Preventive Maintenance (PPM) — The Complete Guide to Managing and Maintaining Buildings in Israel

Planned preventive maintenance (PPM — Planned Preventive Maintenance) is a management approach in which the building's systems are maintained according to a schedule and a known condition set in advance, instead of waiting for a fault and dealing with it afterwards. Rather than "firefighting", the maintenance manager knows in advance what needs to be inspected, when, by whom and to which standard — and documents every action. This is one of the basic distinctions between professional building management and amateur management: the former controls the maintenance schedule, the latter reacts to faults after they occur.

This guide is intended for building managers, property managers and management companies in Israel — both those running a large commercial office building and those responsible for a shared residential building. It covers the whole path from principles to a work plan you can put into action tomorrow: asset mapping, criticality ranking, setting frequencies, building a calendar, execution and documentation, verification and continuous improvement. Along the way we pause on performance metrics, vendor management, spare-parts inventory and budget — the aspects that separate a plan "on paper" from a plan that truly works. At the end you will find a practical clip-out checklist, a list of common mistakes and answers to the questions that recur in the field. There are no invented statistics here and no fictitious clause numbers — only professional principles and a consistent pointer to the binding source: the manufacturer's instructions, the relevant standard and the authorized party.

The complete PPM map — every system, asset, law and form

The following map is the complete PPM matrix — every periodic inspection a commercial building in Israel must manage, grouped by domain: what is inspected, how often, who is authorized to perform it, which documentation or form the building manager must keep, and whether it is a legal requirement. Where the documentation is a standard form of the National Fire and Rescue Authority — there is a direct link to the PDF and to an explanatory article. This is the gateway page of the knowledge hub: from here you dive into every domain, form and asset.

85 inspections · 64 legal requirements · 9 domains. The data is derived from a professional PPM template for managing commercial-building maintenance; the binding frequency and authorized party are always determined by the standard, the manufacturer's instructions and the current law.

Electrical (22)

Water and sewage (6)

Elevators (2)

Lifting equipment and pressure vessels (10)

Engineer inspections (3)

Gas / fuel (3)

Energy (3)

Miscellaneous (12)

Why preventive maintenance matters

The difference between a well-managed building and one run by ongoing firefighting is almost always measured by the quality of the preventive maintenance. A fault that was not prevented is almost always more expensive than the inspection that would have prevented it — in money, in time and in risk.

• Cost of breakdown vs. cost of prevention — planned proactive servicing is cheap and controlled; an emergency fault entails urgent work, after-hours callouts, secondary damage to adjacent systems and a service outage for residents or tenants.
• Equipment lifespan — pumps, motors, compressors, air conditioners and elevators reach the lifespan the manufacturer promises only if the maintenance the manufacturer requires is performed. Neglect shortens equipment life and brings forward expensive replacements.
• Safety — fire detection and suppression systems, elevators, electrical panels and generators are systems whose failure endangers human life. Preventive maintenance is the first line of defense, not a nice-to-have.
• Compliance and documentation — regulators, insurers and property owners expect orderly documentation of periodic inspections. Without an inspection log there is no way to prove the building was maintained as required — and that exposes the manager and the company to liability.
• Operational stability and satisfaction — fewer sudden faults means fewer complaints, less downtime for elevators and air conditioning, and a better reputation for the management company with residents and owners.

In other words: preventive maintenance is not an expense to be trimmed, but an investment that reduces the total cost of ownership of the building and lowers operational and safety risk. It is also worth remembering the legal-insurance aspect: when damage occurs — a flood, a fire, an elevator accident — one of the first questions the insurer and the authorities ask is whether the system was maintained as required and when it was last inspected. A building with an orderly maintenance log stands up to that question; a building without documentation is exposed to denial of coverage and to claims. Preventive maintenance is, among other things, a legal safeguard for the building manager and the company.

Core concepts

Before building a program it is worth aligning on a few concepts that recur throughout the guide. Understanding them correctly is the difference between a program grounded in precise concepts and a random task list someone once assembled.

Preventive maintenance vs. breakdown maintenance

Breakdown maintenance (reactive / breakdown maintenance) is a response to a fault that has already occurred — a pump that burned out, an air conditioner that stopped cooling, an elevator that got stuck. Preventive maintenance is a proactive action taken before the fault occurs, in order to reduce its likelihood. A healthy program does not eliminate breakdown maintenance entirely — there will always be unforeseen failures — but it shifts the center of gravity from reaction to prevention, so that most of the work is planned rather than firefighting.

