With business premises slowly emerging from the recent bad weather, owners need to assess what damage may have been done to their buildings and act promptly to put it right, warns Kent-based Chartered Building Surveyors Metcalfe Stanley Hicks.

While severe cold weather brings obvious problems, such as burst pipes and ice causing damage to guttering, other issues might not be so readily noticeable.

"For example, frost can get into pre-existing cracks and widen them leading to long term problems and damaged glass can crack and shatter as temperatures fluctuate," said Richard Metcalfe.

"As the snow and ice melt businesses should conduct a thorough internal and external examination of their premises to check for damage and seek expert advice as to what remedial work needs to be carried out."

The recent extreme conditions have served as a timely reminder to businesses of the importance of drawing up and following a Planned Maintenance Programme for their premises. A Planned Maintenance Programme schedules essential work which needs to be carried out on buildings over a fixed period of time and helps set a budget for that work.

"Although severe weather such as that we have experienced in recent weeks is always likely to cause unexpected problems, those who have followed a maintenance programme are likely to find their buildings emerge relatively unscathed as any pre-existing faults are likely to have been repaired before the ice and snow have had the chance to exacerbate them," said Richard.

For organisations without a Planned Maintenance Programme, the advice is to draw one up - sooner rather than later.

"The reason for having such a programme is that buildings and their fixtures and fittings need regular attention to ensure they are fit for purpose and safe to use," added Richard.

Chartered Building Surveyors can help with preparing a programme. They take a methodical approach to the work, relying on their knowledge of building materials and construction details.

For more information on the Hadlow-based company visit www.msh-cbs.co.uk