Changing property maintenance providers

When changing property maintenance companies, transfer site information and access rights in a controlled way. A new contract alone does not ensure that the incoming provider knows about on-call arrangements, keys, and unfinished tasks on day one.

List the information to hand over

Gather the maintenance log, equipment details, operating instructions, recent reports, and open repair issues. Check the existing contract for information access and handover formats. Make sure you retain the information you need when the provider changes.

Include practical site knowledge: access routes, storage locations, recurring deliveries, and users’ particular needs. Information that exists only in one maintenance worker’s memory should become part of the shared records.

Agree on a clear transition date

Define when the outgoing provider’s responsibility ends and the new service starts. Check continuity of on-call coverage, reporting channels, and pending work orders. Name someone to ensure jobs are neither duplicated nor left undone because each side assumes the other will handle them.

Arrange a site walkthrough and an inventory of keys, access credentials, and system permissions. Return or remove unnecessary access as agreed. Share sensitive access information separately through an agreed secure method, not in a general quote request.

Check that the new arrangements work

Tell building users how to contact the new provider and when the change takes effect. After the initial period, review service requests, missing information, and unclear responsibilities. Update the division of work based on what you learn.

A responsibility table for property services helps with handover. Give the new provider a list of open repairs too, so changing suppliers does not interrupt maintenance planning already underway.