Time-based vs. condition-based maintenance

Time-based maintenance is performed at a fixed frequency — for example a monthly generator test or quarterly cleaning of air-conditioning filters — regardless of the actual condition. Condition-based maintenance is performed according to indicators that reflect wear: vibration readings, accumulated running time, temperature, pressure or operating hours. Most buildings in Israel will rightly start with a simple time-based approach and integrate condition-based components in the critical and expensive systems as operational maturity grows.

Asset register

The asset register is the complete list of everything that must be maintained in the building: systems, equipment and components, each with an identifier, location, manufacturer and model, year of installation, warranty and documents. There is no preventive maintenance without an asset register — you cannot maintain what you do not know exists. The register is the backbone on which all the other stages are built.

Criticality

Criticality is the degree of impact that a failure in a given item has on safety, on operational continuity and on cost. A fire-detection system and an elevator are high criticality; a garden tap is low criticality. The criticality ranking is what determines which items receive the highest resources and frequency — because you cannot maintain everything at the same intensity. A simple way to rank is to ask three questions about each item: does its failure endanger human life or breach the law? Does it disable an essential service for residents or tenants? And what is the cost of repair or downtime? The more severe the answers, the higher the criticality.

Performance metrics and corrective maintenance

Alongside the concepts above, it is worth knowing two complementary terms. Corrective maintenance is the repair of a deficiency that was discovered — often precisely within a preventive inspection, when the inspector identifies a problem at its outset and closes it before it becomes a breakdown. Performance metrics (KPIs) are the numbers that make it possible to manage maintenance rather than merely perform it: the percentage of tasks completed on time, the number of emergency faults per month, the average time to close a call, and the ratio of planned work to reactive work. A mature program strives for most of the working hours to be planned, not firefighting.

How to build a PPM program — step by step

A preventive-maintenance program is not a document written once and left in a drawer — it is a living process. Here is how to build it correctly:

Step 1 — Asset mapping

Physically survey the building and record every system and component that needs maintenance: elevators, air-conditioning units, the fire-detection panel and detectors, sprinkler and hose-reel systems, the generator, main and sub electrical panels, water and pressure-boosting pumps, water pools and reservoirs, gates and barriers, emergency lighting and more. For each item, document an identifier, exact location, manufacturer and model, year of installation, warranty details and a reference to the manufacturer's documents. This builds the asset register.

Step 2 — Criticality ranking

Give each item a criticality score (for example high / medium / low) according to the impact of its failure on safety, operation and cost. The ranking guides the order of priority: critical systems receive higher frequency, a certified vendor and tighter control.

Step 3 — Setting frequencies and tasks

For each item define which maintenance tasks are required and at what frequency. The first and binding source is the manufacturer's instructions — the manufacturer of the air conditioner, elevator or generator sets the maintenance schedule in order to preserve the warranty and safety. On top of this you add the requirements of the relevant standards and regulations, and the accumulated experience from the building itself.

Step 4 — Calendar

Translate the tasks and frequencies into an annual calendar: what is done each month, week and quarter. A good calendar spreads the load across the year, avoids a pile-up of ten inspections on the same day, and flags the binding periodic inspections in advance (such as the certified-inspector test for the elevator) well before the previous approval expires.

Step 5 — Execution and documentation

Tasks are assigned to the in-house technician or the external vendor, performed on time, and documented immediately: who performed it, when, what was found, which parts were replaced, and the result of the inspection. Documenting immediately upon execution — with a photo and signature — is the difference between maintenance you can prove and maintenance that happened "by word of mouth".

Step 6 — Verification

The maintenance manager verifies that the tasks were indeed performed, that the documentation is complete, and that any finding requiring follow-up (a deficiency, a part to order, a re-inspection) is opened as a new task and does not fall through the cracks. Verification closes the loop — without it, "done" on the calendar does not necessarily mean it was actually done.

Step 7 — Continuous improvement

Once a quarter or a year, examine the data: which systems accumulate the most faults, which frequencies are excessive or insufficient, and where it is worth moving to condition-based maintenance or bringing a replacement forward. The program is updated accordingly. Good preventive maintenance improves over time, it does not freeze. An item that breaks down repeatedly despite proper maintenance is a sign to increase frequency, change vendor, or decide on a proactive replacement at the end of the equipment's life instead of continuing to "repair and repair".

