What is a PPM schedule?

A planned preventive maintenance schedule: a list of every item a building or business has to keep in working order, what is done to it, how often, who does it, when it was last done and when it is next due. The point of it is that maintenance happens on a date set in advance, not after something fails.

What should a PPM schedule include?

For each asset or system: where it is, the task, the interval, who carries it out, the date it was last done, the date it is next due, and where the record is held. It also needs a place to log defects found, because a schedule that never records a fault is usually a schedule that is not being read.

How often does planned maintenance have to be done?

It depends on the asset. For some, the law or HSE guidance sets the interval: lifting equipment used to lift people, and all lifting accessories, need a thorough examination every 6 months, and other lifting equipment every 12 months, unless an examination scheme says otherwise. An asbestos management plan is reviewed every 12 months or sooner if necessary. For many others, including portable electrical appliances, there is no fixed legal interval and HSE says to take a risk based approach.

Do I have to keep maintenance records?

It depends on the item. LOLER has reporting and record keeping duties for lifting equipment, and PUWER says that where machinery has a maintenance log, it must be kept up to date. For portable appliance testing, HSE says there is no legal requirement to keep records, but that a record is a useful way to show that a scheme exists and to review how well it works.

Who is responsible for planned maintenance in a building?

For fire safety, GOV.UK says the responsible person can be the employer, owner, landlord, occupier, or anyone with control of the premises such as a facilities manager or managing agent. Who carries out each task is a separate question, and the schedule has a column for it.

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Free template

PPM schedule template for buildings and facilities

A planned preventive maintenance schedule you can print for the plant room, fill in on a tablet, or download as a spreadsheet. It lists each asset with its interval, who does the work, when it was last done and when it is next due, and keeps a log of the faults found along the way.

Last checked 2 October 2026

The PPM schedule #

It is laid out for one building or site. The first few rows are the assets that carry a legal or HSE interval, with the basis written next to them so you know what you are working to. Add a row for every other asset, and set its interval from the maker's instructions and your own risk assessment.

PPM schedule template

Click anything in brackets to type over it, then copy, print or download the result. Nothing you type leaves this page.

Planned preventive maintenance schedule

Site	[Site name and address]
Responsible person	[Name and phone number]
Maintenance contact	[Name, company and phone number]
Schedule reviewed on	[Date]

Assets and planned tasks

Asset or system	Task	Interval and basis
Passenger lift or hoist	Thorough examination	6 months (LOLER, equipment that lifts people), unless an examination scheme says otherwise
Lifting accessories (slings, chains, eyebolts)	Thorough examination	6 months (LOLER)
Other lifting equipment	Thorough examination	12 months (LOLER)
Asbestos management plan	Review the register and plan	12 months, or sooner if necessary (HSE)
Fire risk assessment and fire safety measures	Review and maintain	Reviewed regularly (Fire Safety Order); interval set by the assessment
Water systems	Legionella control checks	As set by the written risk assessment and control scheme (HSE L8)
Portable electrical appliances	Visual check, and test where the risk calls for it	Risk based, no fixed legal interval (HSE)
Plant and machinery	Maintenance to the maker's instructions	As the manufacturer sets; keep the maintenance log up to date (PUWER)

Defects and repairs

Date found	Asset	What was found	Reported by	Action taken	Done on

Sign-off

I confirm the tasks above were carried out on the dates shown.

Competent person signature	Name	Date
Responsible person signature	Name	Date

What a PPM schedule is for #

The plan

Every asset, the task it needs and the interval, written down once, so that nothing depends on somebody remembering that the lift is due in March.
The record

A last done date and a next due date against each line is what shows an inspector, a client or an insurer that the work was planned and carried out.
The fault log

What was found, who was told and when it was put right. A schedule with no faults in it usually means nobody is writing them down.

Which intervals are fixed and which are yours to set #

Very few maintenance intervals are written into law. HSE sets 6 months for a thorough examination of lifting equipment that lifts people and for all lifting accessories, and 12 months for other lifting equipment, unless a competent person has drawn up an examination scheme. An asbestos management plan is reviewed every 12 months, or sooner if necessary.

