Whether you lease or own the building your business resides in, it is important to make sure that it is in good repair. In fact, your business may depend on it. Here are 3 reasons why it is important to ensure your company’s building is in good repair.
Lowers Liability
While you are not responsible for all injuries that occur on your property, you may be held liable if it turns out that the person was injured as a result of improper maintenance or neglect. For instance, if the walkway leading up to your business is not kept in good repair and someone trips and falls as a result, a court may find you liable. If you lease the building, the lease may actually stipulate that certain repairs are your responsibility rather than the building owner’s. Regardless of whose responsibility it is, it is always in your best interests to ensure the building is in good repair.
Protects Valuable Business Assets
Rain gutters are meant to carry water away from the roof and other critical areas. If they do not work properly, rain can pool on the roof and slowly eat through the protective covering. This can cause leaks at best and in some cases even cause the roof itself to collapse. While you most likely have insurance for this sort of thing, insurance will often not cover the full cost of the loss. A much better course of action is to invest in gutter repairs and other maintenance projects that protect the building that shelters your most valuable assets and that keep important internal systems in working order.
It’s Better for Business
How you dress tells people a lot about you. The same is true of the building your business resides in. If your business resides in a building that is run-down, untidy and unkempt, it doesn’t really inspire confidence in your business. New clients and customers will form impressions of your business the minute they lay eyes on the building it resides in. You want those first impressions to be favorable ones. After all, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
You wouldn’t want to live in a run-down house where nothing works and your employees don’t want to work in a building like that either. You would most likely not have good thoughts about a neighbor that didn’t take care of their yard or had a house that was in desperate need of significant repairs. Remember, your business has neighbors too. Making sure your building is in good repair is good for everyone involved with your business—including you.