The Cost of Deferred Maintenance: The Law of Fives

W.R. de Sitter’s Law of Fives states, “If maintenance is not performed, then repairs equaling five times the maintenance costs are required. In turn, if those repairs are not affected, then renewal expenses can reach five times the repair cost. Therefore, postponing the maintenance compounds the amount of deferred maintenance.”

Essentially, if a building is not maintained for 10 years, small issues become large issues and the cost to repair is 5 times the cost of the maintenance. And it compounds from there.

By performing proactive maintenance, building owners save substantially in the long run. This is extremely important for properties with limited budgets. Tempting as it may be to “kick the can down the road,” it will only get bigger and the cost could become insurmountable. 

Check out our Preventative Maintenance Checklist to help you catch issues early, save money, and protect your investment.

Source: W.R. de Sitter: Cost for Service Life Optimization: The Law of Fives. Durability of Concrete Structures: Workshop Report, Copenhagen 1984