Caretaker services for blocks, offices and business sites

Most contracts combine routine visits with a call-out option. Routine work includes checking communal areas, replacing bulbs, clearing bin stores, light cleaning of stairwells and entrances, and reporting defects. Grounds maintenance covers grass, hedges, beds and leaves. Minor repairs cover small carpentry, door closers, locks, sealant and touch-up decoration. Anything involving gas, electrics beyond simple replacements, or roofs is usually arranged through specialist contractors.

Residential blocks are often managed by a managing agent or a residents' management company, who buys the service on behalf of leaseholders. Offices, retail parks, schools and industrial units buy caretaking directly or as part of a facilities management contract.

Gritting is often the most important seasonal part of the contract. Employers and those in control of premises have to manage the risk of slips on their sites, including car parks and walkways. A plan for winter should define which routes are treated, the trigger for gritting (forecast, temperature or road surface readings), how early in the morning it happens, and who records each treatment.

Records matter: if someone slips, a log showing when routes were treated and with what is your evidence that the risk was managed. Also agree where grit bins sit, who refills them, and what happens when snow falls during the working day.

• a site plan marking priority routes, steps and ramps
• the trigger and timing for pre-treatment and for snow clearance
• materials used and where they are stored
• a treatment log with dates, times and routes
• response time for unexpected snow or ice

In England, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require the responsible person for any multi-occupied residential building with storeys over 11 metres to carry out quarterly checks of fire doors in the common parts, including self-closing devices, and best-endeavour annual checks of flat entrance doors. Caretakers commonly carry out or record these checks for the responsible person, who remains legally accountable.

Legionella is another routine duty. The Health and Safety Executive expects employers and people in control of premises, including landlords, to assess and manage the risk from legionella in water systems. Typical caretaking tasks include flushing little-used outlets and recording water temperatures, following the risk assessment. Fire alarm and emergency lighting tests, and checks on escape routes, are often included too. The caretaker's records should go to whoever holds the legal duty.

Source: legislation.gov.uk

Start from the building, not from a number of hours. List the sites, the frequency of visits, the routine tasks on each visit, the seasonal tasks and the checks that need recording. Then agree the call-out arrangement: which faults the caretaker can fix on the spot, what spending limit applies without approval, and how quickly they respond to urgent problems.

Ask how visits are recorded, such as a signed log, photos or an app with time stamps, and how defects are reported to you. Where caretaking is combined with cleaning or grounds maintenance, make sure one party is responsible for each task so nothing falls between contracts.

Caretakers hold keys and often codes for plant rooms and communal doors. Agree how keys are logged and returned. If a caretaking service moves from an in-house employee or another contractor to a new provider, TUPE may apply, and the staff who mainly worked on the contract may transfer with their terms. Ask bidders how they have priced this. Any waste the caretaker removes from site must be carried by a registered waste carrier.

You describe the property, the tasks and how often. After we confirm your phone number and email, the request is offered, without your organisation's contact details, to caretaking and facilities firms in your area. One company buys it; after that no one else can. We email you the company's name, address and phone number before it gets your details, and you pay Offrano nothing.

There is no guarantee that a firm will take the request; if none does within 21 days, it is withdrawn. You are not obliged to accept a proposal. Offrano confirms that the buyer is a registered business. It does not check competence, so ask for references from similar buildings, insurance details and sample records.