Getting your property documentation in order is essential for navigating the UK's evolving building regulations and staying ahead of potential risks.
Read on to find out why and how to stay one step ahead with your property documentation.
Why getting your property documentation in order is critical right now
Finding yourself putting off managing your property documentation?
You’re not alone, this commonly cited pain is often a bigger nightmare than it should be — whether it's sifting through piles of paperwork or scrolling through endless email chains.
With recent changes in regulations, it’s more important than ever to stay organised for property owners, managers, and compliance officers. Following incidents like the Grenfell Tower fire, meeting regulatory requirements and keeping safety protocols up-to-date is absolutely crucial in today’s regulatory landscape.
Especially for high-risk properties like multi-residential buildings, maintaining accurate and easily accessible records is more important than ever. With stricter regulation such as the UK Building Safety Act, failing to have organised, easily accessible documentation can not only lead to costly penalties – but also legal consequences.
The ‘Golden Thread’
What if all your important documents were stored securely in one place, ready for you and your team whenever you need them? It turns out, the missing ingredient to your documentation nightmare is centralisation. In fact, the requirement for a 'Golden Thread' of documents in Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs) has made maintaining a single source of truth for property documentation a necessity rather than a luxury.
The 'Golden Thread' essentially refers to the collation and secure storage of all essential information, data, and documentation needed to safely occupy, manage, and operate an HRB throughout its lifecycle.
Even if your properties don’t currently fall under the HRB category, this regulation sets a precedent that could evolve in the future. Establishing a solid, well-organised document management system now not only simplifies operations but also positions you to stay ahead of compliance requirements as they continue to evolve.
What does the UK Building Safety Act mean for my business?
The UK Building Safety Act was introduced to enforce stricter safety regulations, particularly for high-rise residential buildings. For property managers, this means taking on more responsibility for keeping detailed, electronic, and accessible records—this can be anything from construction certificates, fire safety logs, maintenance reports, and more.
Failing to comply with these rules can lead to hefty fines, project delays, and even legal action. But beyond the financial risks, non-compliance can endanger the safety of your residents—a risk that no property manager should take lightly.
The challenges of managing property documents
Often cited as one of the top pains faced by property managers, the challenge of gathering the necessary documentation for compliance can take up to a staggering 28 days.
For what seems like a simple task, delays often stem from not having a documentation management system in place and poor communication between departments. Outdated technology and scattered storage systems only make it harder to keep property records up-to-date and accessible. Without a solid system in place, the risks include penalties, safety breaches, and even potential legal consequences.
Best practices for managing property documentation
To stay compliant and help better manage your property documentation, here are some best practices to follow:
The benefits of centralising your property documentation
A centralised system brings together all your property documents, making them easy to find and access in one place. This helps eliminate information silos, speeds up compliance responses, and encourages better communication across teams. It also allows for better collaboration and improves overall efficiency.
Why centralising your property documentation is a smart move:
- Better data security
It's time to make the move from outdated paper-based methods to a secure, cloud-based system. A trusted compliance software provider will make it easy for all stakeholders—property managers, architects, contractors, and regulators—to access essential documents quickly and safely. This greatly improves data security, reduces the risk of mishandled data, and ensures everyone has access to the same central information. - Fewer errors and duplicates
Centralising your data helps reduce mistakes and duplicate records. Poor project data and miscommunication contribute to 52% of reworks in construction, so getting organised is essential (OnSite).
Organising your property documentation in one place helps improve data quality, reduces errors, and can speed up compliance audits. Using a document management system can cut document errors by 50-90%, saving time and money (AIIM). It’s also estimated that the average cost of resolving a document-related error can be a staggering $120,000 or more (Nucleus Research). - Visibility across teams
Bringing all your property documentation into one system can significantly improve collaboration and visibility between teams handling property documentation.
What’s more: keeping your documents on one system reduces the chance of any confusion and errors caused by outdated information. In fact, instant access to up-to-date safety certifications and project drawings can help keep projects on track, speed up decision-making, and improve overall productivity within your teams (Kohezion). - Better safety and compliance
Centralising your documents makes sure safety-related documents like structural reports, fire safety records, and maintenance logs are always current and easy to access. In emergencies, having these documents at your fingertips could save lives. On top of this, regularly audit your document library to spot missing or outdated files, and set up clear communication protocols to keep everyone in the loop on updates. - Proactive response to regulatory changes
When your property documentation is organised and up-to-date, you can quickly respond to regulatory changes and make better-informed decisions. Keeping documents in order helps you stay on top of compliance checks and prevent potential issues, making your overall property management approach more proactive, rather than reactive. - Lower operational costs
Investing in the right compliance software isn’t just about staying organized—it’s also a smart way to reduce operational costs. For example, improving documentation quality and cutting document retrieval times by 30-40% can lead to significant savings on administrative and labor expenses, freeing up your team to focus on more important tasks. Plus, streamlining document distribution and accessibility has been shown to boost productivity by 10-15%.
On top of these efficiency gains, effective document management can help reduce costly risks, potentially saving your organisation substantial costs in legal disputes (DocuWare). It’s a win-win for both compliance and your bottom line.
Why going digital is essential for property managers today
Digitalising your document management system can play a vital role in helping property managers stay compliant with regulations like the UK Building Safety Act. The right compliance software can save you time, reduce the risk of errors, and make sure your property documentation is secure and easily retrieved on demand.
When choosing the right compliance software for you, look for features like:
- Cloud storage for easy access and data protection.
- Secure access controls to protect sensitive information.
- Compliance tracking tools to monitor your documentation and alert you to any gaps in documentation
- Integration with existing systems to avoid manual data transfers and ensure a smooth transition from your existing systems.
- Health scores to monitor the health of your properties, leading to more informed decision-making.
- Easily accessible data storage solutions, so you can find the documents you need in minutes, not hours.
Adopting a digital document management system can give you a return on investment of 200-300% in just a few years by cutting down on labour, storage, and operational costs. For example, switching to a centralised digital platform can reduce the time it takes to onboard new documents from 28 days to just a few hours (IDC).
Compliance beyond the regulations
Non-compliance doesn’t just result in fines or legal issues—it can damage your reputation and, more importantly, compromise the safety of your residents.
By maintaining your documentation properly, you not only steer clear of expensive fines but also guarantee the safety of your property for residents. Consistently reviewing and updating your documentation greatly minimises the chance of risky errors and keeps you prepared for meeting regulatory standards.
Get ahead with organising your documentation now – thank yourself later!
The takeaway
Instead of scrambling to react when a problem arises, adopt a proactive approach by keeping your property documentation organised, up-to-date, and readily accessible. Reviewing your property documentation, its contents, and where it’s stored is essential for safeguarding your business and, most importantly, the people living in your properties.
Managing your property documents doesn’t have to be hard — let’s make it easy.
Get instant access to your scattered O&Ms—and answers about any content within—with Findable's AI-powered platform, designed to optimise your property documentation management.
