Dear readers,

The purpose of property management is to maintain the condition of a property in accordance with the design and improve its technical, environmental functions and standards wherever possible. Management costs are largely determined already at the time of new construction. Then the building's frame type, technical communications, interiors, finishes and design are chosen. With the increased responsibility of the builder, long-term sustainability issues have become even more important.

Whoever builds, owns or manages the property is responsible for the environmental impact of the built environment.

Many property owners are developing long-term maintenance plans or regional programmes based on an analysis of technological needs and economic opportunities. Property management can consist of three elements: administrative, economic and practical.

Administrative management deals with recruitment, inspection, personnel planning, operation and maintenance, procurement, etc. Economic management deals with the collection and management of funds, rents, payments, budgeting, accounting and financial reporting. Practical management deals with building and communication maintenance, day-to-day control, operational management, cleaning, etc.

The organization of the management process influences the result and the environmental work. Therefore, management companies and property owners have begun to introduce environmental management quality certification. This means that companies adopt an environmental policy and define environmental goals and objectives, taking into account the allocation of sufficient resources to achieve them within a specified time.

This issue focuses on these and other issues of environmental sustainability.

Sincerely,

Peter Grabovy,

Editor-in-Chief