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Introduction
Every element in the building requires care to limit deterioration and exposure of elements that wear down eventually. It is essential for all buildings to have building maintenance activities in order to maintain them in a good working condition. Examples of maintenance works can be sweeping the halls, lubricating hinges and locks, and servicing the burner and boiler annually (Wood, 2009). Generally, building maintenance is defined conclusively from various definitions as the combination of all technical and associated administrative actions to ensure all the items and elements in the building are able to function and perform in an acceptable and satisfactory standard (Seeley, 1987, Lateef et al., 2010, Chanter and Swallow, 2007, Ali et al., 2010). Maintenance in a building can be for services, facilities, facades, elements and structures and each of the maintenance activities is different. All buildings require undergoing maintenance as to allow the building to continue operating, maintaining their value as high as possible and extending their life. Building maintenance is also important to provide a safe and better working environment and to maintain the aesthetic value of the building (Wood, 2009). In order to have a good maintenance practice in a building, it is essential to take into consideration the whole aspects of maintenance management that constitute of maintenance standard, statutory control, maintenance planning, cost management, maintenance information, maintenance organisation, maintenance document, service delivery, and sustainability. All of which must be planned properly to provide a good application for maintenance. The maintenance strategy is one of the vital elements that need to be chosen carefully based on the factors such as budget, users’ standard, building size and function, etc.
The building maintenance strategy that is typically applied in Malaysian buildings is unplanned or reactive based. This strategy is claimed to be ineffective as it will result in frequent breakdown or downtime, and subsequently, high-maintenance cost for repair and replacement work (Au-Yong et al., 2014b). Au-Yong et al. (2014b) also emphasised that the lack of preventive measures is currently the chief reason for poor maintenance performance. They highly recommend the introduction and implementation of preventive maintenance to solve the issue of high-maintenance cost. In addition, a survey carried out by the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government...