Why “fix it when it breaks” doesn’t work
Many businesses believe reactive maintenance, where repairs are only made after equipment fails, is the most cost-effective approach. After all, why spend money fixing something that isn’t broken?
In reality, reactive maintenance can quietly drain your budget, increase downtime, and expose your organisation to compliance risks. In contrast, planned preventive maintenance (PPM) ensures reliability, compliance, and long-term savings.
At Keystone Facility Management, we see the difference every day. Businesses that move from reactive to proactive maintenance enjoy better performance, safer workplaces, and predictable costs.
What is reactive maintenance
Reactive maintenance, also known as breakdown maintenance, means waiting until a system or piece of equipment fails before taking action.
Examples include:
- Calling an engineer only when the air conditioning stops working
- Replacing lighting units after they fail rather than in scheduled batches
- Fixing leaking pipes or boilers only after a breakdown disrupts operations
While this approach may seem cheaper at first, the hidden costs quickly outweigh the short-term savings.
1. Unplanned downtime and lost productivity
Every minute of downtime costs money. A failed HVAC unit in a retail space, a broken lift in a multi-storey building, or a fire alarm fault during trading hours can stop operations instantly.
Because reactive repairs happen on an emergency basis, response times are unpredictable. Staff are left idle, customers are inconvenienced, and business continuity suffers.
Industry data shows that unplanned downtime can cost between 10 and 30 percent more per incident than scheduled maintenance.
2. Higher repair and replacement costs
When equipment is left to run until it fails, the damage is often more severe. A simple bearing replacement can become a full motor change, and a leaking valve can turn into a flooded floor and structural repair.
Planned maintenance identifies wear before it becomes catastrophic, reducing both repair frequency and cost.
At Keystone, our PPM schedules are built around manufacturer recommendations, asset age, and criticality. This ensures that parts are replaced at the right time rather than after failure.
3. Compliance and safety risks
Many building systems, such as fire alarms and water hygiene controls, are regulated under UK law. Missing a statutory inspection or allowing a system to fail can lead to serious consequences including:
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE) fines or enforcement notices
- Insurance invalidation
- Reputational damage
Reactive maintenance often means compliance slips through the cracks. PPM ensures your organisation meets all legal obligations, keeps certifications up to date, and maintains audit-ready records.
4. Energy inefficiency and increased running costs
Poorly maintained equipment uses more energy. For example, clogged filters in HVAC systems force units to work harder, increasing both energy use and carbon emissions.
Reactive maintenance ignores these inefficiencies until a system fails, costing far more in electricity and replacement parts than a simple scheduled service would.
5. Reputational damage and customer experience
In customer-facing environments such as retail, hospitality or healthcare, visible maintenance failures like flickering lights, broken lifts or leaking ceilings undermine trust and comfort.
Soft FM and brand standards are closely linked. A reactive maintenance culture can quickly damage your reputation and lower employee morale.
6. Lack of asset data and lifecycle visibility
Reactive maintenance makes it difficult to track asset performance and costs over time. Without reliable data, there is no visibility into which equipment fails most often or is nearing end of life.
In contrast, planned and condition-based maintenance builds a full history for every asset. This helps you make informed capital investment decisions and forecast replacements more accurately.
The business case for planned preventive maintenance (PPM)
Switching from reactive to preventive maintenance is not only a technical improvement, but also a financial strategy.
| Benefit | Reactive maintenance | Planned preventive maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Cost predictability | Unplanned, emergency spend | Budgeted and scheduled |
| Downtime | High, unplanned | Low, planned |
| Compliance | Risk of failure or fines | Fully auditable and on time |
| Asset lifespan | Shortened | Extended |
| Energy efficiency | Poor | Optimised |
| Safety | Reactive risk management | Proactive risk control |
Every pound spent on preventive maintenance saves between £3 and £5 in reactive costs over the asset’s life cycle.
How Keystone Facility Management helps
At Keystone FM, we deliver tailored hard and soft facilities management solutions that minimise risk, maximise efficiency, and ensure full compliance.
Our services include:
- Comprehensive PPM scheduling and asset register management
- 24/7 reactive response with SLA-backed turnaround times
- Compliance reporting and statutory inspections
- Energy optimisation and lifecycle planning
- Expert engineers for mechanical, electrical, and building fabric
Whether you manage a single site or a national portfolio, Keystone keeps your estate safe, compliant, and operational without surprise costs.
Plan today, save tomorrow
Reactive maintenance may seem convenient, but it is a costly illusion. Investing in a structured planned preventive maintenance programme brings predictable budgets, longer asset life, and safer environments for everyone who uses your buildings.
Ready to reduce reactive callouts?
Speak to Keystone Facility Management today to arrange a free maintenance health check. We will review your current FM setup, identify compliance risks, and design a tailored maintenance plan that fits your operations and budget.