Vendor management and spare-parts inventory

Two cross-stage aspects are decisive for the program's success. Vendor management: a significant part of preventive maintenance is performed by certified subcontractors — an elevator company, an air-conditioning technician, an electrical inspector, a fire-safety company. They should be chosen by certification, availability and the quality of the documentation they provide, not by price alone, and response times and scope of service should be anchored in a clear service-level agreement (SLA). Spare-parts inventory: for critical items it is worth keeping a minimum stock of common consumable spare parts — filters, belts, emergency bulbs, batteries — so that a fault or inspection does not wait for supply. Proper management of both makes the difference between a program executed on time and a program stalled waiting for a vendor or a part.

Sample frequencies for common systems

The following list presents reasonable, general frequencies as a starting point only. The binding frequency is always determined by the manufacturer's instructions, by the relevant standard and by the actual conditions of use — not by an arbitrary number. An older building, a hot and humid climate, intensive use or end-of-life equipment — all justify a higher frequency than the minimum. It is also important to plan by season: air conditioning is inspected before summer, drainage systems and roofs before winter, and the generator before the outage season. Everything must be adapted to each building and the rationale behind every chosen frequency documented.

• Elevators — routine maintenance by a certified service company at a fixed frequency (usually monthly), plus a periodic certified-inspector test to renew the elevator's fitness approval per the inspection requirements in Israel.
• Air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC) — cleaning or replacing filters at a frequent interval (monthly to quarterly depending on the load), checking gases, pressures, belts and compressors before the summer season and before the winter season, and cleaning cooling towers and condensers as required.
• Fire detection and suppression systems — periodic functional testing of detectors, call points, sounders and the control panel, testing of sprinklers, hose reels, fire hydrants and extinguishers, and an annual fitness approval by an authorized party in accordance with the requirements of the National Fire and Rescue Authority.
• Generator — a load test run at a fixed frequency (usually monthly or weekly), checking fuel, oil and coolant levels, checking batteries and the automatic transfer switch (ATS), and periodic servicing according to operating hours and the manufacturer's instructions.
• Electrical panels — periodic visual inspection for loose connections, signs of heat and corrosion, testing of residual-current devices, and periodic thermographic inspection (thermal imaging) of the main panels to detect hot spots before they turn into a failure.
• Water and plumbing systems — checking pumps and pressure boosting, cleaning and disinfecting water reservoirs as required, checking backflow preventers, checking boilers and heat exchangers, and monitoring leaks and abnormal consumption.
• Building and envelope systems — periodic inspection of roof waterproofing, gutters, exterior cladding and suspended elements, especially before and during the rainy season, to detect water ingress and wear before they cause interior damage.

A practical point: do not confuse "maintenance frequency" with "binding inspection frequency". The elevator company may perform monthly maintenance, but the fitness approval is renewed in a separate periodic inspection by a certified inspector — the two actions are managed separately on the calendar, each with its own deadline and binding source.

Practical checklist

An operational checklist that can be clipped out and adapted to any building. It is intended for the routine checks a maintenance manager or in-house technician performs — alongside the servicing by the certified vendors, not in their place. It is worth turning this list into a fixed periodic round (for example weekly or monthly, depending on the building), documenting its results, and opening a follow-up task for every deficiency discovered during it:

• The asset register is up to date and includes every new system added to the building.
• The elevators' fitness approval is valid, and the date of the next certified-inspector test is marked on the calendar.
• The air-conditioning filters were cleaned or replaced per the frequency, and there are no complaints about faulty cooling or heating.
• The fire-detection panel was functionally tested, there are no open faults on the panel, and all detectors and call points are in order.
• Extinguishers, hose reels and fire hydrants are valid, accessible, and not blocked by equipment or storage.
• The generator was run under load, the fuel, oil and coolant levels are in order, and the automatic transfer switch was tested.
• The electrical panels were closed, there is no unusual odor or signs of heat, and the residual-current devices were tested by pressing the test button.
• Emergency lighting and exit signage are working on all floors and in the stairwells.
• The water pumps and reservoirs are in order, there are no active leaks, and water consumption is reasonable compared with the previous month.
• Roofs, gutters and drainage channels are clear of debris, especially before the rainy season.
• Every deficiency found is opened as a follow-up task with an owner and a target date, and does not remain "in someone's head".
• Every inspection performed was documented with a date, performer and finding — including a photo where relevant.

