Revealed: the UK universities that have invested the most in building maintenance

A new Freedom of Information request spotlights the UK’s leading universities for building repair and remediation works

Recent figures reveal that the maintenance backlog for the Department for Education was in excess of £13.8bn in 2023-24. The excessive costs spotlight the need for more cost-efficient repair and remediation works of education buildings in the UK, particularly with the discovery of RAAC across several education institutions.

To investigate the state of building maintenance across UK universities, SFG20, the industry standard for facility management, submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to universities across the country. They received responses from 61 universities, who were asked to provide information on: total costs spent on repair and remediation works in the most recent financial year; completed repair projects; outstanding projects; and total budgets. 

From the universities that responded, 904,000 maintenance projects were logged in 2023, however, as of January this year, there were still approximately 76,527 outstanding maintenance requests left to carry out. This demonstrates the sheer volume of maintenance tasks that need to be carried out to keep universities to a safe and habitual standard. 

The universities that invested the most in building repair and remediation 

The University of Oxford ranked top position for the university that had invested the most into repair and remediation works across its facilities and buildings, with an overall score of 75.41. 

As part of their overall ranking, the University of Oxford had one of the highest repair project completion rates of the institutions that responded, with almost 40,000 completed. In the most recent financial year, the University of Oxford spent a total of £18,500,000 on building maintenance projects. With a budget of £26.4 million, they were also the university that came most under budget, reflecting their cost-efficient allocation of resources. 

The University of Oxford was closely followed by the University of York, which spent a total of £12.8 million on repair and maintenance works in the most recent financial year, approximately £3 million under budget. 

Universities such as the London School of Economics (53.28), Arts University Bournemouth (53.01), and The Open University (52.73) were categorised into the bronze tier category. The Arts University Bournemouth had the lowest average spend per maintenance request of all the universities that responded to the FOI request at just £23 per request, calculated with their total spend and total maintenance requests completed. 

The London School of Economics and Edinburgh Napier University, both finished the most recent financial year exactly on budget for repair and remediation works to their buildings, having spent £3.02 million and £1.11 million respectively. 

Paul Bullard, Product Director at SFG20, on the issue of building maintenance in UK Universities, has said: 

“Staying significantly under budget on maintenance costs and keeping a low cost per repair request are both strong indicators of a well-structured, proactive maintenance strategy – one that prioritises efficiency and minimises more serious and costly unexpected downtime.

“To attract and retain the best calibre of staff and students, universities must provide outstanding learning environments, supported by high-quality leisure facilities and living conditions. Even before Covid, we saw a shift towards improving indoor air quality to enhance student focus and well-being. Now, more than ever, delivering a great experience is critical. Well-maintained facilities not only create inspiring spaces for learning but also play a vital role in university recruitment and retention.”