Set a transition boundary and named owners

List the buildings, service lines and start dates covered by the change. Cleaning, mechanical maintenance and security may have different renewal dates. Treat each as a controlled handover, with an outgoing owner, incoming owner and client decision maker able to accept unresolved issues.

Separate operational readiness from the contract signature. Review access, delivery arrangements, current defects and information needed for agreed tasks. If part of the estate is not ready, record a limited start scope and interim responsibilities rather than assuming full cover.

Start and incumbent end dates by site and service
Named client, incoming and outgoing contacts
Landlord and specialist supplier dependencies
Escalation route for delayed handover

Transfer usable records, not just documents

Request asset schedules, manuals, warranties, maintenance history, inspection reports and recommendations. Link each file to a site, asset or system. Record its date and status so an old report is not mistaken for current evidence. Test whether the incoming team can actually retrieve it.

Walk through discrepancies with building users. An unlisted plant item, locked access route or repeated alarm can change the first tasks. Keep an exceptions register showing the missing evidence, action owner, interim arrangement and next decision. Do not mark gaps resolved simply because they have been discussed.

Asset identifiers matching labels on site
Open defects and overdue recommendations
Document locations and permissions tested
Keys, passes and access arrangements accounted for

Agree the first operating cycle

Build the first task schedule from the accepted scope and known risks. Confirm attendance windows, inductions, permits and who may authorise a callout or repair. Test the contact route without raising a false emergency. Agree an early review to expose missing dependencies.

Compare the schedule with the budget: newly found assets and backlog repairs may sit outside the recurring fee. Require a separate approval trail. Where workers or existing contracts are affected, obtain appropriate employment or contractual advice; do not assume that every arrangement transfers automatically.

Task owners and access windows
Acknowledgement and attendance definitions
Approval limits and variation process
Early review with unresolved actions visible

Define acceptance and future exit requirements

Accept mobilisation against evidence: a recorded baseline, usable access, known reporting routes and an owner for every scheduled task. Sign-off should distinguish completed actions from accepted exceptions. A transition checklist is not proof that every asset is safe or every statutory duty is satisfied.

Agree handback at the beginning: which asset data, work history, manuals and defect records will be returned, in which format and with which identifiers. Keep passwords and personal information in approved controlled systems, not a general handover spreadsheet. Confirm how access will be revoked at exit.

Client acceptance with explicit exceptions
First-cycle work evidence
Exportable records and ownership terms
Access return and revocation procedure

Sources and editorial responsibility

This is company-published buyer guidance. Official sources support the context, not an endorsement, accreditation or a claim that we inspected your premises. Use competent advice for the specific building and work involved.

We have a commercial interest in FM enquiries. Read our editorial standards or send a correction.

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Facilities management mobilisation and handover checklist