Common mistakes in preventive maintenance

Even orderly programs fall repeatedly into the same traps. Here are the most common:

• No asset register — trying to maintain from memory, and entire systems are missed until they break down.
• Uniform frequency for all — maintaining a tap and an elevator with the same attention, instead of ranking by criticality.
• Ignoring the manufacturer's instructions — setting a frequency "by feel", thereby both endangering safety and voiding the warranty.
• Missing or retrospective documentation — "done" without a date, performer and finding — no way to prove it, no way to learn from the data.
• Deficiencies that are not closed — an inspection reveals a problem, but no follow-up task is opened, and the deficiency quietly worsens.
• Everything depends on one person — the knowledge is only in the head of the veteran maintenance worker, and when they leave everything disappears.
• Deferring binding periodic inspections — a fitness approval for the elevator or fire suppression expires, and it is discovered too late.
• No dedicated preventive-maintenance budget — paying only for faults, then being surprised by the cumulative cost of the breakdown.
• Not reviewing and not improving — the program is frozen for years, and there is no learning from which systems really fail.
• Choosing a vendor by price alone — engaging the cheapest vendor without checking certification, availability and the quality of the documentation they provide.

Relevant standards and regulation in Israel

Preventive maintenance in a building in Israel does not operate in a vacuum — it is subject to a series of safety and standards requirements. It is important to know the general framework, and always to act in line with the authorized party and the current standard:

• Elevators — subject to the elevator standards in Israel, to maintenance by a licensed service company and to a periodic inspection by a certified inspector to renew the fitness approval. Operating an elevator without a valid approval is prohibited.
• Fire safety — detection, suppression, smoke-control and emergency public-address systems are subject to the requirements of the National Fire and Rescue Authority, which publishes standard forms and requires periodic fitness approvals from authorized parties.
• Electrical — electrical works and installations are carried out by a certified electrician in accordance with the Electricity Law and its regulations, including inspection of the electrical installation by an inspector as required.
• Pressure systems and mechanical equipment — steam boilers, pressure vessels and certain equipment are subject to periodic inspections by an authorized party under the Safety at Work Ordinance and its regulations.
• Drinking water and water quality — water reservoirs, backflow preventers and drinking-water systems are subject to the Ministry of Health's requirements regarding inspection, cleaning and disinfection.
• Accessibility — the building's accessibility components are subject to the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law and its regulations, and must be kept in working order over time.

The guiding rule: do not rely on clause numbers from memory or on "the way we always did it" — check the current standard and the current authority guideline, and document every approval with its expiry date. It is also worth distinguishing between maintenance that the maintenance manager or in-house technician performs and actions that require an authorized or licensed party — a certified-inspector test for the elevator, an electrical-installation inspection, or a fitness approval for a fire-suppression system are not things you do "yourself". Part of the building manager's job is precisely to know when to stop and call in the right certified professional.

How Domera helps

Domera gives the maintenance manager the tools to run the process described here without relying on memory or scattered spreadsheets:

• PPM programs for every system — you define the frequency, scope and standard for each system, and the platform generates the tasks on time and assigns them.
• One open instance per program — each maintenance program has at any moment only a single open work instance, so that no duplicates are created and no servicing falls through the cracks.
• A document that confirms closure — a call or task is closed only when documentation confirming the closure exists, so there is no "done" without evidence.
• Reminders and reports — alerts for inspections that are approaching or overdue, and compliance reports ready to produce for regulators, insurance or owners.

The goal is simple: to turn preventive maintenance from a good intention into a process that runs by itself and leaves complete documentation. Instead of relying on memory, on an Excel sheet someone forgot to update, or on a veteran technician who will one day leave — the process, the knowledge and the evidence are kept in one place and keep working even as people change.

Summary

Preventive maintenance is not a one-off project but a way of working. Whoever implements it correctly — a complete asset register, criticality ranking, frequencies per the manufacturer's instructions and the standard, a calendar, documented execution, verification and continuous improvement — gets a building that is safer, cheaper to maintain over time, and more resilient to regulators, insurance and owners. The initial investment in mapping and building the program almost always pays off, because it replaces expensive, surprising faults with planned, controlled work. Start small — mapping the critical systems and a basic calendar — and expand from there.

Frequently asked questions

For details on the platform see the service pages linked below and the knowledge hub of Domera Hub.

Relevant links: preventive maintenance and inspections · asset and space management · knowledge hub.

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