant equipment, cable penetrations and rooflights. Each penetration is a potential point of failure that needs verifying.
SVPs · flues · rooflights · plantPhotographic record
Every visit produces a photographic record of the roof condition. The photos are dated, captioned and supplied as part of the visit report. Useful for budget approval, insurance discussion and ongoing condition tracking.
Records · evidence · trend trackingWritten report
Condition narrative, defect list, photographic appendix, prioritised remedial recommendations with indicative cost banding where appropriate. Supports budget planning and audit trail.
Report · priorities · costingWhere PPM saves the most money.
PPM is most valuable where the building's operational use makes an emergency leak expensive. The sectors below are all read for as procurement priorities for a maintenance contract, not as one-off survey jobs.
NHS estates teams need PPM because clinical-area water ingress shuts down rooms, infection-control areas need predictable building integrity, and capital programmes need documented condition data. Schools need PPM because term-time leaks affect safeguarding, classrooms close, and ceiling tiles need replacing before children return. Housing associations need PPM because tenant complaints about leaks drive disrepair claims if not addressed properly.
Local authority estates need PPM because civic buildings, libraries, leisure centres and community buildings carry public-facing operational risk. Property management firms need PPM because their clients expect documented evidence of building care. Commercial facilities managers need PPM because plant rooms, IT areas and stock rooms cannot tolerate water ingress.
04 — How a PPM contract worksFrom survey to recurring attendance.
A PPM contract is not a generic maintenance plan. It is a written specification covering the buildings in scope, inspection cadence, response standards, reporting format and authorised remedial spend.
01
Baseline survey
Initial condition survey of every roof in scope. Establishes the starting condition, identifies urgent issues, and informs the contract specification.
02
Contract specification
Sets the inspection cadence (typically annual; some sectors prefer biannual), reporting format, response standards for issues found, authorised remedial spend per visit and escalation route.
03
Scheduled attendance
Visits are programmed against the contract calendar. The site is given notice; the visit is delivered with photographic record and the report follows within an agreed turnaround.
04
Reporting
Each visit produces a written report with photographs, defect list, priority bands and indicative remedial costs. The report supports budget planning and audit.
05
Remedials
Urgent items inside the authorised spend are addressed during the visit. Larger items are quoted separately for client decision. Annual review confirms whether the contract needs adjustment.
PPM clients sit at the front of the queue.
PPM clients are by definition known to Evenii — the buildings have been surveyed, the access is understood, the site contacts are recorded, and the roof history is documented. When a PPM client calls with an emergency, the response is faster because the groundwork is already in place.
Out-of-PPM clients are still attended; PPM clients simply benefit from priority handling, faster diagnosis and a known building. For estates with mission-critical operational risk, that priority handling is often the primary driver for putting a contract in place.
