Utilities, cleaning and gardening accounted for nearly two thirds of all block management activity last year, underlining the operational burden of routine maintenance.
Data from Rushbrook & Rathbone shows these three categories made up 65.4% of all call-outs and works in 2025.
Utilities were the most common requirement, accounting for 30.6% of activity, followed by cleaning and window cleaning (22.1%) and gardening (12.7%).
General maintenance (6.3%), fire risk and health and safety (6.2%) and electrical services (5.0%) made up the remainder.
SURPRISING COSTS
However, the most frequent jobs were not the most expensive. Gardening accounted for the largest share of total spend at 14.9%, followed by insurance (14.5%) and management fees (14.2%).
Cleaning and window cleaning also represented a significant 14.1% of expenditure.
Despite making up almost a third of all activity, utilities accounted for just 7.4% of total costs, reflecting their lower individual cost.
BIG IMPACT
Susan Feasey, Associate Director – Block Management at Rushbrook & Rathbone, says: “Many people assume that the biggest costs in block management come from major repairs or emergency works, but in reality it is often the more routine and recurring requirements that have the greatest impact.
“Utilities, cleaning and gardening may not sound particularly significant in isolation, but because they are required so frequently they account for a huge proportion of both the time and cost involved in managing a building.
“At the same time, there are categories such as insurance and management fees that occur far less frequently, but still make up a significant proportion of overall expenditure.
“What this really highlights is the complexity of block management. It is not simply about reacting when something goes wrong, but about coordinating a wide range of ongoing requirements in order to keep a building running safely, smoothly and cost effectively.”
