In the public sector, the debate has shifted somewhat over recent years from timber vs PVC-U to repair vs replacement. This is partly in response to environmental pressures and a legitimate desire amongst clients to preserve resources and reduce waste; and also a result of the success of companies like Mila Maintenance in persuading local authorities and social housing providers that a planned window and door maintenance programme is the most appropriate solution for ensuring the health, safety and well being of their users and tenants.
Mila Maintenance has provided a complete window and door repair and maintenance service since 1985 but has seen demand for its highly specialised services boom in recent years.
Of course, there have been several high profile tragedies in which children and the elderly have fallen from windows which were not effectively secured and these have prompted many local authorities to prioritise the maintenance of windows and doors throughout their housing stock; but there has also been a growing realisation that planned and regular maintenance actually saves money.
Mila can demonstrate dozens of projects where its ability to repair and refurbish windows has saved clients hundreds of thousands of pounds over the cost of replacement, and similarly it has many clients where the cost of using Mila Maintenance to deliver pre-planned maintenance has saved thousands of pounds compared with calling out emergency repair teams whenever problems are reported.
At Pembrokeshire College in Haverfordwest, for example, we refurbished almost 600 aluminium vertical sliders with new spiral balances, fitch catches, gaskets and customer designed stay restrictors for less than £80,000 whereas the cost of replacement was estimated at closer to £2m.
Similarly, we have delivered a 95% reduction in responsive repairs for Hanover Housing Association in Scotland by putting in place a planned maintenance programme for properties in more than 120 of its schemes.
We also regularly upgrade the energy performance of windows in all profile materials by replacing old sealed units with the latest energy efficient, argon filled alternatives which saves energy and of course money for the tenant as well as the client.
Securing public sector contracts is a complex and time consuming process. Mila Maintenance is successful in winning tenders because we have a highly skilled team of NVQ trained engineers, we have all of the necessary safety and quality accreditations as well as specialist knowledge and equipment including access to profile drawings and hardware samples stretching back 29 years via our sister company Mila Hardware.
However, many of our clients also say that what they really value about our service is the positive feedback which they receive from tenants on the speed, tidiness and politeness of our team.
This has been demonstrated superbly for a major housing trust in the North West where Mila Maintenance is half way through a major project to carry out preventative maintenance on all the fully reversible windows in its housing stock – some of which are in high rise blocks of up to 30 storeys.
Mila’s first success was in sourcing a specialist device which enabled us to work from inside each flat rather than having to fix mass climbers or hanging cradles to each external elevation to work from the outside.
An ‘Eazi Lifter’ window hoist allows our engineers to safely anchor the opening sash so that it can be brought inside for any necessary repair or maintenance to be carried out, saving around £40,000 on the cost of external access.
As well as this cost saving though, our team has been able to win the support and enthusiasm of tenants for the maintenance and has successfully gained access to 90% of the flats required within the timescale set. For the client, this represents a major success.
For further details visit our services and case studies on our website. We are also provide advice to clients in the public sector as to the most appropriate maintenance solution for their requirements and are also developing a tenants charter which will guarantee the level of service which tenants can expect.
Dave Cooke
Mila Maintenance Director