BCIS Forecasts Maintenance and Cleaning Costs are Set to Rise in 2023

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• BCIS Forecasts Maintenance and Cleaning Costs are Set to Rise in 2023

27 January 2023

Building maintenance and cleaning costs are to rise by 4.8 per cent and 7.7 per cent respectively this year. 

The Building Cost Information Service predicts that demand for repairs and maintenance could fall as maintenance and cleaning costs rise. The latest forecasts indicate R&M annual output could decline by around 2.9 per cent in 2023.

"As companies adapt to post-COVID standards, cleaning costs are expected to rise 28.5 per cent over the next five years."

–James Fiske

CEO, Building Cost Information Service (BCIS)  

James Fiske, CEO of the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) said: “The cost-of-living crisis and increase in wages due to labour shortages, could result in maintenance costs rising to 15.4 per cent over the forecast period (to 3Q 2027).  As companies adapt to post-COVID standards, cleaning costs are expected to rise 28.5 per cent over the next five years.  

“Although energy prices remain volatile, energy costs are expected to decrease by 24.4 per cent in the forecast period, as the markets stabilise. 

“Basic repairs and maintenance cannot be cancelled or postponed but some repairs and maintenance expenditure in the public sector may be held back, as new build projects under the major hospital, school and prison building programmes are prioritised.”   

Cleaning Costs and Staff Shortages

The availability of staff is also a factor in rising cleaning costs. The sector employs 1.47 million people, and the workforce has been significantly stretched since Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Labour Force Survey figures from 2020, before the immigration rules changed, showed that 20 per cent of the cleaning and hygiene industry workforce nationwide were from overseas, rising to 55 per cent in London.

A British Cleaning Council and All Party Parliament Group (APPG) report recommends that urgent consideration must be given to making cleaning staff eligible for the Skilled Worker Visa scheme to address the shortage.

Picture: a photograph of a desk with a laptop, coffee cup, calculator and a plant on it. A gloved hand can be seen cleaning the surface. Image Credit: Unsplash

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 27 January 2023

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