FM glossary.

The facilities management terms that come up most, in plain English.

6 min read · Updated 29 September 2026

Asset register

A list of every piece of equipment you maintain, where it is, and its history.

CAFM

Computer-aided facilities management. Software for running the maintenance of buildings.

Certificate

Written proof that an inspection or test was done, and what it found.

CMMS

Computerised maintenance management system. Software focused on maintaining assets.

EICR

Electrical installation condition report. A periodic inspection of fixed wiring.

F-gas

Fluorinated gases used in air conditioning and refrigeration, with their own leak-check rules.

FSM

Field service management. Software for scheduling and running engineers.

Golden thread

The accurate, up-to-date record of a higher-risk building, required under the Building Safety Act.

Helpdesk

The team, or system, that takes in faults and requests and turns them into jobs.

Intake

How work arrives: email, phone, portal. docket gives each company its own intake address.

Job sheet

The record an engineer fills in to show what was done on a job.

KPI

Key performance indicator. A measure of how well the work is going.

Legionella

Bacteria that can grow in water systems. Controlled through risk assessment and monitoring.

LOLER

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Covers lifts and hoists.

Out of hours

Work reported or done outside normal working hours, usually emergencies.

PO

Purchase order. The approval to spend money with a supplier or subcontractor.

PPM

Planned preventive maintenance. Recurring tasks done on a schedule.

Reactive maintenance

Fixing things when they break or are reported.

Remedial

Follow-on work found during a job or inspection that still needs doing.

Site

A building or location you maintain.

SLA

Service level agreement. How quickly jobs must be responded to and fixed.

Subcontractor

A company you send work to, rather than doing it with your own engineers.

TM44

An energy inspection of air conditioning systems over 12kW, every five years.

Work order

An instruction to carry out a piece of work. Often another word for a job.

Straight answers.

Keep reading