The practical starting point is a system-and-control map. For England and Wales, examine who controls technical operation alongside the equipment arrangements, rather than deciding from job titles or ownership labels alone.
What you need to know
- List central and independently operated cooling systems.
- Identify who can commission technical work for each system.
- Compare lease responsibilities with actual operating arrangements.
- Preserve reports and handover evidence when control changes.
Map the cooling systems and building ownership
Prepare a plan showing the building, occupied areas, outdoor equipment and central services. Identify which rooms each system serves and whether any plant is shared with another occupier.
Keep an ownership column separate from an operational-control column. This prevents an assumption that the company owning a unit necessarily manages all its technical functions.
Review TM44 inspection requirementsIdentify the person controlling plant operation
Ask who authorises maintenance, replacement and technical operating changes. Identify the organisation with access to the relevant controls and the ability to procure an accredited inspection.
A receptionist changing a room set point is not enough to establish the full responsibility arrangement. Record the actual decision chain and refer uncertain allocations for professional review.
Separate landlord central cooling from tenant units
Separate landlord chillers or shared cooling from independently installed tenant systems. Mark any interface, such as a landlord chilled-water supply serving tenant equipment, that needs joint technical information.
Do not assume a central-plant report covers every later tenant addition. Give the assessor the plant and control diagram so the inspection boundaries can be agreed explicitly.
Review lease documents without replacing technical facts
Read the lease, management agreement and maintenance contract for relevant obligations and access rights. Compare them with the way the property is actually managed.
A contract may allocate procurement or costs without resolving every statutory question. Where documents and practical control conflict, have the parties clarify the position with suitable technical or legal advice.
Retain reports for each relevant installation
Keep the complete report against the building and assessed installation, with its date, assessor and applicable reference. Relate asset identifiers in the report to the current equipment register.
Where several reports cover separate systems, show their boundaries clearly. One missing record should trigger a targeted enquiry rather than an unsupported declaration about the whole estate.
Plan access and report handover during tenant changes
Include plant access, maintenance contacts and the latest inspection report in an operational handover. Record what was supplied and what the incoming party still needs to obtain.
England and Wales has a specific three-month duty where a new relevant person receives no previous inspection report. Check that rule against the facts of the transfer instead of assuming every tenant change gives a fresh grace period.
Request a scoped TM44 quotationCheck the governing guidance
This article does not authenticate a government register entry or establish the status of an individual building. Confirm the applicable national framework and the actual installed equipment before relying on a compliance conclusion.
England and Wales legal points are anchored in current government publications and the regulations. Technical applicability for a specific building still requires its actual system information.