General building maintenance workers and building superintendents
Career Overview
General building maintenance workers are responsible for the upkeep, repair and general maintenance of buildings. They do minor repair work, maintain equipment and do preventive inspections of building systems.
Building superintendents manage the overall operation of the building(s) and may supervise other workers.
Job Titles
Duties
In general, building maintenance workers and building superintendents:
- Make minor repairs to heating, cooling, ventilation, plumbing and electrical systems, and contact tradespersons for major repairs
- Do routine maintenance, like painting and drywall repair
- Respond to requests from residents for minor repairs
- Do daily inspections of building systems
- Provide general help to tradespersons such as mechanics, electricians, carpenters and plumbers
- Co-ordinate the preparation of housing units for new residents
- Co-ordinate parking, access, elevator lock-off and electrical shut-down for tradespeople
- Make sure security equipment is working, and deal with concierge/security staff on security and access issues
- Attend to emergency situations, such as floods
- Help ensure tenants follow health, fire, safety and security policies
- Communicate with tenants and manage expectations when building projects cause disruptions
They may also:
- Move furniture, equipment and supplies
- Supervise other workers
Building superintendents of residential buildings may also:
- Advertise vacancies, prepare and show apartments and offices to potential tenants
- Collect rent
- Process tenant applications, including references and credit checks
- Manage security deposits and refunds
- Keep records, revenue reports and petty cash forms
- Manage inventory of building maintenance supplies
- Provide building status reports to landlords, condo boards and property managers
- Serve tenants with legal documents
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
11,545% Employed Full Time
51%General building maintenance workers and building superintendents work for office and apartment building management companies, condominium corporations, educational institutions, health care facilities, hotels, recreation centres, shopping malls and religious, industrial and other establishments.
Some building superintendents live in the buildings where they work, providing on-call service to the people who live or work in the building.
Career Pathways
With training or experience, general building maintenance and building superintendents may become supervisors. Some experienced workers go on to open their own repair or contracting businesses.
More experienced building superintendents can move into management of multiple properties.
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
General building maintenance workers and building superintendents must have secondary (high) school education.
Some positions may also require:
- Building service worker (for general building maintenance) or building operator (for building superintendents) certification
- Journey-level certification in one or more trades
- Basic training in boilers, fire systems and other building systems
- Basic knowledge in dealing with mould and other hazards
- Familiarity with safety codes and equipment
- Knowledge of Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
- Previous maintenance experience
- A criminal record check
Certification is not required to work as a general building maintenance worker in B.C., but may offer a competitive edge. Contact SkilledTradesBC for details on how to become a certified residential building maintenance worker.
Education programs in B.C.
Top Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Understanding how new information could be used to solve current and future problems in making decisions.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
11,545Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 410 | 3.5% |
| Kootenay | 470 | 4.1% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 6,345 | 54.9% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 300 | 2.6% |
| Northeast | 240 | 2.1% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 1,450 | 12.6% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 2,340 | 20.3% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2025-2035)
5,280Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2025-2035)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 150 | 0.4% |
| Kootenay | 180 | 0.7% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 2,990 | 1.0% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 70 | 0.5% |
| Northeast | 90 | 0.7% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 560 | 0.8% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 1,240 | 1.4% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2025-2035) |
|---|---|
| Business, Building and Other Support Services | 830 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 760 |
| Construction | 630 |
| Finance, Insurance and Real Estate | 600 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 550 |
Insights from Industry
Many job openings become available due to worker turnover and a declining number of retired people who act as resident caretakers for their buildings. The increase in multi-family homes and larger commercial towers is also boosting demand for building superintendents.
The role of the building manager is in transition. As more building systems are computerized, the job of maintaining buildings is becoming more complex.
Resources
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Building Owners and Managers Association of British Columbia (BOMA)www.boma.bc.ca
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Professional Association of Managing Agents (PAMA)www.pama.ca
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Real Estate Institute of Canadawww.reic.ca
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Strata Property Agents of BC (SPABC)spabc.org
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SkilledTradesBC - Residential Building Maintenance Workerskilledtradesbc.ca/residential-building-maintenance-worker