For fire safety, GOV.UK says the responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment, review it regularly, and maintain the fire safety measures in place. For water systems, HSE's legionella code of practice is built around a written risk assessment, a control scheme, monitoring, and records. Neither fixes an interval in the schedule for you: the interval comes from the assessment, so the schedule should point to it.

How to use it well #

One row per asset, not per category

"Fire equipment" is a heading. "Extinguisher, first floor landing" is a row somebody can sign.
Put a name against each task

A task that belongs to "facilities" is the one that is missed. Name the person or the contractor.
Date everything

The schedule only works with a last done date and a next due date against each line, kept up to date.
Review it when anything changes

A new asset, a changed contractor or a fault that keeps coming back means a new row or a new interval, not a note in the margin.

What the office does with it by hand #

In most firms the schedule is a spreadsheet that one person keeps. Each month somebody scans it for what is coming due, books the contractor, chases the certificate, files it and updates the date. Every one of those steps follows a rule: the same trigger, the same message, the same fields moving to the same places. The judgement is in what a fault means and whether an asset can stay in use.

The task sorter separates the jobs like that from the ones that need a person. Planned preventive maintenance covers the same problem from the office side, and the cleaning rota template is the day to day companion.

Questions people ask

What is a PPM schedule?: A planned preventive maintenance schedule: a list of every item a building or business has to keep in working order, what is done to it, how often, who does it, when it was last done and when it is next due. The point of it is that maintenance happens on a date set in advance, not after something fails.
What should a PPM schedule include?: For each asset or system: where it is, the task, the interval, who carries it out, the date it was last done, the date it is next due, and where the record is held. It also needs a place to log defects found, because a schedule that never records a fault is usually a schedule that is not being read.
How often does planned maintenance have to be done?: It depends on the asset. For some, the law or HSE guidance sets the interval: lifting equipment used to lift people, and all lifting accessories, need a thorough examination every 6 months, and other lifting equipment every 12 months, unless an examination scheme says otherwise. An asbestos management plan is reviewed every 12 months or sooner if necessary. For many others, including portable electrical appliances, there is no fixed legal interval and HSE says to take a risk based approach.
Do I have to keep maintenance records?: It depends on the item. LOLER has reporting and record keeping duties for lifting equipment, and PUWER says that where machinery has a maintenance log, it must be kept up to date. For portable appliance testing, HSE says there is no legal requirement to keep records, but that a record is a useful way to show that a scheme exists and to review how well it works.
Who is responsible for planned maintenance in a building?: For fire safety, GOV.UK says the responsible person can be the employer, owner, landlord, occupier, or anyone with control of the premises such as a facilities manager or managing agent. Who carries out each task is a separate question, and the schedule has a column for it.

Where these numbers come from

HSE, Thorough examination and inspection of lifting equipment, read 2 October 2026. Unless an examination scheme specifies other intervals, thorough examination every 6 months for lifting equipment and accessories used to lift people and for all lifting accessories, and every 12 months for all other lifting equipment; LOLER has reporting and record keeping duties (regulations 9, 10 and 11)
HSE, Maintenance, examination and testing of plant and equipment, read 2 October 2026. PUWER requires all work equipment to be maintained in an efficient state, in efficient order and in good repair, and any machinery maintenance log to be kept up to date; maintenance is carried out by a competent person, using the manufacturer's instructions as a guide, with a way for workers to report damaged or faulty equipment
HSE, Duty to manage asbestos, read 2 October 2026. Keep a record of the location and condition of asbestos containing materials, write a management plan, and review it every 12 months or sooner if necessary
HSE, Portable appliance testing: frequently asked questions, read 2 October 2026. No legal requirement for annual testing; frequency depends on the type of equipment and the environment, taking a risk based approach; no legal requirement to keep test records, though a record is a useful management tool
GOV.UK, Workplace fire safety: your responsibilities, read 2 October 2026. The responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment and review it regularly, and put in place and maintain appropriate fire safety measures
HSE, Legionnaires' disease: the control of legionella bacteria in water systems (L8), read 2 October 2026. Identify and assess sources of risk, prepare a scheme to prevent or control risk, implement and monitor precautions, keep records of precautions, and appoint a responsible manager

Last checked 2 October 2026.

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